West Carleton Remembers on Monday

CARP – Carp’s Cheryl Bush and Peter Bowles return as organizers for this year’s Nov. 11 Remembrance Day service, now less than a week away.

Both retired Canadian Armed Forces veterans stepped up to the call last year, when former service organizers were seeking new leadership for the popular service at the West Carleton War Memorial.

The West Carleton War Memorial has been home to West Carleton’s largest Remembrance Day service since it opened in 2016. Numbers have been estimated as a high as 4,000 at some services.

Both Bush and Bowles felt a sense of duty and the 2023 service itself was a well-attended success.

“Remembrance Day isn’t just about remembering the war and the fallen,” Bowles told West Carleton Online last year. “It’s remembering sacrifices and sacrifice isn’t just soldiers. Sacrifices include the men and women who lost parents, brothers and sisters or children. Those who had to do without. During the war it was well documented there were food shortages, oil shortages and metal shortages. People had to do more with less. People had to make sacrifices here at home as well as abroad. So, I think it’s about those things and how Canadians came together at a time when the world was having some troubles, much like it is now. I think it’s to remember everybody’s role in that, not just those who made the ultimate sacrifice.”

West Carleton Online met with Bush and Bowles last Thursday (Oct. 31) at the West Carleton War Memorial as the pair take care of the final details for this year’s service.

The pair have spent that last week and a bit going over the memorial with a fine-tooth comb, making sure the grass is cut, the weeds are cleared out of the cracks and crevices, that artillery gun is polished, and the place is in tip-top shape.

“We’ve just been working for the last year getting things ready,” Bowles said. “We came down and did some site preparations and clean up to make it look better and get rid of the weeds.”

Bush was blown away by last year’s response.

“I think it was a huge success, especially since it was the first one post-COVID,” she said. “The turnout from the community was just amazing. I’m obviously looking forward to getting the word out for people to come down this year. It is a Monday (Nov. 11), I realize some people do have to work, but we hope they take that moment of silence. Come down for a half-hour for the ceremony, participate, take a pause, It’s only one hour we ask you, once a year, to pause, and reflect, and think, come down and recognize people who have served and are serving.”

Bush says organizing last year’s event was a new experience for her.

“I’ve done a lot of events planning, but to actually focus and it being Remembrance, it was a very humbling experience knowing I actually helped put this service on,” Bush said. “Just knowing the significance behind it.”

“It was an interesting part for me as well,” Bowles said. “It was one of those life full circle moments where as young people growing up, I remember going to Remembrance Day services, whether it be at school assembly or at a community event. Then you join the service, and it takes on a different meaning. As a young private or corporal of young junior officer, you’re attending these events as a marching soldier, and as your career progresses, you retire, and the next thing you know, you’re planning one and running one. For me last year, it was pretty interesting to have that perspective. You are seeing people come in uniform, or retired members, and you remember seeing them while you were on parade, and now you are one of them, the retired side of it. It was pretty full circle.”

This year, there will be a gathering post service, and the nearby location will be shared following the service. Three of Carp’s restaurants have joined forces to provide a light lunch after the service including the Ridge Rock Brewing Company, Alice’s Café and The Swan at Carp.

“They asked us what they could do to help,” Bowles said. “I said, I don’t know. We don’t know what we need. So, they offered to help with the food. We’re not feeding people, but we are offering a light snack. They’ve all stepped up this year and offered to help.”

The service will take place at the West Carleton War Memorial at the bottom of Falldown Lane at Donald B. Munro Drive. Organizers ask those taking part in the service to be in their viewing position for 10:45 a.m. in time for the start of the 10:50 a.m. service.

Last year West Carleton Online spoke with 12th Canadian Armored Regiment (Garrison Valcartier) and Carp native Cpl. Samantha Sample who attended the service, and you can read that story here.

The West Carleton Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 616, will host their Remembrance Day service this Saturday (Nov. 9) in Constance Bay starting at 1:30 p.m. For more information on that service, click here.