Staff with the Town of Bradford West Gwillimbury began hanging banners on the main streets in town this week to honour veterans of Canada’s Armed Forces.
The veterans banner project was launched last year by Bradford’s Royal Canadian Legion, in co-operation with the town. It is a project that has been embraced by the families of those who have served.
“We had 28 banners last year, 37 this year,” said legion president Mike Giovanetti, who purchased one of the banners in honour of his father, Joseph, a Second World War army veteran.
There are also a number of banners still on order.
“They’ll be hung through the legion,” said Giovanetti.
The project has been several years in the making. It was Gary Lane, the son of a veteran, who first brought the banners to the attention of the town.
“I was down in St. George, N.B., in 2014 for a memorial service for the Royal Canadian Air Force training base and army training base,” where his father trained during the Second World War, Lane explained. “They had their banners up.”
He said he saw it as a wonderful way of remembering those who served.
“It’s an important part of my life,” said Lane, who was born during the war and remembers visiting his father at the training base. “The number of men who trained there and then went off to war and died, it’s staggering.”
Upon his return to Bradford, Lane contacted the town and Coun. Gary Lamb, and he proposed the veterans banner program be introduced here. The town was supportive and began looking into the program, but it wasn’t until Bradford Branch 521 of the Royal Canadian Legion got involved and did the research that the banner project got off the ground.
“It took time to do it right,” said Lamb.
As the summer banners were taken down on Monday, Remembrance Day banners and veterans banners were hung from the decorative light posts along Holland and Barrie streets in the centre of town — where they will remain until after Remembrance Day.
The annual Bradford West Gwillimbury Remembrance parade will be taking place on Sunday, Nov. 4 at 1 p.m.
Led by a pipe and drum band and military colour parties, legion members, and members of the armed services, police and other organizations, local veterans will parade down Holland Street to Bingham Street, and from there to the legion.
A remembrance service and wreath-laying ceremony will take place at the cenotaph at 115 Back St.
The Legion Remembrance Dinner will be taking place at the Legion Hall, 115 Back St., on Saturday, Nov. 10. Cocktails at 6 p.m., dinner at 7 p.m. Tickets are $22 per person, available at the legion or call 905-775-5025.
There will also be a Remembrance Day service on Nov. 11, starting at 10:30 a.m. at the cenotaph.
This year marks the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War. In the evening, starting at sundown, the Bells of Peace will ring out, tolling 100 times to mark the historic occasion.
As well, the poppy campaign begins in Bradford on Oct. 26.
