NEWS RELEASE
CITY OF BARRIE
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Nov. 11, 2018 marks the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended the First World War in 1918. Barrie's Royal Canadian Legion branch and the City of Barrie will join communities across Canada in remembering our country's great contributions and sacrifices in the First World War with a series of special Remembrance Day activities.
“The accomplishments of Canadian soldiers who fought in WWI solidified Canada’s reputation for defending peace and freedom around the world, which continues to this day,” said Mayor Jeff Lehman. “These achievements came at a high price and as we join together to mark the 100th anniversary of the WWI armistice, we remember the great sacrifices of the men and women who served and continue to serve to protect the values of freedom and democracy.”
Remembrance Day Vigil | Memorial Square
From 7 p.m. on Nov. 10 to 7 a.m. on Nov. 11, five cadets in rotating shifts will stand vigil at the Cenotaph in Memorial Square.
Remembrance Day Parade & Ceremony | Sunday, Nov. 11, 10 a.m. | Parade: Dunlop/Mulcaster to Five Points | Ceremony: Memorial Square
The annual parade will start along Dunlop Street at Mulcaster and march to the Five Points intersection halting in front of the Cenotaph in Memorial Square for the ceremony. Two minutes of silence will be observed at 11 a.m. followed by the ceremony and laying of wreaths.
WE MUST HAVE MORE MEN! Barrie and the Great War, presented by Theatre By The Bay
Sunday, Nov. 11, 12 p.m. approximately | Meridian Place
A special performance of Theatre By The Bay's play WE MUST HAVE MORE MEN! Barrie and the Great War will take place in Meridian Place immediately after the Remembrance Day Ceremony. The play brings to life the personal accounts of the soldiers from Barrie and Simcoe County who fought in the trenches, at sea, and in the air in the Great War, as well as the wives and children who kept the home fires burning.
WWI Armistice Ceremony | Sunday, November 11, 4:30 p.m. | Military Heritage Park
Members of the military, cadets and family members will gather to honour those from Barrie & Simcoe County who served in WWI. Members of the public are welcome to attend.
Bells of Peace - Local churches will ring their bells 100 times at “the going down of the sun” (4:56 p.m.), to emulate the moment in 1918 when church bells across Europe tolled as four years of war had come to an end.
The Legion will also line the entrances to all three of Barrie’s cemeteries (Barrie Union, St. Mary's Catholic and St. Paul's Anglican) with 100 Canadian flags to commemorate our fallen.
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