This year's Remembrance Day event was the first to be held at the Prince Albert Armoury after the event was held outside of Prince Albert City Hall around the cenotaph the past four years. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

By Logan Lehmann

Remembrance Day

P.A. honours Remembrance Day with ceremony at Armoury

Nov 11, 2023 | 2:33 PM

Hundreds of people packed the Prince Albert Armoury on Saturday morning to honour and pay their respects to those who fought for our freedom during the annual Remembrance Day ceremony.

This is the first event that has been held at the Armoury in four years as COVID and renovations kept the doors closed. Now in 2023, President of The Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 2 in Prince Albert Rick Hodgson said it was exciting to see the event move back within the walls of the Armoury.

“It was really nice to get back in there and get everything set up again,” he said. “To have our backdrop back up, it looked really good. [Getting] back into the routine of our marching on and everybody is nice and warm and comfortable, it goes a lot better and it’s nice to back in there.”

When the clock struck 11:00, members of the North Saskatchewan Regiment fired off three shots in a gun salute. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

The ceremony got started with the March on of the Colours and Parade before the Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Mirasty arrived which was followed by the Vice-Regal Salute and singing of the national anthem.

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Hodgson said that there was a lot of pride within the Legion in having the Lieutenant Governor attend this years’ service.

“I’m very proud of the Legion to have him come to our service and attend it with us,” he said. “Talking with him, he said that he’s trying to get out of the main centres and go around to the smaller centres, so it was really nice to have him in attendance.”

Mirasty was just one of the many Provincial and Federal dignitaries in attendance, including Prince Albert MP Randy Hoback, Prince Albert MLAs Joe Hargrave and Alana Ross, and Prince Albert Mayor Greg Dionne, among many others.

Lieutenant Governor of Saskatchewan Russ Mirasty was the first to lay a wreath at the Remembrance Day service. (Logan Lehmann/paNOW Staff)

Moments before the clock struck 11:00, the Last Post was played followed by two minutes of silence and a gun salute when the clock hit the top of the hour. The ceremony continued with the laying of wreaths, scripture readings, a touching Remembrance Day address from Father Jim Kaptein, and In Flanders Fields read by Army Cadet M/Cpl Justin Theoret. The service wrapped up with God Save The King, the departure of the Vice-Regal Party and the March off the Colours and Parade.

“Everything had to be put together right and it was put together very well,” Hodgson said.

“Remembrance Day is an opportunity to recognize members of the Canadian Armed Forces who have courageously answered the call of duty,” said Prime Minister Justin Trudeau. “When it was needed most, they left behind their families and homes. Many returned with severe trauma – or didn’t return at all. Their sacrifice is a debt that we can never repay. As we reflect on this debt, we are reminded that this day is not just about the past; it is about our present and our future. From the battlefields of the First and Second World Wars, to Korea and Afghanistan, and in peacekeeping operations, to the training grounds for Ukrainian soldiers, and here at home, responding to a global pandemic and to climate-related disasters, Canadian Armed Forces members continue to show unwavering resolve and bravery.”

– with files from The Canadian Press.

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loganc.lehmann@pattisonmedia.com