Photo: SCOPIX
On Monday, July 1, 2025, Folkestone will once again host its poignant annual Canada Day Memorial Service at Shorncliffe Military Cemetery. The solemn event will honour the 305 Canadian soldiers who perished during World War I and are laid to rest in the cemetery.
The service, a cherished tradition dating back to 1919, will commence at 11:30am. It brings together a distinguished gathering of local civic dignitaries, representatives from the Canadian High Commission and Canadian Provincial Governments, the local British Army Command, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, and various veterans’ organizations.
A particularly moving aspect of the ceremony involves local schoolchildren, who will place flowers on the Canadian graves while adult attendees lay wreaths at the memorial.
This enduring tribute echoes the sentiment expressed by the Mayor of Folkestone in 1927, who declared that the ceremony “should last as long as it is in the power of human beings to do so” – a sentiment strongly upheld by all involved today.
The Worshipful Town Mayor of Folkestone, Councillor Lucy McGirr, will attend the service, accompanied by Councillors of Folkestone Town Council and representatives from the Canadian High Commission and the Canadian Detachment in the UK.
Members of the public are warmly invited to attend and pay their respects.