Volunteers clean veterans’ headstones in Lethbridge cemetery ahead of Remembrance Day

Volunteers clean the headstones of veterans buried in Lethbridge’s Mountain View Cemetery ahead of Remembrance Day 2025.

Brisk weather didn’t deter a group of volunteers from gathering at Mountain View Cemetery on Wednesday to clean headstones of veterans ahead of Remembrance Day.

“A lot of veterans just sit in their house stewing about all the memories of all of their friends and fallen comrades, but to actually be out here and cleaning their headstones, it kind of connects you to their service, their history in a very meaningful way,” said Brandon Gorham, a retired corporal with the 2^nd Battalion, Princess Patricia’s Canadian Light Infantry.

Organized by the Veterans Association Food Bank in Lethbridge, about 20 volunteers made their way through the cemetery to wash nearly 1,400 veteran markers.

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“We appreciate the freedom that these guys gave us,” said Lee Willoughby, operations coordinator with the Veterans Association Food Bank. “So, it’s a little bit we can give back.”

The food bank provides veterans with financial assistance, along with supports and services.

Those helping with the cleaning say it’s a chance to continue to care for those who served while also taking time to reflect on the names and stories engraved on each headstone.

“I was over in Europe and looked at a lot of grave sites and it was pretty rough,” Willoughby explained. “A lot of young people who were killed there -- 17 and 18-year-olds -- just in the prime of their lives, and they’re gone.”

“Coming back here and seeing some of these, it’s just the same.”

Veterans like Gorham, who rolled up his sleeves to help on Wednesday, know first-hand the impact war has on those serving.

“I have 18 friends that have lost their lives since I got out in 2015, some that died during service and many afterwards. Multiple were suicides due to things they seen and witnessed in Afghanistan,” he said.

“I served in Afghanistan myself in 2013, so I understand and empathize with what they’re going through. Being out here really helps me connect to that.”

Others are lending a hand to help set a positive example.

“Remembrance Day as I was growing up was always a super important holiday,” said Brittney Perlich, who was volunteering with her two young sons. “I just want to instill that in my kids.”

“We saw that volunteers were need to help do this, so I thought what better way to show [my kids] how we prepare for Remembrance Day.”

It’s people like Perlich that Willoughby hopes to see get involved in the years to come.

“I would really like to see the community involved and to get more people just to see what is out here… how many people have actually laid down their lives for us,” he said.

There are two Remembrance Day ceremonies planned for Lethbridge on Nov. 11.

One will take place inside the Lethbridge Trade and Convention Centre, while an outside ceremony will be held at the Cenotaph.