SUMMERSIDE, P.E.I. — Some of Doug Gallant’s earliest childhood memories are of attending Remembrance Day with his father.
His dad played the bugle for The Last Post during the ceremony in Summerside for years and the image stuck with him.
That memory came back to Gallant as he posed for pictures with his young grandnephew, Luca Gallant, following Summerside’s Remembrance Day ceremony on Nov. 11.
Born and raised in Summerside, Gallant joined the Armed Forces at 18 and served for 30 years. He became a paratrooper and served multiple tours internationally, including Bosnia.
Remembrance Day is special and he says he is always encouraged to see the people come out and mark the day as a community. But regardless of whether a person is able to get out and join a ceremony, everyone can and should take a moment on Nov. 11 to reflect on those who have served this country in uniform, he said.
“I think it’s very important that we take at least an hour of our life on Nov. 11 to come out and stand, and think of the people (who served), and think of what they went through so we could be free. We wouldn’t be here now if it wasn’t for them,” said Gallant.
Ceremony
Hundreds of people converged on Credit Union Place in Summerside for the city’s annual Remembrance Day ceremony.
To mark the end of the First World War, a moment of silence is observed on the 11th hour, of the 11th day, in the 11th month.
Adding to the solemn nature of the day was the shadow of the recent Wainwright, Alta., training accident in which four Canadian Forces soldiers were killed and many more seriously wounded.
The ceremony took special care to note that tragedy, as so many others would be doing across the country.
“We all remembered them here today,” said Gayle Mueller, president of Summerside’s George R. Pearkes VC Branch 5 Legion.
Mueller added that she is always grateful for those who take the time to attend the annual ceremony.
She also noted that the local poppy campaign, which raises funds for veterans’ programs, saw a bump this year. The donations were still being counted as of Nov. 11, but Mueller said the community showed their financial support.
“Our poppy cans, amazing, too, this year. With the high cost of living and that, we were prepared for less — but I think we got more (than usual). People have just generous hearts. When it comes to veterans, they are there, 100 per cent,” she said.
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Youth
Organizers often take care to involve young people in the ceremony, since it will be their responsibility to carry it on one day. One such person was Grade 12 Three Oaks Senior High student, Isaac Drummond, who was invited to share his experiences travelling to Europe last year.
Drummond was one of a number of students who had the chance last year to visit the Canadian National Vimy Memorial in France and celebrate the liberation of the Netherlands.
He spoke of those experiences with reverence and about how he and his compatriots had come away from what they had seen as changed people.
Getting to share those insights directly with his community was a great experience, he said.
“Being able to just come together and remember the people who came before us means a lot to me,” said Drummond. “I have a great grandfather who fought in the First World War. Just knowing it’s my family, other people’s families and that it just means a lot to everybody and not just myself.”
Colin MacLean is the assistant managing editor at the Journal Pioneer in Summerside. He can be reached at and followed on X @JournalPMacLean.
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