ROYAL CANADIAN LEGION

The Royal Canadian Legion is Canada’s largest Veteran support and community service organization. Our more than 300,000 members in over 1400 Branches across Canada make a difference in the lives of Veterans and their families, provide essential services within our communities, and Remember the men and women who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country.

The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 30 - Port Hope is a service club for veterans, their families and friends. They sponsor community events, Air Cadets and donate to various worthwhile causes and organizations. The Legion holds Remembrance Day, Canada Day  and Decoration Day activities. The Legion also provides hall rentals for weddings, dinners, dances, fundraisers, sports, community meetings and banquets. 

 When you join the Legion, you support the many services we offer to Veterans, serving military, RCMP Members, and their families. You don’t have to be a Veteran to join!Veterans put their lives on the line for their country; becoming a member of the Legion is the ultimate way to show your appreciation for that service. Your membership also helps provide essential services within our communities, including seniors support services, housing and care for the elderly, drop-in centres, Cadets, youth and sport programs, and much more. There are many ways the Legion gives, and by joining you give too. 

 Legion members care deeply about supporting the men and women who serve this country and want to make a difference in the lives of Veterans, contribute to our communities, and Remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice for our Country. When you join the Legion, you support the many services we offer to Veterans, serving military, RCMP, and their families.

 Join the Legion today!

 There are many ways the Legion gives, and by joining you give too. 

The recipient of the Royal Canadian Legion, Branch # 30 Legionnaire of the Year Award for 2018 is a very worthy recipient, a Comrade who personifies the Legion. 

He is a most efficient team player and Loyal Member. His work ethic and leadership with special events such as Remembrance Day, Canada Day Float, Christmas Float and the Silhouettes that he created are invaluable.  He assists with Sports, is the first one to volunteer during regular events, is the member we ask to build, repair and fix in and around the legion hall and is now considered our BBQ Master due to his cooking skills during any barbeques we host.

This Member is a great ambassador of the Legion and promoter of all that we do in the community.

Fellow Comrades, please show your appreciation to the Legionnaire of the Year for 2018 …

Comrade Ford Underwood!!!!!  

Congratulations Ford, well deserved.    

The Ladies Auxiliary is an essential part of the Legion.  

The Auxiliary are made up of Ladies who volunteer their time to running functions for the Legion as well as fundraising to assist others.

President : Arlene Pettipas - 905-885-8421

1st Vice President : Linda Pauk

2nd Vice President : Kathy Joachim

Secretary: Tracy Brown

Treasurer: Susan MacDonald

Sgt-at-Arms : Jean Tarrington

Executive : Sandra Bolton

                  Tracy Brown

Our Meetings are the second Tuesday of the Month - 7pm at the Legion.  

We are always looking for new members so if you have a little spare time or we are also always open to volunteers to help out with our events.  If you would like to join or become a volunteer please contact President Arlene Pettipas @ 905-885-8421 or call the legion at 905-885-6585 and join a rewarding organization.

Meeting Schedule 

No meetings for July & August 2018

Tuesday September 18th/18  @ 7pm

Tuesday October 9th/18 @ 7pm

Tuesday November 13th/18 @ 7pm

Tuesday December 11th/18 @ 7pm - Pot Luck - Casual Dress

Tuesday January 8th/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday February 12/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday March 12/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday April 9th/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday May 7th/19 @ 7PM - ELECTIONS

Tuesday June 4th/19 @ 7pm - POT LUCK

No Meetings in July & August 2019

Tuesday September 10th/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday October 8th/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday November 12th/19 @ 7pm

Tuesday December 10/19 @ 7pm

 The Port Hope & District Pipe Band enjoy entertaining in parades, shows and at Highland Games throughout the area. 

Please take the time to enjoy learning about how they originated, their past accomplishments and learn about their future adventures and events. 

If you or someone you know is interested in joining or learning, qualified piping and drumming instruction are available free of charge on Thursday evenings. 

