Tomorrow the CRPB will assemble for the 17th time to play at the Royal Canadian Legion's Remembrance Ceremony. Seems hard to believe that when we first started, a number of the current band members had not yet been born, but there it is. I find the day meaningful, sad, and enjoyable.
It is meaningful for many whose parents and grandparents served in the wars. My grandfather, John A. Fraser, left university studies in PEI to join the CEF in World War I, and served in Europe with the !st Canadian Tank Corps. My Dad, who grew up in Saskatoon, left his law career in 1939 to volunteer, and served with the Royal Canadian Service Corps in England, France, Germany and Holland, with several memorable breaks in Edinburgh and Glasgow. I knew all about Sauchiehall Street before I'd ever set foot there. The war was a vibrant thread in the tapestry of my Dad's life, and despite the passing of years, and thousands of miles separating, my Dad maintained a connection with other men with whom he served. When my Dad died in 1991, our family received letters from army friends who told us how important he was to them, despite the many years that had passed.So on Remembrance Day, I think a lot of my Dad : Major R.A. MacDonald, M.B.E. and also my Grandfather: Lt. John A. Fraser. I think, too, of the many serving soldiers currently, including friends and fellow pipers.
The sadness comes from seeing the diminishing presence of "the Old Guard," those veterans of past wars who marched in such numbers 17 years ago, and who are in short supply now. There are new veterans to remember, and new fallen to commemorate, but time creeps on, the faces change.
And, November 11 is also a time of remembering the good stuff: the bonds and friendships, the shared experiences, and the ultimate victories, despite the odds and the heavy cost. I enjoy witnessing all this, and playing a role in commemorating, and I think the band has, over the years, served the Legion well. Long may it continue.
2 comments:
Well said, as always. My Dad was a captain in the US Army in WWII on the GI Bill. I always try to write something for pipes|drums or Blogpipe on Remembrance Day, but too many things going on today made me . . . forget. But I like to think that every time we pipers and drummers play any of the dozens of great tunes that came from the heroic and tragic action from the Crimean War, to the Boer, to the Great, to the Second, to the Falklands, and I'm sure now to Iraq and Afghanistan, we remember them. I do, anyway!
Iain, I echo Andrew's sentiments completely. Here in Fonthill we dedicated a new Veteran's Park on November 11 - a place where we can go and reflect on all the reasons we have to be thankful. Families like ours donated engraved bricks for the walkway to immortalize family members who served or died in action. We experienced both. So your post has special meaning for our family. Thankyou...Ken
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