FREDERICTON - Thousands of people lined streets in Fredericton Wednesday for a Remembrance Day ceremony at the provincial cenotaph which had been damaged by vandals just days earlier.

Wreaths and poppies adorned the spot where a large granite cross had stood for decades.

The remains of the cross were hauled away Tuesday after it had been toppled and broken over the weekend.

"I'm so outraged," said veteran Bob Lockhart. "I think it's the most contemptible thing that I can possibly imagine."

He wasn't alone with that opinion.

"It makes us all sick to see that," said Rod While of Fredericton. "Especially at this particular time, and with our young men and women in Afghanistan doing the things that need to be done to ensure freedom for the rest of us."

One woman, who didn't want to be named, called it shameful, sad and horrifying.

"I just can't believe anyone in our city would do such a thing . . . it just breaks my heart," she said.

The cross, which stood almost three metres high, is now in a number of pieces and will require extensive work if it is to be repaired.

"It was a cowardly act of vandalism," said Fredericton MP Keith Ashfield.

Ashfield and Fredericton Mayor Brad Woodside have committed to having the cross repaired and a local masonry company has offered to do the work for free.

"We will make sure that this is made right," Ashfield said Wednesday.

Const. Ralph Currie of the city police force said officers are still investigating the incident, but so far they have no suspects.

Despite the missing cross, the annual ceremony went ahead as usual.

The crowd included many soldiers and their families from nearby Canadian Forces Base Gagetown.

"Both Oromocto and Fredericton have really shown their support for us active members," said Sgt. John Towers. "All of us presently serving know people who have died overseas giving the ultimate sacrifice for our country."

Reports about the vandalism at the cenotaph had been in the news for days leading up to the service, and while some people said it was part of their reason for attending, organizers said they couldn't be sure it was a reason for the large turnout.

"Afghanistan has certainly had a big bearing on bringing war back into peoples' eyes, and I think it really has made a difference," said legion member David Smith.

But during his address, Jean-Guy Perreault, president of Fredericton Branch 4 of The Royal Canadian Legion said he worried that stories from soldiers in previous conflicts would fade away, and not be remembered for the future.

"How do we pass along the torch to our young children?," he asked. "How will generations of the future know and understand?"

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