There was a reverent stillness among spectators as cadets, scouts, soldiers and veterans marched down Esquimalt Road in memory of those who served the country.

On Friday (Nov. 11) morning, hundreds gathered at the Memorial Park cenotaph in Esquimalt for the annual parade and ceremony, organized by Royal Canadian Legion Branch 172, to remember and honour CanadaB次元官网网址檚 brave souls.

Hundreds of people, many in military uniforms, packed into the park surrounding the cenotaph as a parade of Canadian Armed Forces members, veterans, cadets, scouts and more marched into the park and stood in formation around the monument.

Among those attending the event to pay their respects was Jack Bates, a veteran who spent seven months deployed in Congo as a United Nations peacekeeper in 1961. Bates, who was born in Esquimalt and grew up in a military family, said he attends the event every year on Remembrance Day.

B次元官网网址淚 think it is very important not to forget the history of the conflicts, sacrifices and family members who served in the Canadian Armed Forces,B次元官网网址� he said. B次元官网网址淭he institution of the military is to protect your interests, both in times of war and peace.B次元官网网址�

View Royal Fire Chief Paul Hurst, who attended the event, said this yearB次元官网网址檚 turnout was the largest heB次元官网网址檚 ever seen at Memorial Park in Esquimalt.

B次元官网网址淭his yearB次元官网网址檚 turnout is just incredible,B次元官网网址� he said.

About 116,000 Canadian soldiers have lost their lives in wars ranging from the Second Boer War in South Africa to Afghanistan. The deadliest conflict in Canadian history was the First World War, which saw 68,000 Canadians killed in action.

In all, more than 1,400 communities across Canada held ceremonies on Friday, remembering those who served the country.

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