Good weather blessed local remembrance services in 1954

The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015. Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.

Remembrance Day services of 50 years ago have much in common with those that will be observed in 2004. But a few things have changed, as the nature of the observances changed over time. 

Nov. 11 in 1954 fell on a Thursday, and large crowds attended all the services in the county. The weather helped a great deal. It was cool but sunny, without the cold wind, rain and occasional snow flakes that frequently accompany Nov. 11 services.

In 1954, church parades were important in most of the towns in the county, and in several they incorporated the services that in later years would be conducted on the morning of Nov. 11.

New in the 1954 ceremonies, or at least some of them, was mention of Korean War veterans. Another factor 50 years ago was a fear that Remembrance Day was fading in the public mind. 

In the 1920s, Nov. 11 had been observed as Armistice Day, but its importance diminished during the 1930s as the Great War receded into memory, and as pacifists rejected it as a glorification of war. 

By 1954, with the Second World War almost a decade in the past and the country ever more prosperous, Remembrance Day seemed less important to many.

A vocal observer of that phenomenon was Ed Seigman, secretary of Legion Branch 416 in Drayton. He was disturbed that some businesses no longer closed during Nov. 11 ceremonies, and a few didn’t even cease for two minutes of silence. The situation seemed to be worse in larger centres. He, and many Legion members, wanted the day to be observed as a full holiday.

The federal government had designated Nov. 11 as Remembrance Day, but it was not a statutory holiday, and observance was a hodge-podge across the country.

Drayton’s observance of Nov. 11 could be considered the typical one for Wellington. Veterans assembled in formation at the Legion Hall, along with the local Scouts and Cubs, and marched to the cenotaph at 10:30am. 

A minister, Rev. Alan Selby, conducted the services, assisted by two others: Pentecostal pastor Bill Shram and Presbyterian minister Rev. George Larson. Ross McEwing assisted by reading the list of local men who had fallen in the wars. Drayton’s merchants co-operated by closing during the ceremony.

At Clifford, Remembrance services were incorporated into a church parade on Sunday, Nov. 14. The veterans, augmented by Harriston Legion members and a colour party from Branch 296, assembled at the town hall and marched to Evengelical Brethren Church, where Rev. J.M. Oeestreicher preached a special sermon. Afterward, the veterans marched to the Clifford cenotaph, where three ministers conducted a brief service.

At Harriston, Legion Branch 296 participated in a church parade on Nov. 7 to St. George’s Anglican Church, where their chaplain, Rev. D.A. Powell, conducted the services. The choir that morning was augmented with singers from St. John’s Church. 

On Nov. 11, some 90 members of Branch 296, led by the Norwell High School Band, paraded on the main street to the cenotaph, where the auxiliary had already assembled. Four local ministers conducted the service, which included the laying of 20 wreaths. Some of those were sent by the industries in Harriston.

The wreaths included one from the new Dutch residents of the area. Rev. Ralph Vander Pol spoke of the gratitude of the Netherlands to the Canadian soldiers who had liberated their country a decade earlier. That night, Harriston Legionnaires and their guests enjoyed a turkey supper, followed by a social evening.

Palmerston also observed both a church parade and Nov. 11 services. Legion members paraded from their hall to Knox Presbyterian Church, where Rev. George Young preached a sermon on the fragility of peace, urging everyone to do their small part. 

Palmerston veterans paraded again on Nov. 11 to the cenotaph, accompanied by the Palmerston band. In the evening, about 75 attended the dinner, catered by the Legion Auxiliary for $1.50 a plate. There were short speeches by Arnold Darroch, Legion president “Scotty” Cox and MPP Fred Edwards. The guest speaker was Brock Davis of Drayton, who delivered a eulogy to small town life. The evening concluded with entertainment by the Barclay Trio.

At Arthur, reeve George Troup and his council expressed concern about businesses not closing for the ceremonies. They passed a resolution requesting all business to cease between 10:30am and noon on Nov. 11, and for the future they wanted a full day’s holiday.

