Lethbridge Legion invites community to celebrate 100-year anniversary

The General Stewart No. 4 Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion is celebrating its 100th anniversary this year.

The commemoration falls on the same year the Royal Canadian Legion marks 100 years of supporting veterans and promoting remembrance.

“It’s important to have that space; it always has been,” said Glenn Miller, with the General Stewart No. 4.

“It was the first help group of its kind back in the day because when you talk to other veterans, they all went through those same experiences.”

Originally founded as the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League at the Unity Conference in 1925, its primary purpose was to support veterans, advocate for their rights and promote remembrance of those who served in the military.

On July 17, 1926, the organization was incorporated by a special act of Parliament and issued its charter, officially becoming the Canadian Legion.

“The Legion goes back to the Great War, the First World War, 1914 to 1918,” explained Belinda Crowson, a local historian.

“By 1917, many soldiers had returned home with wounds and were looking for jobs and needing support, so in February 1917, the Great War Veterans Association formed a chapter here in Lethbridge, and they were given space in what was then called the Dominion Building, a federal building on the corner of what’s now Stafford Drive and First Avenue.”

The building served as the home of the legion until 1977, when it moved to its current location on Mayor Magrath Drive South.

General Stewart

The branch was given the name General Stewart No. 4 in honour of Brig.-Gen. John Smith Stewart.

Stewart was born in Ontario and had moved to Alberta to become a teacher.

“He doesn’t like teaching, so he goes back to dental school,” Crowson recalled.

“In the middle of dentistry school, he decided to fight in South Africa and the Boer War.”

He later returned to Alberta to complete his dentistry schooling and was convinced by his childhood friends to move to Lethbridge to become the second permanent dentist.

“In 1908, when they are deciding to start the western-most artillery in the British Empire, at that time, choose Lethbridge and they approach him,” said Crowson.

“They send him off to officer training; he comes back as a major and starts up the artillery battery.”

After fighting in the First World War and Second World War, Stewart returned to Lethbridge and joined the legion.

Since then, Miller says the local branch has continued to offer supports and programs for veterans in the city, even as other branches faced financial troubles through the pandemic.

“We’ve adapted and changed to be more sustainable,” he said.

Birthday celebrations

With optimism about the future high, the branch is hosting a community pancake breakfast on July 18 to celebrate the milestone anniversary.

From 9 a.m. to noon, the community is invited to take part in the breakfast, local market and live entertainment.

“Part of it is funding, but part of it is welcoming the community to see what we have and what’s going on here,” said Sheila Heinrich, chair of the centennial committee.

“We have a great kitchen; we have lots of games going on all the time. We have our meat draws on Fridays and Saturdays. We’re actively working on renovations to open a new small banquet space upstairs.”

To connect the community with their legions, the Royal Canadian Legion is offering free memberships throughout 2026.

“We have some very senior and cherished members, but we have some young 20-year-olds saying, ‘What do you got that we want to be a part of?’” said Heinrich.

Since the start of the year, Heinrich says they’ve had 250 new members sign up on top of the existing 900 members.

The General Stewart No. 4 Branch will host a fundraising gala to celebrate 100 years in October.

“We have an incredible military history here, and both the military museum and the legion are vital in maintaining that and vital in maintaining the connections and memories of the veterans as well,” said Crowson.