Remembrance Day 2024
11 November 2024
Susan and I have always gone to the Remembrace Day Serivice here in Burnaby in Confederation Park. However, since Mom and Dad have passed away, we have begun going out to Fort Langley every year to visit the folks and to take Grandpa a poppy to wear. And so we did this year as well.
This year it was a dreary grey day when we started out with a little blue sky but as the morning progressed it darkened and eventually began to rain. It may have dampened the service but not the enthusiasm. The Fort puts on a good remembrance ceremony and the crowd is impressive. Much bigger than North Burnaby.
Susan is standing in the plot enclosure for Andrew Dalglesh and Ann Sinclair, my great great grandfather and mother. The iron railing and chain was forged by my great grandfather William John McIntosh.
Downtown Fort Langley was decked out with signs and banners remembering the Forts fallen heros.
The Remembrance Service was held in the grave yard on Glover Road with hundreds in attendance as you can see in this image. Glover Road next to the cemetery was closed to traffic as was the road down the side.
Susan, bless her heart, brought flowers from her garden for Mom and Dad and for Andrew and Ann. The Canadian flag was already placed on the graves of all of the veterans in the cemetary.
We were surprised when Joe and Christina showed up for the service. They had attended with us last year and they knew we would be there this year. Joe said they usually went to a remembrance service and since they knew my dad they felt good to come to this service and visit with Bill and Etta.
The Marr’s have two plots in the cemetery in Fort Langley. Have a look at the family tree on the right going through the female line down to my father. All of those people are buried on Glover Road. My father wrote about them and rather than repeat what he says, click on the “tree” and read his notes for yourself.
Down by the fence on Glover Road is the chained off plot where Andrew Dalglesh and Ann Sinclair are laid to rest. William John McIntosh was the blacksmith in the Fort and he erected the iron and chain fence around the plot. He hung anchors off the chain, not because of any connection to the sea, but in reference to the popular, at the time, hymn “Will your Anchor Hold?”, the anchor referring to the Christian faith.
These are the grave stones for Andrew Dalglesh and his wife Ann Sinclair. Susan brought flowers for Ann’s grave.
This is a great photo. On the left is Andrew Dalgelsh and on the right is Kate Dalglesh, his daughter. In the back row is Drew Macintosh, Kate’s daughter, and between them in the center is Drew’s son William Lloyd Marr, my dad.
The other Marr plot is further up in the cemetery and it is surrounded by a ground level cement wall which, over the years, has become partially buried in the grass. There you will find the stones for William John McIntosh and Kate Dalglesh, Benjamin Butler Marr and Drew McIntosh, and William Lloyd Marr and Etta McAteer. It is a big plot with room for lots more Marrs and Susan and I may end up there although we are thinking about joining Andrew and Ann under the trees by the fence on Glover Road.
The Cenotaph after the ceremonies with the wreaths that had been placed. People were invited to leave their poppies on it as a personal remembrance.
The ceremonies were begun with a parade led by a Scots Piper.
The Color Party were drawn from local cadet corps and they looked really smart. The ceremony involved local people throughout giving it a homey small town feel.
And there you have Remembrance Day for 2024 with some family history thrown in. After the service the four of us went out to Adrian’s at the Airport for lunch. It was Dad’s favourite restaurant in his later years. We actually did not get home till about 5:00 pm. It was a great day.
The “Marr Family Pictures” is created by me, Flynn Marr, and is a private photo album of the Marr family and it’s offshoots.
The content is the property of R. Flynn Marr and subject to his claim of Copyright.
Copyright R. Flynn Marr © 2024