Registration deadline approaches for special Second World War veterans dinner

The Aug. 18 deadline for Sault and area Second World War veterans to register for a special dinner, to be held in their honour at Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 at 96 Great Northern Road, is approaching.

The dinner, scheduled for Sept. 23, is open to all Sault and area Second World War veterans.

They do not have to be members of Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25. 

Veterans are asked to contact the local Legion office at 705-945-8721 to register and get their tickets for the event.

“These veterans are getting fewer and fewer, so it’s time we really recognized them through this opportunity to do this,” said Ernie Bremner, Branch 25 1st vice president.

“We don’t give enough praise to our veterans.  We recognize them on Remembrance Day but their sacrifice goes beyond that,” Bremner said.

Bremner estimated there are approximately 100 surviving Second World War veterans in the Sault, based on a search through Royal Canadian Legion Branch 25 records.

“It’s so important to recognize all the sacrifices that our brave men and women made by enlisting.  They didn’t wait to be conscripted, they volunteered,” said Debbie Rouleau, Branch 25 public relations officer. 

The cost of the dinner, for each veteran and one person to escort them, will be paid by the local Legion branch.

The Legion’s upstairs banquet facility can accommodate about 180 people.

Legion officials said tickets may be available to other people interested in attending the dinner, the number of which will be determined after all the veterans have registered for the event.

Since 2014 (and continuing to 2020), Canada has been commemorating several key Second World War anniversaries, including the 70th anniversary of the Allied Invasion of Europe in 1944, while 2020 will mark the 75th anniversary of the war’s end in 1945.

More than one million Canadians served in uniform in World War II, whether in the army, navy, air force, merchant navy or with other Allied forces.

More than 45,000 Canadians lost their lives in the war, another 55,000 wounded.