Veterans gather in Halifax's Grand Parade Square for Remembrance Day. (Craig Paisley/CBC)A large crowd gathered in Halifax's Grand Parade Square on Wednesday to remember those who died serving their country.
Young and old watched as marchers paraded into the downtown square. The singing of O Canada was followed by two minutes of silence.
Angela Reid, whose son Cpl. Christopher Reid was killed in Afghanistan three years ago, was among those who laid wreaths.
Premier Darrell Dexter remarked on Halifax's strong military connection. He said the city has served as a gateway to war zones overseas for thousands of people, including his father.
Patricia Wrin, who was at the service in Bedford, said Canada's current role in Afghanistan made this Remembrance Day even more poignant.
"I think people are very touched by all the soldiers that we've lost in Afghanistan and that's why I'm here," she said. "I've had my grandfather fought in the First World War and my father-in-law fought in the Second World War."
Wrin also has a son who is a captain in the army at CFB Petawawa who will soon be deployed to Afghanistan.
Ceremonies across the province
At a service in Marion Bridge, Bombardier Adam Boutilier spoke publicly for the first time about a roadside bomb attack outside Kandahar that severely wounded him.
Both of his legs were fractured and a heel crushed when his light armored vehicle hit the bomb in February.
"I was driving one day and then all of a sudden, boom, my whole world changed," the 29-year-old said.
"One minute you're driving, the next the driver's hatch is open, you can't steer the vehicle, you don't know what's going on, you're trying to hit the brake and nothing's happening because your legs are twisted and broken.
"You come to a stop and guys are pulling you out of the vehicle, they're trying to help you as best they can. At the time I could tell on their faces that they were scared and frightened and confused."
Boutilier has regained the use of both of his legs after more than a dozen surgeries.
"All kinds of brave, courageous men and women do it and they sacrificed themselves for you and they should be remembered, they shouldn't be forgotten," he told the crowd at St. Columba Church.
The building was packed as close to 150 people gathered to hear Boutilier speak, then moved outside where 14 wreaths were laid by a cenotaph.
Last Canadian to die
George Barkhouse was a teenager when he first heard about his uncle's famous place in history as the last Canadian to die in the First World War.
George Lawrence Price, from Falmouth, was serving in the 28th North West Battalion, Sixth Canadian Infantry in the last days of the war when the Canadians were liberating Ville sur Haine in Belgium.
"They went into one house, and the Germans had already left, so they went into another house to see there, if there was anybody there," said Barkhouse. "As he came out through the door, he was shot by a sniper at 400 yards."
That was just two minutes before 11 a.m., when the armistice took effect.
In 1991, Barkhouse made a trip to Belgium to retrieve his uncle's belongings, including a small piece of wool shaped like a flower that Price kept in his jacket. It was a gift from his fiancee.
"Didn't have any words at that time, except to say thank you," said Barkhouse.
During the same trip, Barkhouse met a Belgian woman named Camillia Lhote Stoquart, who still places flowers on Price's grave.
"We've made a very good friend," he said. "Lovely lady."
In a phone interview from Belgium, Stoquart explained why she still goes to Price's grave after all these years.
"It's so sad and I thought, 'Perhaps your parents could never come here for you' so I promised I come in their name," she said.
With files from The Canadian Press
