The Elgins celebrate 150 years

Dozens of soldiers, reservists and army and air cadets along with a number of veterans participated in a parade in St. Thomas on Saturday, April 23 to celebrate the 150th anniversary of the 31 Combat Engineer Regiment (The Elgins). The parade started by the Jumbo the Elephant monument in west St. Thomas and proceeded south along Stanley Street and east onto Centre Street to avoid construction on Talbot Street. After moving past the construction, the parade made its way onto Talbot Street east past St. Thomas city hall to the cenotaph. Speeches and presentations preceded the parade including a brief history of The Elgins whose members have served in the Canadian armed forces during both World Wars and other armed conflicts throughout the world including most recently in Afghanistan. Past and present members of The Elgins marched in the parade along with the Windsor Regiment Band. The parade was held on April 23 to mark St. George’s Day, a celebration of the patron saint of England and the Royal Regiment of Fusiliers, which is observed by The Elgins annually. The Royal Regiment of Fusiliers is The Elgins affiliated regiment in England. Other events to celebrate the 150th anniversary of The Elgins are planned later this year.