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The Royal Canadian Legion

The Royal Canadian Legion's mission is to serve Veterans, including service military and RCMP members and their families, to promote Remembrance and to serve their communities and their country. The Royal Canadian Legion Branch 28 in Hampton began leasing space in the Town's Agricultural Hall in 1928. In 1955, Directors of the Hall entered into a long-term lease of the building to the Legion members and in 1979, the Hampton's Branch 28 of the Royal Canadian Legion took over ownership of the building. In 2016, the Legion members voted to sell the hall and relocated to the Hampton Community Centre, taking out a long-term lease in the Ossekeag Room. The Legion's new home seems more than appropriate as it is adjacent to the Legion's Cenotaph, the burial site of Princess Louise, and the Vimy Oak.

PRINCESS LOUISE

The 8th Canadian Hussars (Princess Louise's) is Canada's oldest armoured regiment with its official history dating back to April 4, 1848. In 1879 after mounting a guard for the Governor General of Canada, and his wife HRH Princess Louise, the regiment sought permission to add her name to their title in 1884. It was only fitting that members of the 8th Hussars would name a wounded colt, rescued in the fighting in Italy during World War II, Princess Louise. When they returned from service in Italy during World War II, they were accompanied by this rescued Italian horse, "Princess Louise" who had become their mascot. Princess Louise received her naturalization papers on the steps of the Kings County Court House (now the Town Hall) in March 1946 as she was welcomed by a large crowd of residents. Princess Louise would eventually have two foals of her own, aptly named Princess Louise II and III. Her final resting place

THE VIMY OAK

After the Battle of Vimy Ridge was won on April 12, 1917, Lieutenant Leslie Miller, a soldier from Ontario, gathered up a handful of acorns as a souvenir to the momentous victory. On returning to Canada, he planted the acorns on his land, calling his property the Vimy Oaks Farm. Today several of the oak trees he planted are still standing, the same cannot be said for all of the original oaks that stood on the Vimy Ridge site in 1917. A group of individuals is working with the Vimy Foundation to repatriate these Canadian Vimy Oaks back to Vimy, France to help preserve Canada's WWI legacy through the creation of a living memorial. Vimy Oaks saplings were offered for sale to Royal Canadian Legions cross the country as a memorial to the soldiers of World War I, including to Branch #28 here in Hampton. Our Vimy Oak and its certificate of authenticity were unveiled on Remembrance Day 2017.

In the summer of 2017, Amber Young, a local artist and art teacher at Saint John High School approached the Town about painting a mural on the outer wall of the Hampton Community Centre. The project was a labour of love for Young, her friends Jessica Hickie and Emily Dee, and their eight children. The mural is a bright field of poppies with the sun setting in the distance, which is a fitting tribute to our veterans.