ST. JOHN'S, N.L. — It’s one of the most important days of the year in this province, which honours the Canadians who served in past wars and the Newfoundlanders who gave their lives in past battles, but due to the COVID-19 pandemic, July 1 Memorial Day commemorations will look very different this year, with no large gatherings and scaled-down events.
Parades, including the one that draws hundreds of people to the National War Memorial on Water Street in St. John’s each year, have been cancelled.
There will be no multitude of officers in uniform, no groups of cadets, no bands with beating drums and no official ceremony.
“It’s so sad,” said Nathan Lehr, president of the Royal Canadian Legion (RCL), Newfoundland and Labrador Command. “Things are scaled back so much this year. There’s no parade, no fanfare.
“It’s too bad because it was a big day and the veterans look forward to it so much, getting dressed up. Everyone did.”
July 1 is Canada Day, a day on which nationalism is celebrated, but it’s mainly commemorated as Memorial Day in the province to honour the soldiers of the Newfoundland Regiment who lost their lives on July 1, 1916, at Beaumont-Hamel in France during the First World War’s Battle of the Somme.
While the 104th anniversary will be different, Lehr said the low-key events won’t diminish their importance.
“Our vets won’t be forgotten,” he said.
Instead of elaborate ceremonies across the province, Lehr said there will be a much smaller private ceremony attended by the Royal Canadian Legion and selected participants to pay respects and lay wreaths on behalf of the public, the military and veterans.
At the National War Memorial in St. John’s, Lt.-Gov. Judy Foote will lay a wreath on behalf of the people of the province, Lehr will lay one on behalf of the 45 RCL branches across the province and a wreath will be laid by a representative from the Royal Newfoundland Regiment.
Any organization or family who wishes to pay respects on their own are asked to do so during the afternoon of July 1 while complying with the province’s health guidelines.
Lehr said it’s important that the RCL strictly follows the guidelines laid out by the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador and the medical authorities.
“Everyone loves a parade and gathering, but I think people know the situation and know it’s just not safe at this time,” he said. “The circumstances just don’t allow it.”
Greg Grenning, president of the RCL Branch No. 1, Blackmarsh Road, said his branch will have a small event, with five people, to lay wreaths at the Field of Honour at Mount Pleasant Ceremony and at the Tommy Ricketts Monument on Water Street.
Grenning said while most people won’t be able to attend Memorial Day ceremonies, he hopes residents of the province will still take time to recognize the importance of the day.
“I would hope that people will reflect, take a minute and bow your head and think about those who made the supreme sacrifice and those who never returned home,” Grenning said. “That would certainly mean a lot.”
Ken Gatehouse, spokesperson for the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, said the regiment usually has a ceremony the morning of July 1 in Pleasantville, and a decision will be made soon about what the alternative plan will be.
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