The Royal Canadian Legion Saskatchewan Command LEST WE FORGET 225 On August 4, 1936, Veterans residing in Elrose, Hughton, Forgan, Wartime, Greenan, and Sanctuary districts met and decided to form their own Branch. The September meeting formed an executive and in October 1936, the Branch received its charter with fifteen members. Early meetings were held in various Elrose locations, including Gesy's Showroom, The Massey Harris building and the Schwalm Garage. In 1941, the Branch saw the need for a hall in the community and permanent quarters for itself. The Legion Hall, located on Main Street in Elrose, was officially opened on December 3, 1941, and was used extensively for community gatherings. It would be hard to find any club or association in the community that has not made use of the Hall. During 1946, the Branch erected a Cenotaph in memory of the twenty-four men from the district who paid the Supreme Sacrifice in the two World Wars. The Branch also maintains a Veterans Plot in the Elrose Cemetery. Together, the Branch and Ladies’ Auxiliary have supported many community buildings, organizations, and individuals. The Ladies' Auxiliary received its charter in June 1939, with seventeen members. The meetings were held in homes until the construction of the Hall. At some point, the Branch and the Ladies’ Auxiliary began meeting the same evening - the ladies downstairs and the men upstairs. They would then meet for lunch together upstairs. During WWII, many extra meetings were held to pack parcels and cartons of cigarettes destined for delivery to local service personnel serving in Canada and overseas. The Elrose Ladies’ Auxiliary vigorously supported many other wartime projects. Community projects too numerous to list ensued from blood donor clinics to sending a student to the Legion Track Camp. When the Ladies’Auxiliary folded in 1999, several of the members chose to join the Branch to help carry on the work of The Royal Canadian Legion. Both Branch and Auxiliary contributed to the marking of November 11th. For many years, the services were held at both the Cenotaph and the Hall. In more recent years, the service has been held at the larger community hall only. It was a long-standing custom for members to meet later in the day for a quite formal banquet and social evening that often included singing songs from the Second World War era. This became a more relaxed event over the years, and now they simply meet after the service for lunch. In 2005, some members created a Veterans' Memory Wall, which includes as many pictures of local service people as could be located. Visitors to Homecoming 2005 enjoyed perusing the displays. Unfortunately, changing times and rising costs have forced the Branch to close its hall, as of January 2006. Meetings are now held in the local Scout Hut, which the Branch helped to build in the 1980s. Preparations are underway to locate archives, pictures, and other memorabilia in the Elrose Museum. ELROSE BRANCH 206 The Lucky Lake Legion was started on January 4, 1937, with approximately sixteen members. The Ladies’Auxiliary started on January 18, 1951. It is not known where the Legion first held their meetings, but later, they were held in the old Kin Hut. Later, an RCAF Link Trainer building was moved from Caron Port and used for meetings for many years. It was torn down in 1985, and the Legion then moved into the community centre. The Legion sponsored the local Hockey Team, and had lots of social events over the years. To help raise money, they had annual turkey shoots and ran regular bingo nights. At one time, there were more than one hundred members in the Branch. Now, there are only five members. The Ladies’ Auxiliary turned in their charter and closed a number of years ago. Comrades moving away and time have reduced the ranks considerably. LUCKY LAKE BRANCH 209
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