'What a beautiful lady she was': Calgarians honour Queen on day of state funeral
The last post echoed through the rain as members of Calgary’s Royal Canadian Legion Centennial Branch #285 gathered in front of the cenotaph outside their building on Horton Road S.W.
In a ceremony strikingly similar to a Remembrance Day event, Legionnaires paid tribute to Queen Elizabeth II.
“It means a lot. She was our commander-in-chief,” said Legion member Duncan Mackenzie.
“A lot of us, of course, are veterans and we served in the forces ... We made an oath to support our queen and our country and, if necessary, to sacrifice our lives for her, and if we can’t take a few minutes out of our time to pay tribute to her, then we don't know what it means to be Canadian.”
Since the Royal Canadian Legion was founded in 1925, there have been five British monarchs.
Some in the crowd Monday, like Wanda Bellfountaine, are old enough to have childhood memories of the Queen’s father, George VI, prior to Elizabeth’s ascension to the throne.
“I remember him because I come from the little town of Elmont, Ont., and my mom and dad went to see when the train went through," said Bellfountaine.
"They were travelling across Canada and they stopped in Elmont, and were waving to the crowd in our little town.”
Bellfountaine says saying goodbye to the Queen is a sad, but not unexpected event.
“I followed her all the way through her life. I really thought she was a very, very great lady. Today is a sad day, but you know, she lived to be a wonderful age," said Bellfountaine.
"Time takes us all eventually, but it is sad to see her go."
Following the piper's lament, the Legion’s honour guard and close to 50 assembled guests laid poppies on a silk pillow, and closed the ceremony with God Save the King, which has not been heard in most Canadians’ memory.
“It felt a little strange after all these years,” said Linda Engel, even though she is one of those who does remember the song.
“I used to do it in school. So I started out singing God Save the King. So now we're going back.”
Twenty minutes after the Legion ceremony, bells tolled out through downtown Calgary.
People on the streets stopped to bow their heads in remembrance of the Queen as the bells in Calgary’s old city hall rang out 70 times, once for each year of her reign.
Throughout the morning, the City of Calgary held public viewings of the Queen's funeral, as well as subsequent ceremonies held in both Ottawa and Edmonton.
“I wanted to come and see, and I wanted to pay my respects, even though it's not in England. She she did a lot of good,” said Richard Kennedy.
“She's been the only sovereign my entire life. And it's going to be different when she's not here.”
Sporting his Queen’s Jubilee medal, military veteran Keith Purdy was among the crowd at city hall.
“I didn't actually think I would see this day. I mean, I knew was inevitable, but it was still a shock when it happened,” said Purdy.
“It's very sad. I was in tears a few times just thinking about it."
For others in the crowd, saying farewell to the Queen was also tinged with uncertainty of what’s to come as Charles III takes the throne.
“We just have to look back and remember the Queen and what a beautiful lady she was ... She lived a long, good life,.” said Robin Reid.
“I guess we just have to look forward to now King Charles and what's he going to do? And hopefully, he'll be a wonderful man and do a wonderful job.”
CTVNews.ca Top Stories
CRA no longer requiring 'bare trust' reporting in 2023 tax return
The Canada Revenue Agency announced Thursday it will not require 'bare trust' reporting from Canadians that it introduced for the 2024 tax season, just four days before the April 2 deadline.
He didn't trust police but sought their help anyway. Two days later, he was dead
Jameek Lowery was among more than 330 Black people who died after police stopped them with tactics that aren’t supposed to be deadly, like physical restraint and use of stun guns, The Associated Press found.
Fluid in eye cells can 'boil' if you watch the eclipse without protection: expert
Millions of people in parts of Eastern and Atlantic Canada will be able to see the rare solar eclipse happening on April 8. But they should only look up if they have proper eye protection, experts say.
NEW More unauthorized products for skin, sexual enhancement, recalled: Here are the recalls of this week
Health Canada and the Canadian Food Inspection Agency recalled various items this week, including torches, beef biltong and unauthorized products related to skin care and sexual enhancement.
Where is the worst place for allergy sufferers in Canada?
The spring allergy season has started early in many parts of Canada, with high levels of pollen in some cities already. Experts weigh in on which areas have it worse so far this season.
Do these exercises for core strength if you can't stomach doing planks
Planks are one of the most effective exercises for strengthening your midsection, as they target all of your major core muscles: the transverse abdominis, rectus abdominis, external obliques and internal obliques. Yet despite the popularity of various 10-minute plank challenges, planking is actually one of the most dreaded core exercises, according to many fitness experts.
Grandparent scam: London, Ont., senior beats fraudsters not once, but twice
It was a typical Tuesday for Mabel Beharrell, 84, until she got the call that would turn her world upside down. Her teenaged grandson was in trouble and needed her help.
Angst and calls for resting places as Surrey, B.C., pet cemetery development continues
A single headstone is all that remains of dozens of markers for long-buried pets in a subdivision in Surrey’s Newton neighbourhood, where a half-acre parcel bears a large sign announcing the proposed construction of new homes.
Polar ice is melting and changing Earth's rotation. It's messing with time itself
One day in the next couple of years, everyone in the world will lose a second of their time. Exactly when that will happen is being influenced by humans, according to a new study, as melting polar ice alters the Earth’s rotation and changes time itself.