On Saturday, August 15, Meaford’s Royal Canadian Legion Branch 32 celebrated 100 years in this community. The day of celebrations began with a re-dedication of the recently restored Cenotaph outside Meaford Hall in the morning, and it was capped off by an anniversary banquet held at the Meaford & St. Vincent Community Centre on Saturday afternoon.
Over the past 100 years, Meaford’s Legion has honoured the men and women who have served our country, while also helping to support veterans and their families along with community organizations and charities. Two hundred Meaford residents served in the first World War, and some 500 or more served in the second World War. Canadian soldiers have also been sent to more recent conflict zones as peacekeepers.
One hundred years is a long time for any organization, particularly when you consider that the former Town of Meaford itself is barely more than 150 years old. The Royal Canadian Legion was formed in 1926, between the first and second World Wars.
We are all familiar with the local Legion. We see Legion members in the community in the weeks leading up to Remembrance Day, and we see Legion members on November 11, leading the observance of that important day, but the local Legion is not just active in November, they are active in our community year-round.
Legions have long been fixtures in communities across the country, and particularly in smaller communities like Meaford, it is quite likely that you know a Legion member or two.
I haven’t had any family members or close friends in the Canadian military, though I have often lived in or had family in close proximity to a military base, whether in Barrie with CFB Borden nearby, or Chilliwack, British Columbia, or Belleville where my father’s family is from and where CFB Trenton is not too far away, and of course in Meaford where we have a military training base within our borders.
Though I have not had any family members in the Canadian military, I have great respect for those who choose to serve their country in that way. My grandfather was a member of the British military. My mother was born in Egypt while my grandfather was stationed there in the early 1950s. Five or six years later my grandparents and my then school-aged mother moved to Canada.
Aside from that bit of history, the military and Canadian Legions have never been directly part of my life, other than visiting a Legion or two, and attending some Legion events over the years.
For many in 2026, particularly younger folks, the Legion could be just another organization, however for the past 100 years, Legions across the country, including Branch 32 in Meaford, have worked hard each year to promote remembrance in our schools, in an effort to ensure that the sacrifices of those who served will not be forgotten by future generations.
When I was a young adult in the early 1990s, myself and some of my co-workers used to head to the Legion building in Barrie every now and then for an after-work drink, some friendly darts competition, and a bite to eat at their bar, where we would often meet military veterans who would sometimes share some interesting stories.
Did you know that you don’t need to have a military background in order to join a local Legion? You just need to be at least 18 years of age, and a citizen of Canada or an allied nation in order to have an affiliate membership.
Many Canadian Legions, including Meaford’s, have struggled in recent years as membership numbers have declined, while costs have increased. More than 200 Legion branches have closed or amalgamated in recent decades due to dwindling membership and declining revenues.
Legion membership peaked in the 1980s when there were more than 600,000 members across the country, while today there are just 300,000 Legion members in Canada. Roughly one third of today’s Legion members have military service, while two thirds are family or affiliate members.
Our local Legion has always been supportive of its community and many local initiatives. For example, prior to 2009, when Meaford’s Legion still had its own building located on Legion Road, they provided space for Meaford’s food bank to operate.
For many decades, a post-war M4 Sherman tank stood at the site of the former Legion building, a reminder of years gone by. Having its own building helped to maintain visibility of the Legion in the community year-round. When my children were still schoolaged, we would stop to look at that tank every now and then, and while my sons were thrilled to be looking at a real tank, those stops offered an opportunity to talk to my sons about some history, about service to country and community, and about honouring those who sacrificed for the greater good.
As one Legion member said well in a recent letter to the editor:
Every family in Meaford has, in one way or another, been touched by the sacrifices of those who served or by the community work of the Legion. This anniversary belongs to all of us.
Happy 100th anniversary to the Meaford Legion Branch 32.