Come to the practice hall between 6:30 pm and 7 pm. or contact them at: porthopepipeband@gmail.com 

The band meet each Thursday evening at 7:30 pm for chanter and drumming practice at: 

Ruth Clarke Activity Centre 

81 Mill Street South, 

Port Hope, ON 

L1A 3Z9 

Band President- Heather A’Court 

Pipe Major-Jamie York 

Drum Sgt.- Al Wilson  

 Web site : http://porthopeanddistrictpipeband.ca 

 Please donate a little time and sign up for the Poppy Campaign.  Board is set up at the Port Hope Legion.  Contact Poppy Chairman Comrade John DeBoer for further information @ 905-885-6585 - leave message. 

Thank you so much for all you do.

Every year, the Legion conducts the Poppy Campaign to honour those who serve, and to raise funds in support of Veterans and their families. From the last Friday in October to Remembrance Day, all Canadians can be a part of the campaign. Wear a poppy, attend a ceremony, and show your recognition for those who gave their lives for our freedom.

All help is greatly appreciated...Contact  Poppy Chairman John DeBoer to help in any way.... or leave a message @ 905-885-6585

 “We will remember them” is a call heard at many military memorial ceremonies and parades, but it was only in 1931 that Ottawa passed an act permanently fixing Canada’s national military memorial day to the anniversary of Armistice Day, Nov. 11, 1918, marking the end of the Great War. The day was named Remembrance Day. The same act moved Thanksgiving to October from its traditional November date, still adhered to by our American neighbours.
 

The 1931 Armistice Remembrance Day Act became an inauspicious memorial to those who died in what was called at the time “the war to end all wars.” As the poet W.H. Auden wrote, the 1930s were “a low dishonest decade” in which “clever hopes expired.” The decade ushered in the Second World War, which was infinitely more savage and apocalyptic than the first. It was appropriate to commemorate those killed in that futile First World War with symbolic artificial paper poppies under tombstone-cold grey skies of November.
 

But for 30 years before, Canadians had a different memorial called Decoration Day in which we commemorated our war dead with the laying of real flowers, not in the hopeless gloom of November but in the warm light and optimism of late spring or in summer, often on the weekend closest to June 2, the anniversary of Canada's forgotten first modern battle, the Battle of Ridgeway in 1866.

    The ancient ceremony of the Piling of the Drums had its origins where new banners or colors were presented. Colors have always been regarded with great reverence. Historians record that Colors have been associated with religion from the earliest times. Israelites carried the social standard of the Maccabees which bore the initial letter of the Hebrew text. These early associations linking religion with the battle flags and standards have their counterpart in the ceremonial attached to Colours today. Many Commonwealth countries adopted the British custom for the consecration of the Colors prior to the presentation to the Units. The drums are traditionally piled to provide an altar for the consecration. The drums are brought forward and piled in the center. The pile consists of five side drums in a circle with the emblazoning the right way up, facing outwards. The bass drum is laid on the side drums and a tenor drum on top, both with the center of the emblazoning facing the person blessing the Colors. The Colors are then draped on the pile for the consecration, the pikes resting on the hoop to retain the Colors pikes in position. There is no drill laid down for the piling drums, but the drummers concerned normally turn to their left and right and marches out in a single file, forming a circle around the designated spot, turn inwards and arrange their instruments in the center. After the Colors have been consecrated, the drums are recovered in the same way. The   Colors after being blessed by the various religious leaders, is handed over to the visiting dignitary , who will present the newly consecrated Colors to the CO / Commander of the Unit. The Colors are then trooped.   

 Many, many years ago when soldiers were in the field there were no altars on which to hold religious services, so the soldiers would pile their drums neatly to make an altar and drape the drums with their standards [flags]. A clergyman would then consecrate the 'altar' and celebrate inter-faith religious services for the soldiers. 

In modern times the Legion honours those military personnel who died in all the wars by carrying on the tradition of the Drum Head Service of Remembrance.