Flags and painted stones bring colour to Pubnico veterans' graves

Over the last week there's been a lot going on in the Pubnico area of southwest Nova Scotia as people there prepare for Remembrance Day.

Pubnico Legion Branch 66 has been encouraging families of war veterans to come and pick up a Canadian flag at the Musée des Acadiens des Pubnicos, a local museum, and place it in the ground next to their loved one's grave.

"People warmed up to this very quickly as we started it on November 1st and every day we've had people coming into the museum to get flags," said Jean Bernard d'Entremont, past-president of the Pubnico Legion. "It's growing more and more every day, and we hope to have about a hundred flags in place by Remembrance Day."

The community lost its last living Second World War veteran last year when Anselm d'Entremont died at the age of 100.

There has also been lots of work taking place on a new community and war memorial monument.

The old stone monument on Highway 335 was built 70 years ago and had been battered by decades of harsh weather, so it had to be taken down.

"When it was built in 1951 it was a joint project celebrating the 300th anniversary of the community and at the same time honouring the deceased members of the First and Second World War," said Paul d'Entremont, chairperson of the community monument committee. "The new version is a replica, except it's in sandstone and granite."

The final work on the new monument is expected to be completed by Tuesday, just in time for Remembrance Day.

Something else that is being done leading up to Remembrance Day is the placement of small beach stones on the graves of veterans.

The person who is doing it is a military veteran who lives in Yarmouth County and does not want to be identified. They have found about 700 veterans' tombstones in the Yarmouth County area, according to d'Entremont.

"They have painted these small stones black and then painted a red poppy on them along with the words, 'Thank you,'" said d'Entremont.