Orders of Service

The Alberta capital celebrated victory in the war against Nazi Germany with a public service of thanksgiving in May 1945.

On the tenth anniversary of the invasion of Normandy, veterans in Gravenhurst, Ontario, organized a church service to mark the occasion.

Across the Allied world in May 1945, communities like Chesley, Ontario, gathered to give thanks for the defeat of Nazi Germany.

The order of service used by the Canadian Army on all occasions except regular church service.

Even before the Second World War ended, the Canadian Council of Churches had prepared an order of service that could be used to celebrate the occasion, whenever it came.

The Sunday School Fund of the Methodist Church in Canada relied on the annual Rally Day service as its only source of funds. The program for 1916 referred to the difficulty of raising money for traditional causes when there was so much pressure to donate to the war effort.

Veterans in Morden, Manitoba, organized an annual service "In Memory of Those Sons of the Empire Who Gave Their Lives for Their King and Country in Great War and Other Campaigns."

The Decoration Day service in Manitou, Manitoba, had been started by the local branch of the Great War Veterans Association, and was carried on by its successor, the Canadian Legion of the British Empire Service League.

This memorial service was held to honour the men of the 1st Brigade who were killed in Canada's first major battle of the Great War. In the coming years, the number of casualties would make it impossible to hold such formal services after every battle.

Even small towns felt the effects of the world wars. The Canadian Legion branch in Bridgetown, Nova Scotia, held its annual memorial ceremony on 24 June 1951 to place wreaths on veterans' graves and on the Memorial Cross.