A member of the Royal Canadian Legion NL Command believes the throngs of people who turned out to show their respects on the return of the Unknown Soldier to his native soil will pale in comparison to the outpouring he expects to come July 1.

Gary Browne says this weekend’s events were important for their historic significance, and he expects even more people will turn out as the remains lie in state at Confederation Building June 28 to the 30 and for the July 1 service at the National War Memorial.

He says he’s getting calls from Newfoundlanders and Labradorians from across the country who want to come home for the event. “I think this is going to be bigger than any of us, and we anticipated that it would be pretty big, but I always say, and so it should be,” says Browne “we’ve got a lot to be proud of.”