The following is a re-print of a past column by former Advertiser columnist Stephen Thorning, who passed away on Feb. 23, 2015.
Some text has been updated to reflect changes since the original publication and any images used may not be the same as those that accompanied the original publication.
Some months ago Elora Legion president John Hake asked me about the origins of Decoration Day, and the Legion’s involvement in Decoration Day ceremonies.
I had a couple of references in my notes, but nothing more. I had to do a little digging.
The concept of Decoration Day had its origins in the American Civil War. In 1863 and 1864 residents of both the Union and Confederate states began decorating the graves of soldiers killed in battle, but there was no fixed date for the day. When General Logan urged in 1868 that May 30 be observed as a day to place flowers on the graves of the men killed defending the Union, the southern states ceased observing the day.
During the 1870s most of the states other than those formerly in the Confederacy proclaimed May 30 as a statutory holiday. The name was changed to Memorial Day in 1882, presumably to placate the old South, but by this time these states were observing the birthday of Jefferson Davis (June 3) as their memorial day.
During the 1880s and 1890s the idea of Decoration Day spread to Canada, but here it was picked up by fraternal societies, which would sometimes set aside a day each spring to plant flowers or place wreaths on the graves of deceased members of their organizations.
I have seen scattered references to this activity in Elora, but the documentation is not good. Because most of these societies (Oddfellows, Order of Foresters, Knights of Maccabees, for example) preferred to conduct their activities in secret, it is not surprising that few records exist.
Following the First World War there was renewed interest in Decoration Day. The Canadian armed forces had suffered heavy casualties in Europe, and there was widespread support for a special day to honour those who had fallen.
Armistice Day (Nov. 11) was observed as a national day of mourning and reflection beginning in 1918. Decoration Day was intended as a community-based observation, allowing family and friends to honour fallen soldiers individually.
Chapters of the I.O.D.E. and branches of the Canadian Legion took the lead in organizing Decoration Day in most towns. There was no fixed date, but late May was most popular. It suited those who preferred planting flowering annuals on graves, rather than merely placing wreaths and bouquets.
Elora’s first formal Decoration Day took place in 1923. The idea originated with the Elora Horticultural Society and Dick Mills, publisher of the Elora Express.
Mills suggested that a day be set aside for a “Cemetery Decoration and Memorial Service.” His intention was that all those buried in the cemetery should be honoured, not only those who had died in uniform.
The concept received wide support in Elora, but there were organizational problems. The horticultural society had originated the idea, but was not prepared to organize the day. Mills was able to put together an ad hoc committee of volunteers and several sub-committees, but little was accomplished.
Eventually, in mid-June of 1923, Mills enlisted the help of merchants John Burt and E.C. Grimes to put together a program for Sunday, July 1.
By this time members of the horticultural society had done considerable work in planting flower beds in the cemetery, and the caretaker had the grass and shrubbery in splendid condition.
The ceremony took place on the roadway of South Street, between the village and Catholic cemeteries. Mills printed programs and asked Rev. H.W.A. Brand of St. John’s Church to deliver the address.
The ceremony attracted between 600 and 700 people. Many took time before or after the ceremony to decorate the graves of their family and friends. Despite the success of Elora’s 1923 Decoration Day, the event was not repeated again in that decade.
Elora’s veterans organized Branch 229 of the Canadian Legion in the spring of 1932. One of the first projects undertaken by the new branch was a revival of Decoration Day. The Legion selected Aug. 7 as the date. This was far too late for the planting of flowers. It was probably selected based on the availability of bands. Also, Elora had a Dominion Day parade on July 1 and an Orange Lodge parade on July 12. An August date provided a suitable interval after these events.
The 1932 Decoration Day began with a 9am parade from the old Elora town hall to the Salem cenotaph for a brief ceremony. In the afternoon a larger parade assembled in what is now O’Brien Park (behind the liquor store) and marched to the cemetery, with a pause at the Elora cenotaph for the laying of a wreath.
Capt. J.K. MacDonald, the highest ranking Elora veteran, led the parade. The Fergus Brass Band, the Fergus Pipe Band, and a couple of hundred veterans followed. More than a dozen Legion branches were represented.
Flowers and Union Jacks festooned the gates of both cemeteries. The veterans assembled in front of a platform for the ceremony, which included several hymns, an address by Rev. T.N. Lowe, and a speech by Elora reeve Dick Mills.
The T.E. Bissell Company donated small flagpoles and flags for each of the veterans’ graves. As well, many people had placed flowers of the graves of their own family members. Billy “Peony” Brown and other horticultural society members had been maintaining flower beds over the summer. It was a setting of beauty and solemn dignity.
A third band (the Bugle Band from Guelph) appeared in 1933. For several years Decoration Day was marked on the third Sunday of August, but more recently it has been observed in July.
Succeeding Decoration Day ceremonies in Elora followed a format similar to that of 1932, and the Legion has remained the umbrella organization for the day for the past 64 years.
Over the next two or three decades Decoration Day was eclipsed by Remembrance Day in the public mind as the day to honour deceased veterans.
We should not forget that there is also a non-military tradition to Decoration Day. It is a time to honour all those who have built the community, and who now are resting in the Elora cemeteries.
*This column was originally published in the Fergus-Elora News Express on July 17, 1996.
