British Columbians turn out for Remembrance Day ceremonies across province

VANCOUVER – British Columbians have joined people across the country to mark Remembrance Day and honour veterans and soldiers who have died in war.

In Vancouver, the block around the city’s downtown cenotaph at Victory Square was packed with people who spilled into adjacent side streets.

Valerie Herring says the day is a chance to remember many of her relatives, including her grandparents, aunts and uncles, who had roles during in the Second World War, from fighting on the battlefield to nursing the wounded.

Herring says it’s vital that Canadians never forget why they have their freedom, and she says the large turnout is heartwarming.

The hour-long ceremony featured several passes by a formation of small planes, and Christopher Gaze, a well-known Vancouver actor, read In Flanders Fields.

Similar ceremonies were held at cenotaphs across the province.