Royal Canadian Legion Branch 78 (Edwin Switzer Memorial) in Sioux Lookout is one of many branches in the Northwest and across Canada which will be holding ceremonies to remember Queen Elizabeth II.
“We will have a service, almost like a Remembrance Day service, it will be down at our Cenotaph down at Town Beach on Monday at 11 o’clock,” said Kirk Drew, the president of the Sioux Lookout Legion.
It’s important to recognize the Queen’s passing for many reasons, said Drew, including that she was herself a veteran.
“One of the things that impresses me the most about her was that she was the only Royal female that served in the army during the [Second World] War,” he said.
Princess Elizabeth joined the Auxiliary Territorial Service as a driver and mechanic after she turned 19, reaching the rank of Junior Commander, which was the equivalent of Captain, according to the Imperial War Museum.
“She’s the head of the state, she’s the head of the Royal Canadian Legion. So that in itself is enough to have a ceremony for her,” Drew said.
The Queen even has a connection to the official name of the Legion. According to the Royal Canadian Legion website, “Royal” was officially added to the name of the Legion in an amendment passed in 1961, after the Queen had given her consent.
In addition to the ceremonies and request from the national organization for flags to be flown at half mast, many branches are showing their respect in different ways. Branch 102 in Red Lake is closed with activities cancelled until after the funeral. In Dryden, Branch 63, also will stay closed during the state of mourning and will hold a special ceremony in her honour on Saturday at 10am. Branch 12 in Kenora will hold a ceremony at the Cenotaph located in downtown Kenora on Monday.
Back in Sioux Lookout, Kirk Drew, a 33-year veteran of the Canadian Forces, said he got a little choked over when watching television coverage of her death as the Queen has been a part of our lives for so long and most people have known no other leader. “She did a fantastic job.”
