The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 125 adjacent to their new hall. After a few years, this was agreed upon. Once the lot was officially their’s, Comrade Alex Gerlinsky started the ball rolling to build a new Cenotaph, much more elaborate than the one in the playground. Inscribed on plaques on the Cenotaph were the names of those who gave their lives in both wars. The constant work of the Legion has been the annual Poppy Day sale for Remembrance Day, an uninterrupted record from 1926-1999. November 11th service still draws a large crowd. The Legion, locally and at the zone level, has always sponsored various sports. They give a yearly scholarship. Every year, with the students of the school displaying their talent with poems, essays and posters, these efforts are exhibited and judged at the local level. The best go onto zone, then district, and then provincial competition. We've won several years at the provincial level. Minute books of the 1920s and early 1930s state plans were made for a plaque with deceased vets names to be displayed in Memorial Hall. Later they were going to ask to have cairn at the Court Yard. Apparently, neither was done. Comrade A.X. “Sandy” Murdoch was Secretary of the Legion in 1936-38. He was President in 1939. He was Secretary for eighteen consecutive years, from 1950-1967, until his demise. LADIES’ AUXILIARY TO KERROBERT BRANCH 88 by Margaret Weber On June 15, 1993, the Kerrobert Ladies’ Auxiliary to the Royal Canadian Legion celebrated their 50th Anniversary. At that time, they still had one Charter member remaining, Mrs. Margaret Gladden, who had resided at the Kerrobert Hospital. Mrs. Gladden celebrated her 93rd birthday on July 4, 1994. World War II was in progress when the Auxiliary was formed in 1944. Cigarettes and food parcels were sent to the ones in the Canadian Forces overseas. The Auxiliary raised money by either a bean supper or a bingo every week. Market Day Teas were held every April and October. A masquerade ball for Hallowe’en was held annually. Robbie Burns Night was held every January 25 with a card party and program. These events carried on until the 1960s, when they were dropped due to lack of interest. The ladies sponsored the March of Dimes and the Canvass for Cancer Research townwide. They were relieved when United Appeal came into being. The ladies now sponsor the Terry Fox Run and have done so since 1980. Various sports awards were given throughout the years, promoting sports for the youngsters. In March 1952, the members swore allegiance to the new sovereign, Queen Elizabeth II. The Ladies’ Auxiliary spearheaded the drive for our "new hospital," which is now some thirty years old. Letters, petitions and delegations were sent to Regina. 1953 was a baby-boom year. Many layettes were raffled to make money for Ladies’ projects. Zone rallies came into being. Kerrobert held the first one in May 1954. Civil Defense was the theme. The Auxiliary sectioned the town into four, and every member hit the streets and avenues. They walked miles and miles and had reams of paper. They were able to billet 900 people should a national disaster strike. In 1956-1957, zone playoff curling was started. "Books for the Troops" was phased out. In 1958, "British Empire Service League" was dropped from the Auxiliary name. In 1961, the official name of the Legion was changed to "Royal" for 35 years of service, recognized by Queen Elizabeth II. In 1962, District Representatives were installed. As more zones came into being in 1964, more zones representatives were elected. Mrs. Tillie English was the zone representative. The main fundraisers are catering and a Poppy Day Tea. The Ladies’Auxiliary’s main concerns are the Branch, their Veterans and a provincial scholarship. They sponsor the Terry Fox Run, Cemetery Day, and have their own local scholarship. An annual Cribbage tournament is held during January and February sponsored by the Legion. Although membership is dwindling, the ladies are still are quite active, although enthusiasm is not as high as it once was. We are all older and time marches on. KERROBERT HOME GUARD by Bonnah Busch There were two occasions where Home Guard was initiated in Kerrobert. The first was in June 1940, at the beginning of the Second World War, when under government regulations; a home guard was set up by the Canadian Legion headed by Captain S.R. Greer. "The Guards are not only alert to anything that pertains to the interest of a nation at war, but they are primarily established to report any or all subversive elements. The Home Guards are under the direction of the RCMP. A dozen or more of these organizations are active within 50 miles of Kerrobert. The President of the Legion warned "Complacency at this time of danger would be fatal, for our enemies are not merely at our gate, but among us." Another time in our history when the community was asked to take local responsibility for our national defense was in 1952, during the Korean War. The RCAF requested the formation of' a Ground Observer Corps to supplement the early warning radar chain. The responsibility of an observer was to provide a listening and seeing watch of aircraft and military personnel within a specific area and to then transmit, in a predetermined form, accurate information concerning any movement of such to the "Filter Center" by means of telephone, telegraph or radio. KERROBERT BRANCH 88 (...Cont’d)
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