The story has been updated as of Nov. 18 to identify the position and years of service of multiple University staff member.
Members of the Kingston community came together to remember the sacrifice of soldiers who served and fell for Canada.
The University hosted its annual Remembrance Day Assembly on Nov. 11 at 10:30 a.m. in Grant Hall. Hundreds of community members gathered for the twenty-five-minute ceremony, which featured musical, poetic, and oral tributes.
The stage was adorned with photographs of Queen’s students, alumni, and faculty who had served in the Canadian Army, Navy, or Air Force including some of the 367 AMS members who died in service. While these photos had once been lost in a fire in ’47, Queen’s archivists and volunteers were able to piece the names and faces back together, fully reconstructing the display in ’95.
The Assembly began with a brief land acknowledgement from the University’s Interfaith Chaplain, Erin Burns. She reminded the audience that this past Remembrance Day marked eighty years since the end of World War II, and encouraged attendants to remember the millions of Canadians who served in the war.
“Your presence serves as a lasting reminder of the courage, sacrifice, and the enduring connection between Queen’s and those who served,” Burns said. “As the Queen’s community, we ground our remembrance in the contributions of students, staff, faculty and alumni, not only in the past, but currently, and in hope of future peace.”
The ceremony then continued with the singing of the National Anthem, led by the Queen’s Choir and their Director, Darrell Christie. This was followed by a trumpet performance of “Last Post, Lament and Rouse” by Dan Tremblay, a moment of silence dedicated to Canada’s fallen soldiers, and a bagpipe performance from Cheryl Pulling.
Veronique Berube, ArtSci ’26, then recited “In Flanders Field”—a poem written by Lieutenant Colonel to honour soldiers who died in World War I. Two more poems, “In Retrospect” by Simon Armitage and “Act of Remembrance” by Laurence Binyon, were recited by veteran of 27 years of service, University Ombudsperson Norma Barrett, and Chief Information Officer Marie Claude Arguin, a veteran of 24 years of service.
An Assistant Professor and veteran with 20 years of service, Paul Hungler, then reflected on how Remembrance Day ceremonies have changed in the eighty years passed since World War II.
“When I was young, the memorials were filled with the stoic faces of World War II veterans,” he said. “Many of those heroes who once stood among us are now gone. I miss their faces, what they represented. But most of all, I miss their stories. Stories of love and loss, courage and sacrifice, and above all, the strength of the human spirit.”
Hungler offered the stories of two veterans who had influenced his life: his grandfather and his father-in-law. Hungler’s grandfather, like thousands of Canadians, put his university degree on hold to put his life on the line for the Canadian army.
“These were people just like you, classmates, neighbours, friends, who had their whole lives and futures ahead of them,” he said.
His father-in-law, Ernie, similarly volunteered for the army and was eventually awarded the Albert Medal for Lifesaving by the Queen of England to honour his heroism.
“One day, while working in the naval shipyards in Barry, there was an explosion among the ships,” Hungler said. “Without any concern for his own safety, Ernie ran into the burning vessel and pulled five sailors, most of them with extensive burns, to safety.”
The Queen’s Choir concluded the Assembly with a performance of “In Remembrance” by Eleanor Daley. Attendants then walked together to the 5th Company Plith, a memorial honouring those who fought in the 5th Field Company in both world wars, for wreath laying. During this ceremony, the names of the Queen’s community members who lost their lives in World War II were read, and “Commitment to Remember” was recited by Megan Hook, ConEd ’27.
Following the wreath laying, all attendants were invited by the Queen’s Military and Veterans Network for fellowship and refreshments in Wallace Hall.
Tags
Remembrance Day, World War I, World War II
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