We visited with Mom and Dad for while and I glued a red poppy to their headstone. It won’t be there that long but for a while. That is enough.
Then we went to visit Andrew Dalgliesh and his wife Ann Sinclair. They were the parents of Kate who married Will Dalgliesh and they
November 11th again and Susan and I made our pilgrimage out to the Cemetery in Fort Langley to share the Remembrance Day service with Mom and Dad. This is becoming something of a tradition for us. Third year in a row.
We were amazed at the gathering for the service. There was an overflow crowd and it was almost impossible to get close enough to hear what was happening. To get the above picture I had to elbow my way through the crowd and I fear I stepped on a few toes!
The Remembrance Day organizers placed a small Canadian flag on the graves of Canadian Servicemen throughout the cemetery. I brought a poppy for Dad and glued it to his marker. He was always wearing his poppy on Remebrance Day.
Susan is placing flowers on the grave of Ann Sinclair who died in 1896. Beside her lies her husband Andrew Dalgliesh. Ann and Andrew are my Great Great Grand Parents.
settled in Fort Langley. Their daughter Drew married my Grandfather Ben Marr, and ….. well you know the story.
Around the graves of Andrew and Ann there is an iron fence and chains. At one time each strand of chain had a little anchor hanging on it. There are only 3 left now. Will McIntosh, their son-in-law was the village blacksmith in the Fort and he made the railing, the chains and the anchors.
Those anchors had nothing to do with ships and the sea. In those old days Christian faith was strong and a large part of the people’s lives. A very popular hymn of the time was “Will your Anchor Hold?” meaning will your faith sustain you? They are a religious symbol and declaration of faith.
Above Susan is standing by the graves of Andrew and Ann. She is watching the Remembrance Day ceremony along with the other hundreds of people visible in the background. The turnout was amazing. Much larger than last year. On the left is the Cenotaph after the ceremony standing amongst the wreaths and covered in poppies left but people. It was Grandpa Ben Marr that spearheaded the construction of this cenotaph after he came back from the First World War.
Visiting with Mom and Dad. In the picture you can see the poppy I left with them and flowers that Susan brought for them.
After the ceremony at the Cenotaph Susan and I walked across the street to the old house that Grandpa Ben built. They have it painted white and they now call it the Little White House. The folks that have it have a knick-knack store and tea room out the back. I am not a fan of this kind of merchandise but it is nicely done. However, I see no evidence that they even know the origin of the house.
We then walked down the street towards the river and browsed in a few stores. By this time hunger got the better of us and we went for lunch at a Japansese restaurant beside the old Community Hall. Fantastic meal! This was a great little place to eat.
This is the Japanese restaurant where we ate. We can really recommend it to everyone. Give it a try!
The Fort Langley Community Hall was finished in 1931. Grandfather Ben was on the building committee and very active in its construction. This it is beside the Japanese restaurant we ate in.