Amherst residents are invited to join the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 10 for the annual D-Day ceremony at Victoria Square on Saturday, June 6, 2026, at 10 a.m. The free public event will mark 82 years since Canadian forces landed on the beaches of Normandy in a campaign that helped change the course of the Second World War. Organizers say the outdoor ceremony will go ahead rain or shine, and they ask people to arrive about five minutes early.
On June 6, 1944, roughly 15,000 Canadian soldiers took part in the Allied invasion, primarily at Juno Beach, supported by more than 10,000 sailors on 109 vessels and 15 squadrons from the Royal Canadian Air Force, according to Veterans Affairs Canada. By the end of that first day, 340 Canadians had been killed, 574 were wounded, and 47 were taken prisoner.
The ceremony is one of several annual events held at Victoria Square, the downtown gathering space that also hosts Remembrance Day services and community celebrations. Amherst and Cumberland County have deep military roots, with the Nova Scotia Highlanders Regimental Museum housed in the local armoury as a reminder of the region’s contributions.
Legion Branch 10 encourages everyone in the community to attend Saturday’s ceremony and take a few moments to reflect on the service and sacrifice of those who took part in the operation.
