Warriors Day Parade

[Jan]

If anyone is interested, the past few days have been fairly hectic <g>
This was the year of the 80th Warriors Day Parade and the 75th Anniversary of the Royal Canadian
Legion.
Thursday, the first day of rain for weeks and I had to chase around to get a new uniform shirt.<g>
Friday, sew badges on shirt, iron shirt, polish shoes, get uniform ready for the big day. <bg>
Saturday,
Form up at 10:00, I was marching with the Royal Naval Association and the Royal Marine Association.
We fell in behind the Royal Marine band with colours flying (White Ensign of course), the Royal
Marine Association used the Royal Marine ensign.
The order of march was:
Metropolitan Toronto Police (Mounted)
Honorary Parade Marshall - Major General Lewis W. Mackenzie, MSC, OSTJ, CD
Royal Canadian Legion Honour Guard - 75th Anniversary
Toronto Signals Trumpet Band
Royal Canadian Legion Branches some with their own bands.
Regimental and Corps Associations
Hong Kong, Dunkirk, Dieppe Veterans
Burma Star Association
Royal Marine Association
Royal Navy Association
Royal Canadian Navy Association
Merchant Navy Association
Canadian and British Airborne Forces Associations
Guards Division Association
Royal Canadian Air Force Association
Korean War Associations
Allied and Visiting Units (some US veterans units also paraded)
Various bands were:
H.M. Royal Marines Association Brass band
7th. Toronto Regiment Royal Artillery band
The Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada
The Pipes and Drums of the 48th Highlanders of Canada
plus various Legion Branch bands.

10:30
Parade starts, bands begin playing as, with colours flying, groups begin filing out onto the road
which marks the start line, when it gets to our turn we all begin filing out of the form-up point
led by the Band of the Royal Marines.
The route lies onto the main road, through the Princess Gate to the grounds of the Canadian National
Exhibition and from there through the grounds to the Coliseum where the Salute and March-Past were
held. I was pleasantly surprised at the very large turn out of spectators, they lined the parade
route about 2 or 3 deep from end to end. When we reached the Coliseum, the seating there was almost
at capacity also.
11:30 My group reaches the Coliseum and performs our march-past the saluting base, then on to the
parking lot where we were dismissed. Looking around, I saw a welcome sight, the good old "Sally
Ann" (Salvation Army) wagon was there with coffee, tea and doughnuts for anyone who wanted or
needed refreshment, needless to say there was a line-up <g>.

At 12:30 there was a Military Band Tattoo in the Coliseum where the Pipes and Drums of the 48th
Highlanders of Canada, 7th. Toronto Regiment Royal Canadian Artillery Band, Band of H.M. Royal
Marines and The Band of the Royal Regiment of Canada performed for a further hour.
All in all a good start to the day.
Later we retired to the Naval Club for "refreshments" and later that evening was a dance, so we
rolled home at about 2am the next day, tired but very satisfied.
The day served to remind me yet again that freedom is not won by the hot air of politicians and
lawyers but by the dedicated perseverance of a much maligned military.

Jan (Proud to have served and taken part in another of these parades)
"If you can't take a joke, you shouldn't have joined"

[Arch]

A big salute to you, Jan.

Arch

[Toddy]

It sounds like a great day Jan, it makes me swell with pride
to see our servicemen and women in any parade :-)
I am sure you had a wonderful day :-)
Toddy

"Jan" <scrumpy...@hotmail.com> wrote in message
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