A long convoy of vehicles rolled from Trenton, Ont., on Saturday in a Toronto-bound procession to honour Canadian soldiers who have died in Afghanistan.

The lead car in a lineup of red cars, one for each Canadian soldier killed in Afghanistan, about to be driven from Trenton along the Highway of Heroes to Toronto on Saturday. (J.P. Moczulski/Canadian Press)

People wearing red shirts and waving Canadian flags watched as 83 red cars, representing the number of fallen soldiers, led the memorial drive, moving under police escort south on Highway 33, then west along Highway 401.

Organizers of what has been dubbed the Red Rally had said they expected about 504 motorcycles and 122 cars to participate, but the Canadian Press estimated that there were about 1,000 vehicles in the procession.

Relatives of a number of Canadian soldiers killed in combat took part, including Jane Byers, whose son, Pte. Dave Byers, was killed by a suicide bomber in Afghanistan in 2006. She travelled from Espanola in northern Ontario for the day.

She said the event was a way for families of the fallen soldiers to connect with each other, show pictures of their loved ones — and even share a few laughs as they swap stories.

"A lot of us were very numb and in shock when our loved ones came home. It's very important for us to want to get together and talk and to experience this ride from Trenton to Toronto again," Byers told CBC News.

In August 2007, Highway 401 from Trenton to Toronto was officially designated as the "Highway of Heroes," to honour Canadian soldiers killed in Afghanistan. Planes returning the bodies of Canadian soldiers land at Canadian Forces Base Trenton.

Organized by the Red Fridays Foundation of Canada, the rally stirred controversy earlier in the week among some military families.

The founders of the Red Fridays movement, which encourages Canadians to support the military by wearing red on the last day of the work week, say they're not affiliated with this group.

With files from the Canadian Press