‘Remember all the veterans’: Barriere to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Canadian Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion is turning 100 years old and Barriere plans to celebrate. The national veterans organization was incorporated by a special act of parliament on July 17, 1926. [...]

‘Remember all the veterans’: Barriere to celebrate 100 years of the Royal Canadian Legion Published 8:00 pm Monday, July 13, 2026 The Royal Canadian Legion is turning 100 years old and Barriere plans to celebrate. The national veterans organization was incorporated by a special act of parliament on July 17, 1926.

This year, on that very same day, July 17, 2026, Barriere’s Legion Branch 242 will host a centenary celebration at its headquarters located at 4673 Shaver Rd. MaryAnn Shewchuk, president of the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 242, explained the upcoming festivities. She said the event would begin at 3 p.m. and run until 1 a.m. There will be a small ceremony at 6 p.m. and a dance, complete with a DJ, at 8:30 p.m.

The branch president said there would all kinds of snacks, hot dogs, hamburgers, treats, indoor and outdoor games for the kids. There will also be vendors with goodies for sale, she said. “I’ve invited various dignitaries, (our) MLA.

I’m not sure about Mr. (Frank) Caputo, if he’s going to show up,” she said. “I also invited the Simpcw First Nation because they also have veterans there. So, we’ll see if those people will join us, we’re hoping.”

Speaking of the remembrance service at the event, Shewchuk said they would be talking about D-Day all the way up to the present day. “We still have veterans that were in Afghanistan, and so they’re still part of everything,” she said. They will have a history table, where there will be pictures from past events at the Legion from the older generation and flags.

There will also be a table of the Fallen Soldier that will have various symbolic items, which Shewchuk said “is to represent all the people that sacrificed everything.” The branch president spoke about the Royal Canadian Legion being 100 years old, and the importance of the work they’ve done over the years. “The remembrance is what we have to do,” she said.

Promoting remembrance is one of the pillars of the Legion’s mission. The others are serving veterans, including military and RCMP members and their families, serving communities and serving Canada. Shewchuk commented on the legacy of Canada in military history.

“There are other countries in the world that are really appreciative of all the Canadian soldiers,” she said. “In the Netherlands, the Dutch children light candles for the Canadian graves.” The Government of Canada’s website explains that Canadian soldiers played a key role in the liberation of the Netherlands, with more than 7,600 dying in the eight-month campaign to free the country from the Nazis in the Second World War, “a tremendous sacrifice in the cause of freedom.”

The federal government explains that the First Canadian Army was a powerful force in northwestern European in the final phases of the war, being the largest army that had ever been under the control of a Canadian general, Henry Duncan Graham Crerar. According to the Government of Canada, the army ranged from about 105,000 to 175,000 Canadian soldiers to somewhere between 200,000 to over 450,000 when including soldiers from other nations. “Even now Holland sends us tulips,” Shewchuk said, specifying that the flowers are sent to the Government of Canada and not Barriere specifically.

“I’ve actually ordered some to come to Barriere, so we’ll plant them in the fall, when they get here,” she said. “My hope is to put it in the park in town, and then have a few by the Legion.” Speaking about the work Legion Branch 242 has done over the years, Shewchuk said its mission is to help veterans and people in crisis, and to raise money to give back to the community.

Some examples she noted were donations to the fire department, the after-school program, the Grade 6 camping trip, the Simpcw First Nation children’s snowboarding team and the food bank. She also noted five high school bursaries given out this year worth $1,000 each. The Legion Branch 242 started in 1955, making it 71 years old this year.

Shewchuk said it started with help from the Kamloops Legion Branch 52. “So, it was started — it was just a partial building, and then it got a renovation and added on to, but the original chairs and everything, that was help from the Kamloops Legion,” she explained. Shewchuk commented on the veterans living in the Barriere area at the time.

“A lot of the veterans, they are the ones that were instrumental in helping construct the building, and able to have a place for them to go. Because originally it was like a canteen where the Legion veterans could go to decompress and not have to stress,” she said. “Where they didn’t have to worry about wearing their uniform hats.

They could come in, take their hat off, and they were all equal.” She affirmed that many of the local veterans in 1955 were from the Second World War. “I would say at that time there was probably, I would say more than 100 that were around,” she said, noting she was also counting veterans from places like Chu Chua and Darfield.

Shewchuk noted that now, there are about 19 veterans in the area who are part of the Legion Branch 242. She said one member was going to be getting his 50-year pin. “We have some that are (veterans of the) Korean War, some that are (veterans of) Afghanistan.

We also have NATO fellows,” she said, highlighting the different wars in which they have served. Shewchuk sent some information about the history of the Legion Branch 242 cenotaph. “At the July 14, 1958, Royal Canadian Legion Branch 242 meeting, a motion was made by Len Sadlier-Brown that a local memorial be built as there were many men lost from the area and it was a two-hour drive into Kamloops to attend Remembrance Day services.

A wooden cross was used as a memorial until the cenotaph was built in 1973. Roy Inkster designed and built the cenotaph out of cement and volunteers from the Legion built the base out of cement and rock. Earl Frazer and Eric Johnson were among the volunteers,” her email says.

When asked if any memories stand out for her regarding Legion Branch 242, she pointed to Remembrance Day ceremonies. “Every year, same time, same place,” she said. “Our veterans aren’t so much now being able to march, but I’ve had other people step in.

“The Scouts, the Girl Guides, 4-H. You know, the young kids. They can carry a flag, too.” She spoke about the veterans in the Barriere cemetery, and said that, on June 6, the anniversary of D-Day, she holds a candlelight ceremony in their honour.

“I like to have a little ceremony there, just to remember all the veterans that are already gone.” She said there are close to 40 veterans buried in Barriere. Remarking on the future of the Royal Canadian Legion and Branch 242, Shewchuk put a call out to the younger generations.

“We need younger people to help,” She said. “Any skills you have, whether it’s computer, whether it’s cooking, barbecuing, lawn mowing, any maintenance, anything you can do to help us... Anybody with any skills and any desire to help the Legion.”

In celebration of 100 years, the Royal Canadian Legion is making it free to become a member in 2026. To learn more, visit www.legion.ca/join-us. Shewchuk’s message to the community about the centenary was simple.

“Just come out (to the celebration),” she said. “Enjoy.”