London's annual Remembrance Day ceremony downtown will have one notable change this year.
Due to the ongoing construction on Wellington Street, the parade route has been altered to take the veterans, Canadian Armed Forces personnel, police officers, and cadets marching from the Delta Armouries on Dundas Street east, instead of west. The parade will turn north on Waterloo Street, then west on Dufferin Avenue until it reaches the Cenotaph in Victoria Park. The parade is scheduled to start at 10:30 a.m. on Saturday and marks the start of the annual ceremony.
The exact number of people who will be on parade is not yet known.
"We never know until we start forming up, but the feedback we are getting at this point is most favourable," said Randy Warden, veteran and chair of London's Remembrance Day committee. "Because Remembrance Day falls on a Saturday this year, we are very fortunate that many people are able to come down."
The Remembrance Day service draws thousands of Londoners wishing to pay tribute to Canada’s veterans and war dead, as well as those who are currently serving. The ceremony will begin at 10:45 a.m. with music from the Salvation Army Jubilee Brass, a land acknowledgement, and the national anthem. That will be followed by the playing of Last Post and two minutes of silence. The laying of the wreaths will follow a reading of the poem In Flanders Fields. Silver Cross Mother Carolyn Wilson will lay the first of the eight official wreaths to be laid at the foot of the Cenotaph. Wilson's son, Trooper Mark Wilson, was killed while serving in Afghanistan in 2006.
A number of other wreaths will already surround the Cenotaph. Londoners and community groups are being permitted to bring wreaths to the monument before a candlelight vigil at 7 p.m. on Friday.
Warden, who has planned the annual ceremony for the past five years, stressed Remembrance Day is personal for most veterans.
"For those who served in war, it is about the comrades that did not come home. Even those who served in peacetime, such as myself. I served in Cyprus for one six month tour and we lost two people during my tour," said Warden. "So it is an opportunity for most veterans to reflect on those who did not come home for whatever the reason."
Following the ceremony, Londoners will be able to go to Centennial Hall for a veteran meet-and-greet.
"For the veterans it is an opportunity to respond to questions and share their story," said Warden. "For the people who want to meet with the veterans it is an opportunity to ask what is on their mind. It has always been a good thing for school-aged kids to come and interact and is always well received by veterans."
Several roads in the downtown will be closed off leading up to and during the ceremony. Dufferin Avenue from Clarence Street to Waterloo Street and Wellington Street from Wolfe Street to Queens Avenue will be closed from 8 a.m. to 1 p.m. Dundas Street from Waterloo Street to Wellington Street, Waterloo Street from Dundas Street to Dufferin Avenue, and Dufferin Avenue from Clarence Street to Waterloo Street will be closed from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m.
People planning to attend the ceremony are advised to bundle up. Environment Canada is forecasting clouds with a slight chance of flurries or rain, and a high of only plus 5 C for Saturday. Those who cannot attend in-person can watch a live-stream of the service on Rogers TV. They can also honour veterans by stopping at 11 a.m. to observe two minutes of silence and by wearing a poppy.
