On Thursday November 11, citizens and neighbours of Wilton, Ontario – just north of Kingston – commemorated Remembrance Day at the town’s cenotaph.
Organized by the Odessa and District Lions Club, a large crowd gathered for prayer, song, and the laying of wreaths to remember and pay respect to Canadian soldiers felled in battle.
What started as a small collection of local families, the ceremony now includes visitors from surrounding areas, with military men and women marching in uniform and accompanying those who placed wreaths at the base of the cenotaph.
The town’s cenotaph reads:
In Defense of Liberty
Erected in honor of our fallen heroes
Walter Bush, Lieut.
Wm. R. Davey
Herbert Blanchflower
James Hutchison
Harry Smith
1914-1918
Britons never shall be slaves
Nearby elementary and secondary students were invited to the ceremony and comprised a large portion of the attendees. At the conclusion of the ceremony, guests were welcomed to meet up at the Odessa Fairgrounds for refreshments and to view a local exhibit of military artifacts and mementos.
Wilton was founded by Henry Wilton Simmons, and officially named “Wilton” in 1832 when another Loyalist, Sidney Warner, applied for and received authorization to open a post office there. The town may be best known locally now for its Wilton Cheese Factory.
3D Photos from Wilton’s Remembrance Day commemoration:
(Requires red/blue anaglyph 3D glasses)
View on this page, or click here to view larger version.
