OTTAWA — The national Remembrance Day ceremony is under way, with the Peace Tower tolling the hour and the crisp bugle notes of the Last Post echoing over the National War Memorial.
A huge crowd, veterans, serving military members and a throng of civilians stood quietly in gusty winds and a temperature of 3 degrees C under grey skies.
For their service and sacrifice, we will #rememberthem. pic.twitter.com/WaRZkZApCD
— Justin Trudeau (@JustinTrudeau) November 11, 2016
Cannon fire echoed in the distance behind Gov. Gen. David Johnston and his wife, Sharon Johnston, both wearing military uniforms — he in the blue of the air force as commander-in-chief and she as a honorary navy captain.
Prime Minister Justin Trudeau and other dignitaries are also on hand and will be placing wreaths.
The Silver Cross Mother, Colleen Fitzpatrick of Prince George, B.C., will lay a wreath on behalf of all bereaved mothers.
Her son, Cpl. Darren Fitzpatrick, was mortally wounded in Afghanistan in March 2010.
In the swirling winds, a piece blew off a construction hoarding near the monument and struck a women in the crowd. She was taken away by medics, apparently nursing an injured shoulder.
Today and every day, we #RememberThem. Join us in honouring past and current #CAF members. #RemembranceDay #LestWeForget pic.twitter.com/mnOL6JSReY
— Canadian Forces (@CanadianForces) November 11, 2016
The memorial has just emerged from a major refurbishment that began in April.
The work included replacing paving and the concrete slab that supports the monument, as well as cleaning the bronze figures and giving them a fresh, protective coating.
The monument, made of about 500 tonnes of granite and 32 tonnes of bronze, rises more than 21 metres above the pavement, a stone's throw from Parliament Hill.
It was first dedicated to the dead of the First World War in 1939, just months before the opening of the Second World War. Over the years, the dates of the Boer War, the Korean War and the Afghan War have been added to the memorial.
In May 2000, The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier was installed at the foot of the monument. The remains of an unidentified soldier killed in the First World War were exhumed from a cemetery in France and reburied in the granite-and-bronze sarcophagus.
