100 Years of Remembrance
Please see our comprehensive 100th Anniversary of the Armistice Magazine for all Remembrance Day related content, distributed with this week’s Moose Jaw Express
Remembrance Day is very significant this year, as we recognize 100 years since the end of the First World War and 100 years of services honouring those who have sacrificed so much for our freedom. Remembrance Day was first observed in 1919 throughout the British Commonwealth. It was originally called Armistice Day to commemorate the armistice agreement that ended the First World War on Monday, November 11, 1918, at 11 a.m.— on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
Moose Jaw’s involvement in World War I was significant. The 46th Battalion, recruited throughout Saskatchewan, was mobilized out of Moose Jaw to fight in France and Flanders. The First World War was brutal and bloody, with an extremely high casualty rate. The unit came to be known as “The Suicide Battalion”. The 46th Battalion lost 1,433 with 3,484 wounded – a casualty rate of 91.5 percent. Sergeant Hugh Cairns, a member of this battalion, was posthumously awarded the Victoria Cross. The 46th Battalion was eventually incorporated into what is now the Saskatchewan Dragoons, headquartered in our D.V. Currie VC Armoury. The former Ross School was converted from an elementary school into a military hospital for returning injured soldiers during the War. In Moose Jaw, the first Services of Remembrance began in 1919. Individual churches held their own services, followed by veterans parading to the Cross of Sacrifice in Crescent Park for a wreath laying ceremony. In 1959, a smaller replica of the Cross of Sacrifice was created, and the ceremony, coordinated by the Royal Canadian Legion, was held in the Civic Centre for the first time. I am very grateful to the Royal Canadian Legion for organizing the service every year since.
There will be a special World War I display outside the Legion lounge to commemorate the ending of World War I. It will include photos of military activity in Moose Jaw at the time, such as troops marching to the train station from the Armoury. Thank you to Sharon from the Legion office for passing on this information and setting up the display.
As individuals and as a government, it is important to recognize the invaluable contributions and sacrifices our nation’s veterans have made protecting Canada. It is a debt we can never fully repay. In the recent Throne Speech it was announced that, as a small act to show our appreciation to these brave men and women, free fishing and hunting licenses will be offered to all Canadian veterans.
We will also make moving to Saskatchewan easier for military personnel and their families. Members of the military and their immediate family members will be eligible for an exemption for a first-time registered vehicle inspection for a vehicle brought to Saskatchewan from another jurisdiction.
Our current veterans, those who served, those who sacrificed their lives, and their families, gave so much for us. We can all be grateful and make an honest effort to honour and remember them in some way. You can wear a poppy. Stop by the Legion to see the display. And I encourage everyone, especially on this 100th Anniversary, to attend our Remembrance Day Service at Mosaic Place on November 11th. The public is encouraged to be seated by 10:30 for the service.