Conflicts far from home have shaped generations of people who have lived in Mississauga. A great number of citizens from historic Toronto Township and from the City of Mississauga have answered the call to serve. Many never returned home. 

Some of our earliest settlers were veterans – or the children of veterans – of the American Revolution (1775-83) who settled here as Loyalists and refugees. During the War of 1812 (1812-1814) many residents volunteered to serve in the militia and participated in engagements along the Niagara frontier, as did Indigenous Mississaugas from the Credit River. Two militiamen from historic Mississauga succumbed to illness while serving. 

Though wars have never breached the borders of Mississauga itself, our residents have been drawn to service in innumerable theatres of war, including the Rebellion of 1837 (1837-38), the Fenian Raids (1866-71), the Red River Rebellion (1869), North-West Rebellion (1885), the South African War (Second Boer War, 1899-1902), the First World War (1914-18), the Second World War (1939-45), the Korean War (1950-53), the Gulf War (1990-91), Kosovo (1998-99), Afghanistan, and countless peacekeeping and humanitarian aid initiatives. 

During the First World War (1914-1918), hundreds of “our boys” enlisted with the Canadian Expeditionary Force, and served in numerous battalions, while others served as clergy and nurses. 96 soldiers from historic Mississauga lost their lives during service in the First World War. The war effort on the homefront was also significant in terms of conserving supplies and providing labour in wartime industries. During the war, historic Mississauga was home to the Long Branch Aerodrome, which was the first military flight school in Canada and saw 129 graduates serve with the Royal Air Force and the Royal Naval Air Service in Britain. 

During the Second World War (1939-1945), once again hundreds of residents enlisted to serve in the Canadian army, the air force, navy, air transit auxiliary, Ferry Command and Bomber Command, while others served in the medical corps. 89 soldiers, sailors and airmen from historic Mississauga did not return home. On the homefront, items such as meat, butter, aluminum foil and gasoline were rationed in support of the war effort, while women were hired in large numbers in wartime industries, such as Dominion Small Arms Limited in Lakeview. At Victory Aircraft in Malton, 422 Lancaster Bombers were built between 1943 and 1945. Malton was also home to the Number 1 Elementary Flying Training School as part of the British Commonwealth Air Training Plan. 

During the Korean War (1950-1953), dozens of soldiers and seamen from historic Mississauga are known to have served, with one known casualty. 

Sadly, casualties from service have continued, with Mississauga resident Trooper Marc Diab falling in Afghanistan in 2009. There is a park in City of Mississauga Ward 6 named in his memory. 

93 of our fallen citizens from the First and Second World Wars are remembered at cenotaphs, war memorials, honour rolls, and cemeteries located throughout Mississauga. Many of Mississauga’s war memorials predate the formation of the City of Mississauga and are connected with historic communities that make up our city. Additionally, many places of religious and community assembly have created their own tributes and symbols of remembrance over time. 

Today, Mississauga continues to have strong connections to military service. Mississauga has historic ties to the Lorne Scots (Peel, Dufferin and Halton Regiment), and is home today to the Toronto Scottish Regiment’s Colonel Samuel G. Beckett Armoury. 

Mississauga is also home to several legions and veterans’ associations, including the Colonel Alex Thomson - Royal Canadian Legion Branch 82 in Port Credit, the Streetsville Overseas Veterans’ Club - Royal Canadian Legion Branch 139, the Colonel Tom Kennedy - Royal Canadian Legion Branch 582 in Cooksville, and the ANAF (Army, Navy and Air Force Veterans Association) Unit 262 in Lakeview. 

Indigenous veterans from our community and from the Mississaugas of the Credit First Nation also stepped forward to serve their country in times of conflict, even though Canada did not consider them full citizens. 

Residents from our home have stepped forward to serve in each of these theatres of conflict and have also served our country during times of peace. Many have lost their lives as a result of service, and many more carried the physical and mental scars from service when they returned home. 

On Remembrance Day we traditionally gather for remembrance services, parades, assemblies, tributes, ceremonies and wreath-laying at cenotaphs. As with last year, the ongoing pandemic has altered some of our normal remembrance routines. But the pandemic cannot stop the act of remembering. On Remembrance Day, or any other day, pay a visit to one of our many cenotaphs and war memorials, or visit the newly created Garden of Remembrance at The Grange. Pause, reflect, wear a poppy, and give thanks to those who fell, who served and who serve still.

We Will Remember Them.