A veterans' advocate will mark the 100th anniversary of the start of the First World War by hosting an all-night vigil at the Port Moody cenotaph on Sunday.
And the public is welcome to honour the eve of the war in its centennial year by lighting a small candle or placing flowers at the base.
As well, the ship's bell from the HMCS Chilliwack, a corvette that served in the north Atlantic Ocean during the Second World War, will be rung every hour during the vigil.
Guy Black, a Port Moody resident who recently organized the Occupy the Trench weekend at the Port Moody Station Museum, will be at the cenotaph from dusk to dawn - about 8 p.m. Sunday to 11 a.m. Monday.
At around 8:30 p.m., a bugler from the BC Regiment will also play "The Last Post," the tune used at British Commonwealth military funerals and ceremonies commemorating those who have been killed in war.
Dressed in authentic war uniforms and holding old rifles, Black will be joined by fellow Occupy the Trench participants Cary Price and Markus Fahrner - a retired British Army officer - to stand guard at the cenotaph. They will have rotating shifts every 20 minutes throughout the night.
"We don't want to let that date slip by," Black said, referring to Aug. 4, 1914. "It means too much."
One hundred years ago on a Monday, Germany invaded Belgium to outflank the French army; in turn, the United Kingdom declared war on Germany.
The Port Moody cenotaph is located at the Royal Canadian Legion Branch 119, 2513 Clarke St.
