Legion Auxiliary History
The Legion Auxiliary of Branch #140 received their Charter in September 1939.

The purpose of the Auxiliary was as an aid to the Veterans of WWI. Then the purpose became to assist the young men who now were enlisting in the Armed Forces of WWII.

The Auxiliary kept in touch with our young soldiers by sending them comfort packages, such as cigarettes, candy and treats. Some volunteered knitting, and sent socks, scarves, and mitts to meet our young mans needs.

Funds for the above were raised by local dances, whist drives, raffles, and canvassing for poppy day.

In May 1945 when armistice was declared, some of our young heroes were returning home. The Auxiliary honoured them with a homecoming social. They did not forget the young men who lost their lives. An annual christmas dinner and social was held for many years following WWII.

With the boys return, several were wed overseas and soon were joined by their war-brides. Others married the girl back home. The Auxiliary expanded with these new young women joining. Thus grew the activates, and the auxiliary became involved in various community projects and fund raising.

In 1956 they launched a project of catering to weddings. One of there first endeavours was on a hot weekend in July. The Auxiliary didn’t own a spoon, cup, or table cloth. However they undertook this big project with a lot of faith and co-operation. They borrowed some trestles and planks from Smith’s lumber Yard, toting them across the road to the old Orange Hall and erecting them into tables for 150 guests. Each member brought their best china, cutlery, and table cloths. Everyone tagged their belongings with colour thread, so we would know to whom each item belonged. All the cooking was done at home and brought ready to serve. The kitchen was a little 10x10 room at the east side of the hall. The furnishings were an old cook stove, a water broiler to heat water for coffee, and wash dishes, plus an apple crate of chipped coffee mugs. They hauled there water from the creamery in eight gallon cream cans. The turkey dinner was elegantly served at $1.00 a plate.

The ladies dressed in their finest attire with high heels and nylons to serve at such special occasions. Low heels and slacks were not the order of the day. As soon as the meal was over we returned the planks and tresses were returned to the lumber yard. Often when the meal was over the young men would help them clear the floor as they needed the space to dance.

When the old rink was lost in 1965 the Legion Auxiliary came threw with a donation to help rebuild. Fundraising was mainly raised by dances and weekly bingos. The legion along with the auxiliary was in charge of the maintenance of the dance hall, beverage room, and banquet hall. Their flourishing catering business provided the financing to furnish the banquet hall and buy equipment and supplies for there kitchen. Later air conditioning was installed.

In 1986 Canada celebrated the Legions Diamond Jubilee. The auxiliary played a great role in recognition of our local veterans. It was a huge success.

Their aim has always been “Service of Others”
In 1989 the Auxiliary celebrated 50 years of service.

The Legion Auxiliary and the Community
Although their main objective was to our veterans, throughout the years the Legion Auxiliary has helped support many of the organisations in our community and elsewhere.