A Safety Parade was held in Lowell on Thursday, June 23, 1938. The Lowell Police and Fire Departments, fraternal organizations, public utilities, and many other large businesses in the Greater Lowell area sponsored the parade. The theme of the floats had to do with the public safety. Most of the Lowell Gardes took part including the Garde Sacre Coeur, Garde St. Louis, Garde Notre Dame, Garde Domremy, Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc, Garde Charette, and the Garde Frontenac. There were several thousand marchers in the parade, making it a very big parade indeed.

Firemen’s Relief Fund Parade, Monday, August 1, 1938, Lowell, Mass

On the night of Monday, August 1, 1938, the Lowell Firemen’s Relief Fund Parade was held at the South Common. Numerous Gardes from Lowell including Garde Notre Dame, and Garde Domremy, took part in the Firemen’s parade. The carnival ran every night that week on the South Common in Lowell and closed on Saturday night. The Gardes competed for a panel of judges and winners received their awards on Saturday, August 6th at the Firemen’s muster, which went off at 2:30 p.m. The Garde Frontenac won 1st prize for male drill teams. Their captain, Albert Bergeron, received the Lowell Firemen’s Relief Fund trophy. The Garde Sacre Coeur took 2nd for which Captain Alphonse Brule was given the Paul A. Dever trophy. Garde St. Louis competed but did not place.

In the female division, St. Rita’s Cadets took home 1st prize; Captain Mary Coyle was awarded the Thomas Calvin trophy. The ladies from Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc won 2nd. A loving cup donated by State Auditor, Thomas Buckley, was presented to Captain Irene Ladebauche on behalf of her team for winning 2nd place as determined by the panel of judges. The Ste. Jeanne D’Arc team wore all white uniforms with tall white caps, white plumes and white shoes. Two of the lead marchers each carried a large flag.

Theresa Roberge of the Garde Domremy was presented a trophy, probably for taking 3rd place. Former Gov. James M. Curley donated it and his son Leo Curley, made the presentation. The week long carnival and midway, said to be the biggest in many years, attracted an estimated crowd of 100,000. Closing night August 6, a tremendous fireworks display took place to the pleasure of more than 20,000 onlookers.

Manchester, New Hampshire Parade, week of August 1, 1938

A parade was held there the week of August 1, 1938, and the Garde Frontenac took part.

Massachusetts 101st Infantry Association Convention Parade, Waltham, Mass., Sunday, Sept. 11, 1938

The parade was held in Waltham, Mass. and the Garde St. Louis received an invitation to take part, which was accepted by Captain Silvio Gregoire.

Memorial Day Parade, Saturday, May 30, 1942, Lowell, Mass

In downtown Lowell, about 5,000 marchers paraded before a crowd in excess of 50,000. It was termed by the Lowell Sun as “an exceptionally fine parade.” Gardes which marched in this parade, were the Garde Frontenac, Garde Sacre Coeur, Garde Domremy, Garde St. Louis, St. Rita’s Cadets, Portuguese American Civic League Drill Corps and the Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc. The latter was especially popular because it also had a company of young baton twirling girls, which wowed the crowd with their twirling ability.

By this time, the Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc had become a major force in women’s drill teams. Their drillmaster was David J. Letendre and their chaperone was still Miss Anna Jalbert. It was noted in the newspaper that Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers had been named honorary president of the Garde and had been presented with a beautiful bouquet by the Garde during the parade that morning. After the completion of the grand parade in downtown Lowell, a luncheon was served in the Ste. Jeanne d’Arc schoolyard, to several hundred including Mayor Ashe and Congresswoman Rogers. Next, Garde units paraded through the streets of Pawtucketville and then back to the schoolyard where a flag raising ceremony was held. Then in front of a large crowd, two lieutenants from the Massachusetts State Guard acted as judges for the drill competition. The Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc did not compete, but did give an impressive exhibition. Captain Gertrude Lefebvre, Captain Estelle Rondeau, and Major Irene Ladebauche led them in their drills. First prize trophy in parade appearance and 2nd in the drill went to the Garde Frontenac, still under the captaincy of Albert Bergeron, who was by then a State Rep. from Lowell. Garde Sacre Coeur, led by Captain Alphonse Brule, took 1st prize in the drill and Garde St. Louis finished 3rd in the drill.

Among the ladies, Garde Millette, under Captain Cecile Levesque, of Nashua, N.H took 1st prize for appearance and 2nd in the drill, and Garde Notre Dame under Captain Gertrude Paradis, won 1st in the drill.

