First World War colours celebrate history
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Hey there, time traveller!
This article was published 10/11/2014 (4163 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.
The colours of a local First World War battalion were honoured during a Sunday church service.
The original battalion flag of the 45th Battalion now stands high above the pews of St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Brandon alongside the Union Jack.
“It’s reminding ourselves of the custodians of the colours that were deposited here in 1915,” said Rev. James Njegovan. “We’re celebrating our history, they are memorials to those of the 45th Battalion.”
Military colours are traditionally held in “sacred” places such as churches, other public spaces and on display, he said.
“The timing couldn’t be better,” said Lt. Col. Melvyn Neville. “A lot of people don’t understand the heritage
“The history just sort of faded, and I think what’s happened over the last decade, with the mission in Afghanistan, the history has been brought forward and recent events, again, have put us in front,” he said, referring to soldiers slain in Quebec and Ottawa.
During the church service, the bugle, played by Lt. Dan Robertson, was the battalion’s original, dating back to 1915.
The 45th Battalion was an infantry battalion of the Canadian Expeditionary Force during the First World War. It was authorized in November 1915 and embarked for Britain on April 1, 1916. The battalion provided reinforcements to the Canadian Corps in the field until it was absorbed by the 11th Reserve Battalion in July 1916 before it was disbanded the next year.
The battalion’s colours, and the Union Jack, remained undisturbed since they were given to the church in 1916, until 1982, when thieves forced open the cathedral’s front doors, took the King’s flag and other church items.
The crest inside the Union Jack was later recovered, but not the original flag.
» gbruce@brandonsun.com
» Twitter: @grjbruce
