The 32 faces keep watch over Elmvale’s main street 24 hours a day, constant reminders of the wars that were waged and the sacrifices that were made.
Most of them are young, barely old enough to vote, their innocent faces, free of the horrors that would become part of their daily existence from that point forward, captured in portraits created days, weeks or months ahead of their being sent to the conflict zones.
Most of them came home. Sadly, none of them are alive today, the last one passing away at least a decade ago.
“About five years ago, we were driving around and kept seeing these banners in a number of towns honouring military veterans who fought in the world wars and Korea,” said Jay Schell, owner of Steelers Restaurant and Pub on the village’s main street. “We thought it was a very important gesture and it should be happening here in Elmvale.”
With his wife, Sue, by his side, the Schells took their idea to the village’s Business Improvement Area (BIA) to see if they could rally support for a similar banner program in Elmvale.
Their pitch wasn’t complicated and it didn’t take the BIA long to decide. They were on side with the plan.
The only challenge that first year was the timeline. Remembrance Day was fast approaching and there wasn’t time to create the banners Schell had envisioned.
“There wasn’t enough time to get the honour banners made for Remembrance Day 2020,” Schell said. “So we had another design and we paid for those ones ourselves.
“It was too important to us not to do it,” he added.
According to Schell, once villagers saw the banners installed on the light standards along main street, everyone stepped up to support it.
The next year, organizers worked with the officials from the Elmvale legion to create the banners that have become the standard for the past four years.
According to Micheal Jacobs, president of Elmvale Royal Canadian Legion Branch 262, the images used on the banners are from the its collection of photos of the 175 local residents who enlisted to fight in the First World War and Second World War.
“Each year, we do 16 banners and each banner has two images, one on each side,” Jacobs said. “Including this year, we will have featured 160 of our members.
“Next year, we’ll feature the remaining 15,” he added.
Jacobs wasn’t sure what the plan was for the remaining 17 banners that will be needed to round out next year’s program. He said they may cycle through the ones that have already been used, or they may open the program to include more veterans.
Jay Schell is fine with either direction. He just wants to make sure Remembrance Day has a place in Elmvale.
“My grandfather was in World War One, in the Battle of Passchendaele, and I’ve been a member of the legion most of my life, as has my father,” he said. “There are a lot of veterans in the Elmvale area that should be recognized. They gave a lot.”
“It’s about honour and respect,” said Sue. “We’ve been going to Remembrance Day services forever, the last 15 or 16 years here in Elmvale.
“I think it should be a holiday so people take the time and show the proper respect,” she added.
Looking out the restaurant’s front window onto the village’s main street, the Schells watch people walk up and down the street with young children in tow. They stop, look up and point at the faces on the banners, the parents sharing what they know with the wide-eyed youngsters.
“It really hits when a family comes and they point out grandpa to the little ones,” Jay said. “They’ll stop and talk about it and take photos. It’s beautiful to see. It keeps their memory alive.
Elmvale’s Remembrance Day service will begin on Nov. 11 at 10:45 a.m. at the Elmvale Cenotaph, near the public library.
