BOLTON, Ont. — Leaves scattered on the grass of Laurel Hill in the north end of town on a grey and cloudy sombre day. In the distance, the rush of a car was drowned out by the thundering drum of the marching procession.
The Town of Caledon hosted its annual Remembrance Day Ceremony at Laurel Hill Cemetery Cenotaph at 12:30 p.m. on Saturday, Nov. 8.
Etienne Gignac-Bouchard, a current serving military member, does not call Bolton home but anticipated a pretty large turnout —around 50 people.
“It’s usually more people in their 40s and older,” Gignac-Bouchard said. “People who have some sort of connection through their family, maybe family members who were serving, and it’s part of their background.”
The procession of veterans sauntered up the slope of Queen Street. Cadets in uniform, people young and old and of diverse ethnicities, trailed behind.
People walked alongside them, bearing Canadian flags. Though some served, and some did not, all marched in solidarity and wore a common poppy on their breast.
“We are really like a big family, even if I don’t know these people personally,” Gignac-Bouchard said.
Through friends and connections, he felt tethered to this community and hoped to honour this day with them.
Policemen blocked off the roads, while Caledon Fire and Emergency Service members guarded the entrance of the cemetery.
The procession settled around a tent with seats arranged on the grass, facing the memorial cenotaph: a grand statue of a war soldier beside a crucifix. A British and Canadian flag were lowered on either side of the statue.
The crowd filled in around the cenotaph, and a woman sang “O Canada.”
Men, women, children, police officers, cadets and veterans bowed their heads for two minutes. An eerie blanket of silence descended. That was followed by the laying of the wreaths to commemorate fallen soldiers.
“Over the years, we’ve had many plane incidents,” reflected Gignac-Bouchard, noting that men and women in service are affected by training disasters, even if they haven’t fought in war.
“There are a lot of events happening, the Wainwright incident, for example,” Gignac-Bouchard said.
Remembrance Day honours and reflects upon conflicts or disasters, calling on all Canadians to bear the weight.
A representative of various services in Bolton and military services went up to lay a poppy-covered wreath below the cenotaph, including: Murray Stewart, recipient of a King Charles III Coronation Medal, who represented Ottawa; MPP Sylvia Jones, was there for Ontario; and Bolton Ward 6 Councillor, Cosimo Napoli.
Korean veterans conducted a circular march and salute before the crowd of mixed demographics, including the old, young, Black, white, Indian, and Asian, united for one cause.
The laying of the wreaths continued, with representatives from the United Nations peacekeepers, Vietnam veterans, Royal Canadian Sea Cadets, members of 892 Snowy Owl Air Cadet Squadron, the Navy League Caledon Branch; the Knights of Columbus council, with white feathered headwear and robes draped over them; the Rotary Club of Bolton; Girl Guides and Boy Scouts.
Gignac-Bouchard noted how war touches everyone in the forces to an extent.
But there is a sense of unity, whether one is in service or merely connected through social relations. Memories of war impact all, either directly or from a distance. This lingering trace of the past is apparent on Remembrance Day.
“Even though it’s not wartime per se,” Gignac-Bouchard explained, “it really touches everybody.”
