Kingston Great War Commemorations

Commemorations can take the form of big government sponsored affairs to which everyone turns up, or they can be intensely personal. By a stroke of good fortune I spent two days with my son once in Ypres. We had the chance to visit there going from France to Holland, and we took it. He was 11 then, big enough to ride a bike in an icy July rain through the area of the first gas attack, but young enough to sit on my shoulders during the Last Post ceremony at the Menin Gate. And as the bugle finished he leaned over my head from above, and with a twinkle in his eye said, "are you crying yet daddy?" What better way to mark the memory of tens of thousands of sons whose bodies were never found!

Later we took a taxi to Parrott's grave and stood by it for photos, as my grandfather had done eighty-four years before.

With the creation of my uniforms I have found another venue. I have been at several Remembrance Day ceremonies as a presence amongst the public, almost like a ghost. Old men from WWII thank me for coming and clasp my hand like an old friend. I embody a memory of a time before them, their fathers perhaps. They seem deeply appreciative that something is not forgotten.

Beyond these moments my uniforms have brought me into two films, one short and one long .

( see  "21 Brothers" ).

I've also been involved in some other official commemorations such as the annual Military Ball in Gatineau, Quebec. There I found myself as the sole uniformed WWI representative of Pricess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry as they kicked off their centenary recognition. My grandfather would have been delighted. I anticipate more such events in the next few years. 

I am lucky now to be connected to a group in Eastern Ontario, and anyone who reads this and wants to find their way into commemorative events should feel free to contact me.

My next blog posting will be about a plan in the works for Kingston in May 2015. A group of us is trying to put together an event to mark the departure of the 21st Battalion and the Queen's Stationary Hospital Corps from Kingston in May 1915. People in uniform will be required for this. Volunteers Wanted!

Email me at timothyjsoper@gmail.com