Montreal Remembers

Large Attendance at Memorial Day Service in Montreal West

NewsAmanda Siino — Published November 14, 2011

Posters on lamp posts along Westminster Ave. in Montreal West ask, “How will you remember?”

For about 150 people, this meant attending the annual Remembrance Day ceremony at the Montreal West Cenotaph.

Local politicians, religious leaders, veterans and private citizens came together on the bright Sunday morning to commemorate Canada’s war dead.

“My father is a veteran, my son is a veteran of Afghanistan and both my grandfathers are veterans of World War I, and we’ve all lived in Montreal West at one point or another,” said Roy Motton, a sound engineer at the ceremony. “I joined the Navy, but I knew the time of great peace, as many baby boomers did.”

“[My] dad’s been doing this service since ’46 and I’ve been doing this service since I was about six years old,” said Motton.

His father, Fred Motton, saluted silently after ascending the steps to lay the wreath at the Montreal West United Church.

Though the sound system failed during the ceremony, perhaps it was fitting—it is a day known for taking the time to observe a moment of silence.