‘It’s very disappointing’: Kelowna, BC’s Field of Crosses vandalized – Okanagan

Just three days away from Remembrance Day, Kelowna, BC honors local soldiers who lost their lives fighting for our country with the Field of the Cross.

However, someone committed a disrespectful act of vandalism by removing most of the flags from the crosses.

Rick Potter was at Kelowna City Park on Tuesday, cleaning up some of the mess left behind at the Remembrance Day display.

On Sunday evening, Potter discovered that the majority of the 237 flags had been removed or dismantled at the Field of Crosses.

“Why does someone come here and think this is something they want to do? It probably would have taken them an hour to do all of that, there’s 200 crosses they tore out,” Potter said.

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Annual Field of Cross Exposition in Kelowna Park, BC

Some of the flags were damaged prior to the 2020 Remembrance Day ceremony, but this year further damage occurred.

“It’s very disappointing. I don’t know what kind of fun they get out of doing this stuff,” said Kelowna Legion member Jim McCaffrey.

Local students were brought to the Field of Crosses not only to learn the history of local fallen soldiers, but to repair some of the damage that was done.

Putting the flags back on the crosses gave the children their own chance to honor those who sacrificed their lives. Local students were disappointed to see the damage done.

“I just don’t think it’s really the right thing to do, because we represent people who have died in war. But I was also very happy to help put the flags back and everything,” Anya said.

The Legion looks forward to inviting local students to the Field of the Cross each year and teaching them the importance of the exhibit.

« It’s good to see that children are interested or show interest because children today have no idea that the children, whose names are on the cenotaph, were only 18 at 20 for the most part, » McCaffrey said.

The Rotary Club of Kelowna will monitor the display until Remembrance Day in hopes of preventing further acts of vandalism.

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