Thousands attend Remembrance Day service in Vancouver despite rain

Thousands of people gathered at Victory Square in Vancouver, British Columbia, to attend the 102nd annual Remembrance Day service.

The crowd filled the natural amphitheatre and surrounding sidewalks to honor Canada's war dead. City officials estimate that approximately 15,000 people attend this specific memorial service each year at the corner of Hastings and Cambie streets. While many people attended in person, others watched the ceremony through television broadcasts or online livestreams.

The Canadian Legion reported that this event was one of about 36 services held across Metro Vancouver and part of hundreds of ceremonies across the province. The ceremony included several traditional rituals, such as the mounting and changing of the vigil guard, a two minute silence, and a 21 gun salute. Two trumpeters played the Last Post, and a piper played the Lament. The Vancouver Bach Family of Choirs performed several songs, including In Flanders Fields.

A Grade 10 student read a poem about a daughter writing to her father who served in the trenches. Mayor Pete Fry thanked the student during one of his first official roles. Participants also acknowledged a recent tragedy at the Wainwright Canadian Forces Base in Alberta. A wildfire during a live firing drill on October 17 killed four soldiers in training, including two from British Columbia.

The service concluded with a parade of military and police bands, cadets, and veteran associations. Despite the grey skies and light rain, aircraft from the Royal Canadian Air Force and the Poppy Flight group performed flypasts over the square.