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Reg Kirby takes a stroll around his old neighbourhood in Kitchener every Remembrance Day. This year, a security camera caught him placing a flag in the lawn of a home in the area and saluting. He says he lived in the home as a child and his annual tradition honours his parents and the sacrifices they made for him and his brother, Kerry.
Reg Kirby says salute is to honour his father who served in the Second World War
Joe Pavia · CBC News
· Posted: Nov 25, 2025 11:42 AM EST | Last Updated: 14 minutes ago
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The private ceremony outside a wartime home in Kitchener started out quite innocently.
Reg Kirby, 83, says he takes a stroll on Remembrance Day through the Kitchener neighbourhood he grew up in to “visit my old haunts” and would stop at certain houses that brought back some childhood memories.
On Remembrance Day this year, a security camera captured an unknown man placing a Canadian flag in the front lawn and saluting the house. The homeowners told CBC News they've noticed a flag in their garden for at least the last eight years.
Kirby says that it has been him leaving the flag.
The house is one he moved into with his parents when he was five years old.
“I decided that I was going to do this every single year because I’m honouring my mother, my father and all their hardships that they sacrificed for us kids,” Kirby said.
“I also have uncles and aunts that lived in this neighbourhood. One of my uncles was in the Korean War. Three of my uncles were in the Second World War. My grandfather was in the Second World War. So it was just something that I had to do.”
The yearly tradition takes place after a Remembrance Day ceremony at the Veterans' Green Interpretive Area in the neighbourhood. Reg’s brother, Kerry, organizes the ceremony that is open to the public and has been held since 2009 at 11 a.m. every Nov. 11.
No idea brother had own ceremony
Kerry Kirby says he had no idea what his brother was doing in front of the house they grew up in during the 1940s.
“I know when I got here on the morning of the 11th, my brother was always walking up to the house,” Kerry Kirby said, adding when he realized his brother was leaving a flag and saluting the home, "that made me so proud.”
WATCH | Security camera video of Reg Kirby: Mystery man places flag and salutes Kitchener home on Remembrance Day
Kirby was instrumental in 2009 in designating the St. Mary’s neighbourhood a Heritage Conservation area. It started during his time serving on the Kitchener Heritage committee.
Homeowner Bailey Binns-Franchetto says she's pleased to know the story behind the flags in her garden.
“I am grateful to the family for their kindness and to the community for their support in [making] the connection,” Binns-Franchetto told CBC News.
“The history and tradition uncovered through their story were more than I ever imagined.”
The two are planning a future visit.
LISTEN | The Morning Edition interview with Reg Kirby: The Morning Edition - K-W5:45CBC K-W unravels mystery of man seen placing flag on Remembrance Day
ABOUT THE AUTHOR
Joe Pavia is a Reporter/Editor with CBC K-W 89.1 FM. He's normally heard weekdays on The Morning Edition but also covers a wide range of news and feature stories for both radio and web. If you have a story idea, email Joe at Joseph.Pavia@cbc.ca
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