St. Bon's students hold special Remembrance Day ceremony

Students at St. Bonaventure's College in St. John's held a special Remembrance Day ceremony on Thursday at the Basilica of St. John the Baptist.

Every year, the entire school turns up for the event, as well as a handful of veterans and current members of the Canadian Armed Forces.

The ceremony is held in part to remember the 91 alumni of St. Bon's who died in the First and Second World Wars, and features a prayer, the laying of wreaths and music.

John Dalton, a cadet in tenth grade, said Thursday's ceremony was about remembering and giving thanks to the soldiers from their school, and all other soldiers, who lost their lives.

"Soldiers were losing their lives for the freedoms of us as Newfoundlanders and us as Canadians, and their battle gave us what we have today and the freedom we have and the safety that we have," he said.

Liam Lewis, in eleventh grade, said the ceremony was to recognize fallen soldiers from all over who fought in the world wars.

"It's to reflect on the fallen soldiers — not just Newfoundland soldiers, but soldiers all around the world that fought for the Allies," he said.

"[War] is a nasty thing. It's gruesome, many lives are lost, families are broken, economies are destroyed — it's just not a good thing."

Lewis said he knows he's lucky to live in a place like St. John's, where his freedom is protected, and acknowledged it's thanks to soldiers who fought throughout the decades.