Lowell Safety Parade, Sunday, June 14, 1942

When patriotic fervor was at its highest, the Police and Fire Department along with the soldiers of Fort Devens, Massachusetts State Guards, various civilian defense units etc. organized another huge parade. The theme of the parade was Safety and Civilian Defense. Among the Gardes taking part were Garde Frontenac, Garde St. Louis, Garde Notre Dame, Garde Sacred Heart, Garde Domremy, Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc, Victory Cadets, and St. Rita’s Cadet Band, Many units had floats and prizes were given for the best float, best band, best marching unit and best patriotic slogan. St. Rita’s Cadets won a $25.00 defense bond for 1st prize as the best junior band. They had at the head of their unit 3 yr old, baton twirler, Pauline Pearsall. She was the daughter of Police Officer George F.A. Pearsall. The little blond was a crowd favorite and drew smiles and applause from the crowd all along the route. A $25.00 defense bond went to best marching unit, won by Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc, with Garde Domremy taking honorable mention. Ste. Jeanne d’Arc had a drum corps in the parade as well.

Veterans Day Parade, Wednesday, November 11, 1942, Lowell, Mass

In those days, all holidays were celebrated on whatever day they fell. Veterans Day was on a Wednesday that year. The parade was to begin on the baseball field of the South Common and proceed from there to city hall, a distance of perhaps half a mile. The parade stepped off at 10:15 a.m. and included St. Rita’s Cadets, Garde Ste Jeanne d’Arc drum corps, and the Garde Domremy drum corps. No male Garde units took part in this parade, which appears to have been considerably shorter than in years before the war.

Memorial Day Parade, Wednesday, May 30, 1945, Lowell, Mass

A crowd of twenty five thousand were said to have watched the parade this year in downtown Lowell. Taking part were the Garde Frontenac, Garde Sacre Coeur, the Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc, as well as the Ste. Jeanne d’Arc drum corps. In addition, there was the St. Rita’s Cadet band, the Victory Cadets under Doris Conley Mullane. I know my parents were not at this parade because that is the day they were married.

Armistice Day (now Veterans Day) Parade, Monday, November 11, 1946, Nashua, N. H.

A very large parade was celebrated that year in Nashua. Among the four divisions, the Garde Rochambeau was to march in the 4th, with fellow Garde Independente of Lowell, the Ste. Jeanne d’Arc drill team of Lowell, as well as the St. Louis drill team also of Lowell.

Memorial Day Parade, Saturday, May 31, 1947, Nashua, New Hampshire

Patriotic fervor and civic pride were still as strong as ever when the above parade took place in Nashua. The Garde Rochambeau under the command of Colonel Paul Berube marched in the first of four divisions.

St. Louis de Gonzague Church Parade, Saturday, June 15, 1947, Nashua, N. H.

As you would expect, the Garde Rochambeau held a prominent place in the church parade that year. Parishioners, members of the parish St. Anne’s Sodality, the Children of Mary Sodality, alter boys and clergy all were in full attendance. Members of the Garde St. Louis also took part.

Memorial Day Parade, Monday, May 31, 1948, Nashua, New Hampshire

As usual, a very large turnout was present for the annual parade and the Garde Rochambeau, as usual, was highly visible in their spiffy uniforms.

“I Am An American” Parade, Sunday, May 14, 1949, Nashua, New Hampshire

A patriotic program was organized in Nashua that year to be held in Holman Stadium in Nashua. The mayor, Gerald S. Maynard was to extend greetings and Army General Frank D. Merrill was to be the featured speaker. As part of the festivities, a grand parade was organized. Veterans from both World War I and II were to be in large attendance, as well as most of the city’s military, semi-military and civic groups. Naturally, the Garde Rochambeau, captained by Paul Levesque, was among the main features of the large parade that was kicked off in Nashua that day.

Armistice Day Parade, Saturday, November 11, 1950, Hudson, N.H.

Numerous military groups such as the VFW Color Guard and Band, Drum Corps, civic groups such as the Lions Club, scout troops, the American Legion and the Garde Rochambeau took part in a parade through the streets of Hudson and ending with ceremonies that day at Hills Memorial Park in Hudson.

Memorial Day Parade, Saturday, May 30, 1953, Lowell, Mass

The holiday again fell on a Saturday, as it had in 1942. The Lowell Sun carried a long story about the huge parade, which totaled three divisions and included the following participants: Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc Drum, Fife & Bugle Corps, Ste. Jeanne d’Arc Drill Team & Twirlers, Garde Ste. Jeanne d’Arc, Garde Sacre Coeur, Garde Notre Dame, and Garde Frontenac, under the command of Albert Bergeron. The parade route followed a route over Thorndike, Middlesex, Central and Merrimack Streets to Monument Square in front of Lowell City Hall. The parade then passed in review of local dignitaries including Congresswoman Edith Nourse Rogers.