Thousands turned out for a damp Remembrance Day in Fort Langley on Monday.
Remembrance Day in Fort Langley pic.twitter.com/KyDl7KxBY0
— Langley Advance Times (@LangleyTimes) November 11, 2024
As Environment Canada had forecast, a storm system packing heavy rain and strong winds hit Metro Vancouver, Fraser Valley - West including Abbotsford, and the Sunshine Coast - Gibsons to Earls Cove overnight.
By the time the service got underway, the rain had eased, and didn't start up again until the closing minutes.
For the occasion, the Township of Langley had spruced up the cenotaph, retouching the black paint in the carved letters.
The Fort Langley Remembrance Day Service is a joint effort of the Fort Langley Remembrance Day Committee and the Fort Langley Lions Club.
The committee is an all-volunteer group that has funding from Veterans Affairs Canada and Langley Township.
An area of the cemetery at 23105 St. Andrews Ave. was cordoned off, with no public access at the cenotaph until after the service at 12 p.m. for laying poppies.
The procession started at the west end of the Fort Langley Cemetery, near the intersection of St. Andrew’s and Nash Streets led by a piper and a colour party followed by veterans, active members of the Armed Forces, members of the clergy, RCMP, armed forces cadets, fire department, elected officials, Kwantlen elders, and members of the scouting and guiding movements.
It made its way toward the cenotaph following the gravel and grassed roadways within the cemetery’s boundaries, passing by the graves of close to 300 veterans buried in the cemetery.
One addition to the service this year was fiddler Keith Hill, who performed the "The Warriors Lament."
