The Royal Canadian Legion (Whitecourt) is proposing several high-profile projects

By Laura Bohnert

With several highly visible projects in the works, 2017 is going to be a busy year for the Whitecourt Royal Canadian Legion—Branch #44.

The Legion has received approval from the Town of Whitecourt to begin undertaking two projects: the upgrading of the Veteran’s Field of Honour at the Whitecourt Cemetery, and the “Flags of Remembrance” celebration.

Upgrades to the Veteran’s Field of Honour will include leveling and seeding sunken graves; providing new signage to replace the existing bent metal signs at each end of the existing fields; planting two new sapling oak trees; and the development gardens around the headstones that would enable Whitecourt’s memorial graves to compare to those of Canada’s fallen heroes overseas. The maintenance of the gardens has been offered by the Legion.

The saplings, grown in Ontario and offered for sale to Canadian Legions nation-wide, are descendants of acorns that were brought back to Canada by a Canadian officer who fought at Vimy, Comrade Kyle Scott, President, Branch #44 – Whitecourt, Royal Canadian Legion, has noted.

The “Flags of Remembrance” celebration will be orchestrated in partnership with Veteran’s Voices of Canada, Flags of Remembrance, a group that is traveling across Canada to capture the stories of surviving World War II and Korean War veterans. The celebration will commence with the placement of 128 Canadian flags to symbolize the 128,000 who lost their lives in conflict. The flags will be placed in a prominent location in Whitecourt (either adjacent to Memorial Point or along Dahl Drive near the toboggan hill) and will fly during the week of October 7.

“Each pole will hopefully be sponsored by the general public thorough monetary donations,” Comrade Scott explains. “Each pole will have a plaque fixed to it with the information of a service member of the donors choosing.”

Service members can include individuals, either military or police, who were killed in action, who died during service, who retired, or who are still serving.

“The money raised will go to VVofC to help fund their documentaries. At the end of the project, depending on the amount of money raised, branch 44 will receive a portion of the money raised
to be used on our local remembrance projects,” Comrade Scott adds.

Both projects will be funded by the 2017 Operations Budget, and all manpower, equipment, and materials required will be provided by the Town of Whitecourt.

“As the largest Veterans group in the country, we are the guardians of Remembrance and are forever in debt to our comrades who served our great country,” quotes Comrade Scott. “After they pass on from this life, we are tasked with ensuring their final resting places are given the fullest attention and proper care that they so justly deserve.”

The opening ceremony for the “Flags of Remembrance” celebration will take place on October 7.

Our goal is to “never [forget] the sacrifices of our country’s bravest individuals,” Comrade Scott concludes. “We fear the day that their sacrifices are forgotten, and with each project we pursue, we feel we are protecting their legacy for future generations to appreciate as well.”