The rattling of machine guns, the booming of artillery, the shrill scream of shells, and the droning of planes. The bone-chilling cold, the oozing mud, the sleepless nights and everlasting days.
Thousands of men and women answered the call and served their country, no matter the cost. We will remember them. We will remember their words of hope and cheer, their brave words of courage and honour, and their dying words spoken in supreme sacrifice.
Kindersley, though only a fledgling town in World War I, and only slightly more so in the Second World War was not slow in answering the call when it was given. According to the Kindersley Memories book, over 100 individuals in the Kindersley area went forward in WWI and over double of that went in WWII.
After nearly 100 years, the Royal Canadian Legion Branch No. 57, the legion in the town of Kindersley, still lives up to its original purpose, honoring the veterans and serving their country by starting first in their community.
According to the Kindersley book of memories, the Legion was started in 1918 by 8 veterans from World War 1, then known as the Great War. These men held regular meetings in “the hut” and organized the official “Great War Veterans Association.” Later, this name changed to the “British Empire Service League.”
Members of the legion, possibly suffering from stresses like PTSD, used this association to turn their energy and attention from the past to building a bright future for their community. During WWII, the Legion sent care packages and letters to the serving men and women. After the war the Legion served, as it still does today, to help the returning soldiers and other servicemen and women to adjust back into civilian life.
WWII brought a new influx of members and new duties to perform; the Legion decided it was time to upgrade the meeting place. An old Methodist church, dubbed “the Orange Hall” back in the 1940s, was finally obtained by the Legion in 1946. Members worked together to pour a new cement basement and furnish the hall to what it is today.
In 1959, the Legion took over the management of a Kindersley Pool Project and saw it through to completion in 1961. Not surprisingly, the Legion is again an active member in raising funds for Kindersley’s current pool project. The Legion also served and continues to serve in many other capacities in the community, as it financially supports worthy community projects and services, and provides the ever-present reminder to never forget those who served and made the supreme sacrifice.
“As time passes, some of the stories of the veterans, especially those in WWI, are slowly being forgotten,” noted Scott Holloway, Chaplain of the Legion. “It is the aim of the Legion to bring back those stories through photos, letters, old war records, and hopefully with memorabilia and later history from family members.” Finding the stories isn’t easy, so Holloway encourages families who have veterans in their family to bring the information forward to help piece together the puzzles.
2017 marks a year of anniversaries, as major Canadian battles, such as Vimy Ridge and Passchendaele are in their centennial year, and the fateful Dieppe Raid in 1942 hit its 75th year. “We hope to take extra time in our regular ceremonies to remember those from Kindersley who were in those major battles,” says Holloway.
On Remembrance Day, at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, November 11, the Legion will perform a march from the Legion Hall on 2nd Avenue West and down Main Street to the Clearview Brethren in Christ Church to continue the service indoors. At 11:00 a.m. there will be a moment of silence, followed by a traditional service. The Legion Hall will also host a luncheon after the ceremonies. For those who may not be able to attend the ceremony in person, the Legion will travel to Caleb Village and the Kindersley Manor to hold services there at 2:00 and 3:00 p.m. respectively.
“Remembrance Day is important for several reasons,” noted Holloway; “and among the most important is to remember why our men and women went to war, and why they were willing to make the sacrifices they did.”
Indeed, we will remember them — we must remember them. If we allow the busy days to whirl into years, and slowly forget the peace, prosperity, and freedom for which they fought, then “Those who cannot remember the past are [doomed] to repeat it.” — George Santayana
Feature Image Source: Kindersley War Memories Mallorie Rast/Kindersley Social
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