Veteran Virginia Hicks is named the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother

National War Memorial, Ottawa

Hicks, who served 29 years in the Canadian Armed Forces, will place a wreath at the National War Memorial on behalf of Canadian mothers who have lost a child serving in the military, the Royal Canadian Legion says.

Her daughter Mariebeth Short died on Sept 23, 2002 during a training exercise in Petawawa, Ontario, when the light armoured vehicle she was in rolled over.

Background

This year's Remembrance Day ceremony comes weeks after four Canadian soldiers died in a grass fire during a training exercise at CFB Wainwright in Alberta.

“We all share the same sorrow, we all share the same bravery, and same love and respect for our children as we do for any other child who has passed.”

— Virginia Hicks