Due to COVID-19 safety measures there will be no public gathering for Remembrance Day in New Westminster for 2020.
In partnership with the New Westminster Royal Canadian Legion, The Royal Westminster Regiment and other community organizations, Remembrance Day 2020 was re-imagined to meet COVID-19 safety requirements and to provide the community with a safe way of honouring our veterans and their sacrifices.
Thank you to everyone who participated in the 2020 virtual ceremony and re-imagined program. A link to the 2020 virtual ceremony video is available below.
Virtual Ceremony
The community is encouraged to pay tribute to our veterans from home. Join us on Wednesday, November 11 for a virtual ceremony live-streamed online starting at 10:30 am.
Though there is no public gathering this year, the virtual ceremony continues an important tradition of honouring our veterans and the sacrifices made. The broadcast will feature poetry readings, a memorial address, two minutes of silence and wreath ceremony. Music will be provided by the Royal Westminster Regiment Band, the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band and Elizabeth Irving.
Contribute a Wreath to the Ceremony
Anyone wishing to buy a wreath for the virtual ceremony may contact the Royal Canadian Legion 604-524-1151 or .
A Time to Remember
There are other ways that you can honour Remembrance Day from your home or within your social bubble. You can wear a poppy or simply pause for two minutes of silence at 11:00 am on November 11 no matter where you are to reflect, learn and remember. Have a look at a few other options below.
WWI New Self-Guided Veterans Walking Tour
Presented by the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society with support from the New Westminster Museum and Archives.
Figure 1: Paul Okamura photo 1916 (IFP0043)
Back Row: Errol C. Briggs, Corporal Thomas Albert Briggs.
Front Row: Captain Stanley K. Briggs, Major John A. Briggs
302 Royal Avenue – Irving House
While it’s not possible for us to gather in remembrance, there are other ways to come together and commemorate with those close to you. New Westminster Museum has compiled a map showing the family homes of 19 New Westminster veterans. Interpretive posters telling their stories were created by New Westminster’s Heritage Preservation Society and researched and written by local historian Jim Wolf. Museum staff will place these posters along the street outside each of the homes listed on the map for people to explore at their own pace.
Where: Queen’s Park Neighbourhood
When: 9:30 am - 4:30 pm, November 11
New Westminster Heritage Videos
The following resources have been developed by the City of New Westminster Museum and Archives as a way of honouring those who hailed from New Westminster and died for our country in times of war:
World War I in New Westminster
World War II Years in New Westminster
World War II in New Westminster
Oral Histories of New Westminster Veterans
This project has been made possible thanks to the support of the New Westminster Royal Canadian Legion, Royal Westminster Regiment, Royal City Literary Arts Society, the Dowco Triumph Street Pipe Band, the New Westminster Heritage Preservation Society, New Westminster Youth Ambassador Society and Urban Academy School.
Remembrance During a Pandemic
Written by: Alan Hill, President of the Royal City Literary Arts Society and Outgoing Poet
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