Edmontonians mark Remembrance Day at Alberta’s oldest war monument, ceremonies across the city

A Remembrance Day service was held at the Beverly Cenotaph on Tuesday to honour Canada's fallen soldiers. CTV News Edmonton's Gates Guarin was there.

The city marked Remembrance Day with a number of ceremonies, including one at Alberta’s oldest war monument, on Tuesday to honour Canadians who fought and those who died during the war.

The Beverly Memorial Cenotaph on the corner of 118 Avenue and 40 Street saw a procession marching from Maranatha Christian Reformed Church to the monument, where residents watched on and stood for The Last Post and speeches from veterans.

Built in 1920 by soldiers from Beverly, Alta., which later became a neighbourhood in the city, the Beverly Cenotaph has historical status through the City of Edmonton.

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The monument is inscribed with the names of the 170 Beverly residents who served in the First World War, including the 28 who died. Tuesday marked the monument’s 105th year of honouring veterans, making it the province’s oldest war monument.

This year, the Air Cadets, the 15th Field Ambulance and the 408 Tactical Helicopter Squadron took part in the procession.

“As soon as you stop saying their names, they’re forgotten, and we just cannot do that,” said Geoff Cysouw, a retired major.

Jim Trudel, who sits on the Beverly Memorial and Cenotaph committee, has been going to the area for its Remembrance Day ceremonies since 1988.

“We’re here to remember it, remember the things that were wrong, the people who died,” he said. “Hopefully, by gathering together as a community, we can prevent it.”

Shania Murphy, who currently serves with the 15 Field Ambulance in Edmonton, said she joined the military after her cousin came back from Afghanistan.

“I just felt the impact of everything that he did, and I wanted to be a part of that,” she told CTV News Edmonton on Tuesday. She also gave a speech during the Beverly Cenotaph ceremony.

“It definitely felt like a weight on my shoulders, because everyone that has come before us has sacrificed so much, and I really felt the impact of having or wanting to project all of those feelings correctly,” she said.

The Calder Cenotaph, built in 1949 and also holding historical status, honours the nine veterans from the area killed during the Second World War. The procession there was put on by the Calder Community League.

Earl Turvey, a long-time resident of the neighbourhood, goes each year to put a poppy on his father and grandfather’s grave.

His father served in the Royal Canadian Volunteer Navy in the Second World War while his grandfather served during Vimy Ridge and other major battles of the First World War. While both made it home, he said, he still goes each year to honour their service – and he’s noticed a growing attendance over time.

“People are realizing what our veterans have done for us, and I notice every year, even more people of different nationalities showing up,” he said.

Each ceremony consisted of a procession followed by the traditional two minutes of silence, playing of The Last Post and wreath-laying.

The Alberta legislature also hosted the Remembrance Day artillery salute at 11 a.m.

With files from CTV News Edmonton’s Gates Guarin, Galen McDougall and Evan Klippenstein