‘Very proud’: Families gather to honour veterans in Battleford

Dozens gathered on Nov. 1 at the Battleford Legion to celebrate the unveiling and recognize those who gave the greatest sacrifice for the freedoms we have today.

“It is special,” Janet Maunsell said, holding back tears. Her mother Margory and father Terence were veterans. “My parents are gone and it is nice for them to be remembered.”

Maunsell said she takes great pride in knowing her parents stepped up to serve Canada in a time of need. She is especially proud of her mother, as the world for military service was much different for women at the time, she said.

“She was young and very independent,” she said. “She worked in parliament and then served for five years. I am very proud of her for doing that at such a young age.”

Her parents met during the war and got married near the end of the war on May 2, 1945.

Sherry Legacy similarly took great pride in the service her grandfather Harold White gave to the nation. She said she often becomes frustrated with the education system and its lack of focus on the soldiers and the sacrifice they made.

“When I see a town like Battleford that is going to put up banners we are going to see on a daily basis to honour them, I think it is fantastic,” she said. “When you have a family member who has gone out there and gone overseas to provide safety and security for us, how can you not be proud of that.”

Legacy said her grandfather was very tight-lipped about the war. He would always say it was in the past and he wanted to keep it there.

Barb Beland’s great uncle Harry Hoganson was just 22 when he signed up to serve. She has a 22-year-old son and said it amazes her how young everyone was and how willing there were to go fight, not knowing if they were ever going to return.

She said she did not know much of her great uncle’s service until recently and said when she walked into the legion and saw his picture, she felt a great sense of pride.

“He came from a big family and I am sure they were sad to lose him but I am sure they felt proud of him too,” she said.

Among the crowd gathered was 96-and-a-half-year-old Pat Hargrave, a British Second World War veteran. She said seeing the 50 veterans honoured in this fashion was “very touching.”

“I went through the war with them. I was in the army and it is just touching,” she said.

Hargrave operated anti-aircraft guns and said each year when Nov. 11 rolls around, her thoughts turn to her friends she served in the army with and how wonderful Canada and Britain are today.

The banners will be displayed for three weeks each year for five years. They will go up around two weeks before Remembrance Day and remain up one week after.

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tyler.marr@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @JournoMarr

by Tyler Marr

‘Very proud’: Families gather to honour veterans in Battleford

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