Hamilton Remembrance Day parade route and ceremony details

The City of Hamilton has shared its plans for its Rembrance Day parade and cermony this Saturday.

Canada remebers the sacrfices of its Armed Forces veterans every Nov. 11, the anniversary of the end of the First World War. In Hamilton the ceremony begins John Foote V.C. Armoury at 200 James St.

The armoury is named after John Weir Foote, a military chaplain. Foote, born in Madoc, served in the Second World War. He joined the Presbyterian Ministry in 1934, and the Canadian Army in 1939 at the outbreak of the war.

Foote became the only only Canadian chaplain honoured with the Victoria Cross, Britain’s highest military honour, due to his actions in the Dieppe Raid on Aug. 9, 1942. This amiphibous attack on Nazi-occupied France was an attempt to test a beach landing.

However, the assault proved disastrous for the Allied Forces, most of whom were Canadians. More than half of the 6,000 men who landed were killed or wounded with in ten hours, forcing a retreat. As his fellow soldiers were cut down around him, Foote “coolly and calmly” walked the beach and collected the wounded, bringing them back to safety.

“On these occasions, with utter disregard for his personal safety, Honorary Captain Foote exposed himself to an inferno of fire and saved many lives by his gallant efforts,” read his citation for the Victoria Cross.

“At the end of this gruelling time he climbed from the landing craft that was to have taken him to safety and deliberately walked into the German position in order to be taken prisoner so that he could be of help to those men who would be in captivity until May 5, 1945.” After the war he was promoted to Major and later served as the MPP for Durham near Oshawa until 1959. He died in Cobourg in 1988.

The Hamilton Armoury was named in his memory following his death and has long hosted the beginning of the city’s Remembrance Day parade. As usual, the parade will leave the armoury at 10:15 a.m. and make its way south along James St. It will turn east on King St. to head toward Veteran’s Place in Gore Park.

The service itself will begin at 10:45 a.m. An American Sign Language interpreter will be there and those who are deaf or hard of hearing will have special seating near the cenotaph. King St. will be closed between Catharine St. and James St. from 10 a.m. to 11:45 a.m. for the ceremony.

Those who cannot attend the ceremony can watch it on the city’s Youtube or on Cable 14.