Kawartha Lakes residents honour veterans at Lindsay Cenotaph
More than 150 Kawartha Lakes residents came out to the Lindsay Cenotaph to pay respect to the men and women who have served this country during multiple conflicts, and those who paid the ultimate price for the freedoms we have today.
Remembrance Day ceremonies were held throughout Kawartha Lakes to honour the sacrifices of the men and women who have served our country.
The Canadian Virtual War Memorial lists more than 118,000 names of those who have died in service. They include soldiers in the First and Second World War, the Korean War, the Vietnam War and the War in Afghanistan.
Louise Middleton attends the event every year. Her dad and grandfather were both veterans. “(I’m) very thankful for their service,” she said.
The service not only acknowledged those who served on the front lines but also took a moment to pay tribute to the women who had to stay at home. “Here at home, far away from war and strife, women worked from dawn till dusk with visions of a brighter life,” stated a poem that was read.
Sean Musson, of the Stouffville Legion, spoke about recent research that has been put into identifying all the names on the Cenotaph. Last December, the fate of Lindsay’s Captain William Webster Wilson was discovered.
Born in 1890, Wilson moved to Lindsay before the start of the First World War to work at the Bank of Montreal. After enlisting, Wilson was quicky made captain of the 16th battalion.
On Oct. 8, 1916, during the Battle of Ancre Heights, the goal of which was to take a crucial German defensive position, Wilson was reported missing.
His body was never found, until in 2016 a grave in France was found with the inscription “a captain of the Great war 16th Battalion Canadian Infantry,” on it. With there only being a handful of options of who that could be, in 2024 it was confirmed to be Wilson by the Casualty Identification Review Board.
“After 109 year we can now say that William Webster Wilson is buried in Adanac Military Cemetery. He was 25 years old,” said Musson, a stark reminder of just how young many in the First and Second World Wars really were.
Middleton said it’s stories like Wilson’s that makes her hopeful people will never forget what veterans have done for this country, that even if it takes over 100 years every solider will be able to be identified. “It’s important to remember our history and the sacrifices that they made for us,” she said.