Arthur Legion Branch 226 had a very high community profile in 1954, due largely to events to raise money for their building fund. On Nov. 6 their Poppy Day drive netted $183. Later that day they hosted a social evening, with Legion members from Elora, Fergus and Grand Valley in attendance.

On Nov. 11, an impressive parade, including veterans, Scouts, Cubs and the Arthur Pipe Band, marched to the cenotaph, where Rev. Arthur Leggett and Rev. Bruce Woods conducted the ceremony, assisted by a sound system lent by Archie McLean.

Mrs. S.L. Small and the auxiliary served dinner to more than 100 that evening. Father H.R. Brick spoke about “The Meaning of Remembrance Day,” and the event concluded with dancing to Lang’s Orchestra of Kenilworth.

Branch 226 held another fundraiser on Nov. 13: a screening of the movie Sky Commando staring Dan Duryea at the town hall. 

At Fergus, Branch 275 put all their efforts into a church parade on Nov. 14. The veterans marched from their hall to Melville Church, led by the Fergus Pipe Band. Rev. Glen Taylor preached a special sermon, entitled “Righteousness Exalteth a Nation or an Individual.” At the conclusion of the service, the veterans marched south across the Tower Street bridge to the cenotaph for the laying of wreaths.

Elora Branch 229 organized a full Nov. 11 service, which was swelled by veterans from Fergus, where there was no service that day. The veterans marched from their hall to the Elora cenotaph, led by the Wilf Hunter and the Fergus Pipe Band. Three ministers conducted the service, which included a portion dedicated specifically to Korean War veterans.

The Elora banquet was held the following evening, Nov. 12, at the Armoury Hall. The Pipe Band led a parade of veterans to the hall, where many veterans already had gathered. The Legion Auxiliary had been busy: red, white and blue bunting, with pots of chrysanthemums, decorated the tables.

J.K. MacDonald, a former reeve and Elora’s highest ranking WWI veteran, presided for a round of toasts and short speeches. 

Rolly Fell, the Zone Commander, delivered the main address, outlining the many ways the Legion helps veterans and the larger community. Afterward, the tables were pushed back for a dance, which continued until 2am.

Many schools observed Remembrance Day on Nov. 10. The Erin schools, both public and high, held the most elaborate observance in the county, with a full assembly in the afternoon. 

The next morning, 30 students from each of the schools marched in a parade with veterans and Boy Scouts, proceeding to a Nov. 11 service at Burns Church. Rev. R.L. Norman presided, and the last post was sounded at 11am.

The smaller hamlets did not neglect the day. Bethel Church, at Price’s Corners in East Garafraxa, served a Remembrance Day dinner on Nov. 11, followed by a program in the church auditorium.

Belwood’s efforts equalled those in much larger places. Legion members paraded to St. Johns United Church on Nov. 7 for a special service. Following a sermon by Rev, R.D. Trask, based on the Kipling poem Lest We Forget, veterans and their friends paraded to the cenotaph to lay wreaths.

On the morning of Nov. 11, school students at Belwood’s one-room school marched to the cenotaph, under the direction of their teacher, Mrs. Lawson. At the end of a brief service there, each student pinned a poppy to a plain white cross. In the evening, Rev. Jean Donaldson of Alma presented a film, Where No One Shall Thirst, at St. John’s Church as part of a Remembrance Day service for the youth of the church.

The above is by no means a complete list of 1954 Remembrance Day activities in the county. It does cover most of the major ones, and gives something of the flavour of that day 50 years ago.

The fears voiced in 1954, that the day would soon be forgotten as prosperity and materialism overwhelmed society, did not come true. 

At the same time, some would regret that the day had not become a full holiday devoted to memory and reflection.

A gratifying number of Wellington’s residents will turn out on Nov. 11 to honour those who served and who fell in three major wars and dozens of peace keeping assignments. Others will attend Legion banquets in the evening.

Those who fell will not be forgotten.

*This column was originally published in the Wellington Advertiser on Nov. 5, 2004.