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Volume 15 Number 45 | 50¢
November 9, 2016
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To remember, and to never forget Remembrance Day calls for reflection—a moment of silence in honour of the men and women who have served Canada during times of war and peace. According to Veteran Affairs Canada, more than 2,300,000 Canadians have served throughout the country’s history and more than 118,000 sacrificed their lives. Though the world wars and the history of Remembrance Day is taught in schools, it’s not uncommon for the facts to get a little fuzzy as time goes on. It is essential to connect with history; the adage “he who doesn’t understand history is doomed to repeat it” is apt. Whatever your personal philosophy is on war and peace, it is exceedingly important to remember the men and women who served, fought and sacrificed their comfort, their home life, and their lives to protect our country. So many lives were lost and leaving behind families to mourn that endless loss. Homecoming can be fraught with anxiety. Many soldiers reportedly find reintegration into civilian life challenging. Battle worn soldiers commonly suffer from post-traumatic stress disorder and depression. We must remember. Fascinating documentaries can be found on YouTube and great articles available online. Pop by the library and check out some books. Speak to a veteran about their experiences. Take more than just a moment of silence this November 11 and spend some quality time on your own self-guided history
lessons (or read beyond this sentence for a brief refresher on the origin of Remembrance Day). The First World War ended on Monday, November 11, 1918 at 11:00 am—on the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month. In commemoration of the auspicious date, the British Commonwealth observed a day of remembrance in 1919. Remembrance Day was originally known as Armistice Day, an armistice is the formal agreement to cease acts of conflict between warring parties. Until 1930, Armistice Day was observed on the Monday of the week of November 11. A bill was introduced and was passed by the House of Commons, it was decreed onward that the day of remembrance would remain on November 11 and be referred henceforth as Remembrance Day. The blood-red poppy is the ubiquitous symbol of sombre acknowledgment of the soldier ’s sacrifice. During the first World War, the red poppy commonly grew throughout the Western Front. “During the First World War, enormous artillery bombardments completely disrupted the landscape, infusing the chalk soils with lime. The poppies thrived in the environment, their colours standing out against the blasted terrain.” The flowers grew among the battle worn graves sites. The poppy symbolism was further cemented by Flanders Fields, an ode to the tragedies of war by Canadian soldier and poet John McCrae. Written at the battlefront in Belgium in 1915, Flanders Fields was inspired by following the - continued on page 2
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