It’s been more than 20 years since Remembrance Day services in Niverville began with a humble gathering on Main Street at the cenotaph. Over the years, as attendance grew, the service moved to the Heritage Centre. This year, more than 800 people were in attendance, filling every chair and crowding the standing room.

Veterans of the world wars are few in numbers these days, and the masses at this year’s ceremony stood to honour two aging veterans, who were wheeled into the auditorium in full military regalia. The crowd also applauded the many men and women, asked to stand, who have served in the military and peacekeeping forces since that time.

Many military personnel reside in this small community today.

This year’s ceremony placed an emphasis on the fact that 2019 is the seventy-fifth anniversary of D-Day and the Battle of Normandy.

“On June 6, 1944, allied troops stormed the beaches of Normandy, France to open the way to Germany from the west,” said emcee pastor Abe Klassen of Niverville. “Victory in the Normandy campaign came at a terrible cost. Canadians suffered the most casualties of any division of the British Army Corp.”

The theme of this year’s service was “A Journey to Remember.” Klassen, also the keynote speaker, led those gathered on that journey through the use of a slideshow and memories of his and his wife Kathy’s visit to war museums and memorials in Belgium and France this past spring.

Klassen’s emotional account began with the Flanders War Museum in Ypres, Belgium.

“It was one of the most profound experiences of our lives,” Klassen says, noting that it was at this museum where they discovered the existence of Kathy’s great uncle, a man who had served in the Belgium army in World War I and died in a military hospital in 1917.

“Since Canada was a part of the British empire in 1914, [we] were automatically at war and our troops played a prominent role as part of this war,” Klassen said.

Canada, at the time, had a population of less than eight million people. Approximately 620,000 Canadian men and women served in the World War I. Of those, 59,544 were killed while 172,950 were wounded.

It was at this site in Ypres where the famous Battle of Passchendaele was fought, a battle that would become known as the most costly in terms of human suffering. Canadian soldiers here numbered 20,000, by far the majority of whom were killed or wounded.

Klassen’s journey continued to Hill 62, a memorial dedicated to the Canadian Corp who either held or recaptured the area from the Germans during offensive operations in 1916. Thousands of Canadian graves scatter this memorial site.

Here, too, lie original trenches dug by World War I soldiers, preserved to this day for visitors to walk along and remember the horrors of war.

The journey continued on to Menin Gate in Ypres, which serves as a memorial to those who went missing in action.

“Since 1928, 365 days a year, The Last Post has been sounded every evening at 8:00 p.m. under the canopy of the Menin Gate,” Klassen says. “Every day, the people of Belgium remember the cost of war. Traffic is halted and the street is closed before the ceremony begins. Only during the Second World War was the ceremony interrupted.”

The Klassens’ journey took them to the site of other heroic events in Dunkirk and Vimy Ridge, France.

“We imagined what it would have been like for these soldiers [at Dunkirk] as war planes flew overhead, bombing the beach and walking into the water vulnerable to sniper attacks and in the midst of explosions,” Klassen recalled. “Imagine the mental, emotional, and physical toll!”

At the famous site of Vimy Ridge, another 100,000 Canadian soldiers battled a war that was not their own. A memorial here displays the names of 11,285 Canadian soldiers, all listed as missing in action and presumed dead.

“The land of Vimy Ridge actually belongs to Canada,” Klassen says. “It was a gift given from France in thankfulness to the Canadian soldiers for winning back this ridge. It is now turned into a beautiful park that many people of France come to every day.”

To close, Klassen asked those gathered what they will do to keep the horrific cost of war at the forefront of their hearts and minds in the coming years.

 “The cemeteries and crosses row on row should never be lost to us,” Klassen said. “Let us never forget the cost and continue to strive to make this Remembrance Day service a testimony to peace and reconciliation.” 

Untimely Deaths 

Natalie Batkis is a member of the seven-person volunteer Remembrance Day committee. This past year, two long-time members of the committee were lost to untimely deaths: Ian Wallace and Janice Keam.

“Janice and Ian both contributed so much to our service and our community for so many years,” Batkis says. “Their absence was deeply felt.”

Batkis adds that the desire of the committee, for many years, has been to create an event that draws the community and families closer together and provides an opportunity to learn more about the sacrifices made to ensure the freedom we know today.

“It was amazing to see so many people in attendance this year, from babies to World War II veterans,” says Batkis. “Our hope is that through this intergenerational sharing of knowledge, these services will continue to be passed down from generation to generation.”