Service at legislature to mark century since First World War

The province marked 100 years since the end of the First World War with a remembrance service attended by dignitaries, veterans and public servants at the Legislative Building on Wednesday morning.

“Today we acknowledge the heavy burden borne by those who served in the Great War and by their families. We acknowledge what they have endured on our behalf, the future generations that are so fortunate to live in peace,” Premier Scott Moe said in his remarks.

To commemorate the occasion, there is a Wall of Honour featuring the province’s 15 Victoria Cross recipients.

One of them was George Mullin, who served at Vimy Ridge and is credited with taking out a German machine gun unit inflicting heavy casualties in Belgium.

Mullin later became the Legislature’s Sergeant-at-Arms in 1934.

About 42,000 from Saskatchewan served in the First World War — 6,000 did not return home.

The service also paid tribute to all those who’ve put their lives on the line to serve the country.

Regina’s Cliff Walker, a veteran himself, was one of those in attendance.

“This service for me is an opportunity to think about what a debt of gratitude we owe to the generations of great young Canadians who put their (lives) in God’s hands and went forward to defend what we think is priceless,” Walker said.

Walker first enlisted as a combat engineer in 1962 as a combat engineer during the Cuban Missile Crisis. He spent 35 years in the military, retiring as a brigadier-general.

He was first inspired to serve by the sacrifices made by his father, who fought in the Second World War.

“(My dad) played with the Riders in the thirties but I never saw my dad throw a ball to me. I never saw my dad run because he was a badly-wounded veteran of World War II,” Walker said.