Sentry Duty At The Memorial

The National War Memorial is set downtown in the heart of Confederation Square. Dedicated in 1939 to the Canadian war dead of the First World War, it has come to be dedicated to those who have served in each war and in peacetime since. The Tomb of the Unknown Soldier is at its base, and from early April to the day before Remembrance Day, an honour guard is found here during the day. The guard comes from each branch of the Canadian military. Specific units stand at post here for a few days; typically sentries will have a couple of shifts in a given day. Each hour they are relieved by the next shift (with exceptions made for very hot or otherwise inclement weather, in which case they are relieved every half-hour). On the occasion when I took these shots in late June, the Canadian Rangers had the duty. The Rangers are reserve soldiers posted throughout the country, in northern and other isolated regions, performing a number of duties. I chatted with one of them before the shift change- he said that this is as dressed up as Rangers get. The ceremony of changing shifts is the same regardless, with fresh sentries coming up to relieve those at the post. A bagpiper leads the way, the sentries are relieved, the commanding officer recites the duties of the sentries, and the relieved sentries head back beneath Plaza Bridge, where there are some rooms set into the infrastructure below, a place for them to relax until their next time at the post.