Community gathers for Remembrance Day at War Cenotaph

Among the dignitaries attending were Mayor Karin Marks and members of city council, Westmount-Ville Marie MP Lucienne Robillard, former Canadian astronaut Marc Garneau, who is slated to be the Liberal candidate in the next federal election, and Westmount-St. Louis MNA Jacques Chagnon.

Sherbrooke Street was closed between Kensington and Clarke avenues for a parade that included members of the Royal Canadian Legion and Royal Canadian Mounted Police, who made their way past a reviewing stand after the ceremony.

The service began shortly after 2 p.m. with the hymn, O God, Our Help in Ages Past, followed by scriptural readings and prayers by the leaders of several of Westmount's religious institutions. Rabbi Leigh Lerner, of Temple Emanu-El-Beth Sholom, read a poem by the Jewish poet Sigfried Sassoon, who wrote unsparingly about his experiences in World War I.

While a military band played, commemorative wreaths were laid at the base of the Cenotaph by representatives of the Canadian and Quebec governments, the City of Westmount, the Third Field Engineers Regiment, the Royal Montreal Regiment, the 712th Communications Squadron and others.

Following the ceremony, dignitaries — including former Westmount mayor Peter Trent, an Honourary Colonel of the Royal Montreal Regiment — stood at the corner of Sherbrooke and Kitchener reviewing members of the military passing by.

City Councillor George Bowser shared some of his thoughts on the occasion.

"My father was a serving officer in the British army," he said, "so I've always understood the importance of having, not only a well-trained, prepared and equipped armed forces, but also good political leadership — in other words the willingness to employ them, not only in domestic places such as civil defence, but perhaps as an expression of solidarity with allies."

Councillor Tom Thompson said Remembrance Day tends to focus his mind in such a way as to make him look forward and back about the meaning of war. "In the First World War, and the Second World War to a certain extent, we only found out, really, the challenges as the war progressed and as people reported on it," he said.

"When you look at what is happening today, we feel that we are supposed to be equipped to measure these things much more effectively and to determine the best use of our resources, and clearly it's still a challenge."