HARRISTON – On the evening of Nov. 2, members of the community gathered at the Harriston Legion to hear a presentation by Jim Henderson about the history and traditions of Remembrance Day in Canada.
The presentation did not focus on the regular theme surrounding war, but rather it offered insight to how various Remembrance Day traditions have evolved.
“He’s been overseas several times, he’s done tours, he’s done speaking. So, we asked [Henderson] if he would speak to the Harriston Historical Society,” said society vice chair Willa Wick.
She added in an email to the Community News that Henderson is “a man well versed in war history.”
Henderson offered a detailed presentation on different monuments and people in the First World War and Second World War that shaped how Canadians celebrate Remembrance Day.
The event was split in two halves, one each for the First and Second World Wars.
Key topics were John McCrae’s In Flanders Fields, the Cabaret-Rouge British Cemetery, Vimy Ridge, the Tomb of the Unknown soldier, the “Mother Canada” statue at Vimy Ridge and Charlotte Susan Wood.
Henderson, while speaking about Wood, pointed to a photo of her in his presentation. He asked the crowd of nearly 60 attendees if they had heard of her before. Most shook their heads.
“In 1936, Charlotte Susan Wood became the [first National Memorial] Silver Cross Mother of Canada,” he said.
Henderson explained the mother from Winnipeg was presented to King Edward VIII and was invited to attend the unveiling of the Vimy Ridge Memorial in 1936.
“Here she is wearing a black coat, [wearing] the medals of her sons,” Henderson explained.
“She lost five sons in World War One. And she lost a son in the Boer War.
“It’s just inconceivable how that could happen. And yet it did. Very few people in this country know anything about her,” he said.
Henderson also brought in WWI and WWII artifacts for attendees to look at and ask questions.
The event marked the first time the Harriston Historical Society and the Harriston Legion had collaborated for such an occasion.
Wick noted at the event, and to the Community News, that the “organizations recognize the continual decline in attendance for events.”
“If it’s not a good attendance, you feel really bad and wonder why you even bother,” said Wick.
Anne South from the Legion and Wick thought combining the groups in November would be worthwhile as they both typically hold events for Remembrance Day.
“We’re both trying to have a more public presence since coming back from the COVID shutdown,” Wick stated in an email.
She added she and South were satisfied with the event, and Henderson was pleased people came and were interested in the subject.
Henderson also has a 470-page book, titled Before their Endeavours Fade, that chronicles the lives of 44 soldiers whose names are on the Palmerston cenotaph. A copy was raffled off at the event.
