Virginia Hicks Named 2026 National Silver Cross Mother
The Royal Canadian Legion has chosen the Frankford, Ontario, mother to represent Canada's Silver Cross families for the coming year.
Updated on Nov. 1, 2026 in Military Jobs
The Royal Canadian Legion has named Virginia Hicks of Frankford, Ontario, as the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother. Hicks will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on November 11.
Why it matters
The role honours mothers who lost children in military service and keeps their families' sacrifice visible to the public. Hicks's appointment carries that recognition into a year of national commemorative events.
The Royal Canadian Legion, established in 1926 and with over 300,000 members, runs the National Silver Cross Mother selection each year. The Memorial Cross that honours these families was first introduced on December 1, 1919.
The players
Royal Canadian Legion
A veterans' organization founded in 1926 that advocates for Canadian veterans and their families and runs the National Silver Cross Mother program.
Virginia Hicks
A Frankford, Ontario, mother named as the 2026 National Silver Cross Mother by the Royal Canadian Legion.
The details
Nominations come from Provincial Commands and individual Canadians, and a Dominion Command selection committee chooses the final recipient. Hicks will take part in several events honouring Canada's Fallen during her year in the role.
Timeline
January 23, 1980: Mariebeth Short, whose family is connected to the Silver Cross tradition, was born in Comox, British Columbia.
September 23, 2002: Sapper Mariebeth Short was killed during a training exercise on the Matawa Plains in Petawawa, Ontario.
November 1, 2026: Hicks's year of events honouring Canada's Fallen begins.
November 11, 2026: Hicks places a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa.
Military Jobs Context
The National Silver Cross Mother role continues the tradition begun with the Memorial Cross introduced on December 1, 1919. Hicks's appointment places her within that long-standing system of recognition for bereaved military families.
For Canadians who follow military remembrance, the appointment sets the year's national focus on Silver Cross families. Events honouring Canada's Fallen run from November 1, 2026, through October 31, 2027, offering public occasions to attend.
The takeaway
Recognition of bereaved military families is an ongoing national commitment, and public attention to events like the Ottawa wreath-laying helps keep that commitment visible. Readers interested in remembrance can attend local Legion ceremonies.
What happens next
Virginia Hicks will place a wreath at the National War Memorial in Ottawa on November 11, 2026.
Further reading
Explore more Military Jobs coverage for context on military service and remembrance in Canada.
