Virden’s Royal Canadian Legion, Branch No. 8 banquet held Saturday, April 13, honoured military veterans, the RCMP, WDFD firefighters and EMS - first responders.
The head table included two veterans of WW II and a veteran of the cold war, as well as Legion and Ladies Auxiliary officers.
This year, several youths were on the guest list. Mitch Whittle and family, as National third place of the Legion Poster/Literary contest, and Eduarda Gibbert with her family, for her sketch that won at the Provincial level.
Guests were treated to supper and a program of presentations.
War historian from Elkhorn, Ed James was the featured presenter. In WWI uniform, he detailed the rigours and horrors of trench warfare and told of the inventions that arose to answer the needs of war.
James displayed artifacts, including weaponry he has collected over the years. There were propaganda posters, eating utensils, gas masks that evolved from a simple cloth barrier between the poison gas and soldiers’ airways to chemical filter masks; plus many other items including weaponry. Every object had a story to tell.
Scottish piper Matt Isaac piped the head table in and out of the hall. Within the program, he treated the audience to several rousing pieces including “The Scottish Soldier”.
Firefighters answered the call of duty, to extinguish a grass fire that broke out earlier in the day, which meant they were late to the meal, but food was kept hot for the WDFD crew.
