On Aug. 4, 1930, it was a momentous day for Vermilion when its war memorial was officially unveiled. It was from the Vermilion area that 300 young men left to fight in the First World War. Of those, 83 did not return.
The memorial was to honour those who did not return home.
Described as “a handsome memorial shaft of stone, firmly cemented and built on the crest of a little knoll in the town park”, it was unveiled in front of 1,500 people.
On the memorial, it stated “Lest ye forget 1914 – 1919”.
Sealed in a box and put inside the monument were the names of those who did not survive the war, those who contributed to the machine gun fund, memorial hall, historical sketch of the town, along with copies of the local newspapers, coins, town statistics and more.
At the ceremony, the Union Jack was flying at half mast, and a guard of honour from the Alberta Mounted Rifles under Major Casey marched towards the memorial. They were followed by the pipers’ band and nearly 100 veterans of the First World War. After the veterans came the Boy Scouts, Girl Guides, Cubs and Brownies. Members of the Legion and IODE all marched as well.
A prayer was given by H.A. Edwards. After this, General Griesbach and President Maxwell of the Legion, began to remove the Union Jack that shrouded the memorial. Within the crowd, no one wore a hat out of respect for the ceremony.
General Griesbach then spoke of the monument, and how it was built from stone gathered in the area, which symbolized to him the manner in which the men responded to the call to fight in the First World War a decade and a half earlier.
“O God, our Help in Ages Past” was sung by the Vermilion Citizens Band after the speech, and then offerings were placed at the foot of the monument.
General Griesbach then reviewed the veterans at the ceremony, some of which had served under him during the First World War.
The monument itself was crated by Mr. Swanson out of Vermilion, and it was built 4.88 metres in height, with 4.88 metres as a foundation into the ground.
All in all, it was felt it was a fitting tribute to the lives lost during the war.
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