HomeMy WebLinkAboutLakeshore Advance, 2013-11-06, Page 14Wednesday, November 6, 2013 • Lakeshore Advance 13
Remembrance Day 2013
Give pause on Remembrance Day
OMI Agency
Throughout history, millions of
soldiers have marched into wars to
protect the freedoms of their coun-
tries. Remembrance Day is a solemn
time to commemorate those soldiers'
achievements and sacrifices and to pay respects to
soldiers who died in battle.
In the United States, people honor their present
and past military on Veterans' Day. In British com-
monwealth countries and territories, including Can-
ada, November 11 Is known as Remembrance Day.
Since the end of World War 1, memorials to remem-
ber those of the armed forces who fought in battle
and perished in the line of duty have been dedicated
on this day.
Armistice Day origins
Remembrance Day was once known as Armistice
Day because it marks the signing of the armistice that
put an end to the hostilities of World War I. On the
11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of the
year, guns fell silent after more than four years of con-
tinuous warfare between the Germans and Allied
troops, The artnistice agreement was signed in a
French train carriage at 11 a.m. Later, the carriage
where the historic event took place was placed in a
specially constructed building to serve as a monu-
ment to the defeat of Germany. Although it was
tnoved by German forces and later destroyed during
World War 11, after that war ended a replacement car-
riage, correct in every detail, was rededicated on
Armistice Day in 1950.
Remembrance Day evolution
Armistice Day was renamed Remembrance Day
after World War 11 to commemorate soldiers from
both world wars, It Is now used as a way to pay hom-
mage to any fallen soldier.
Bach year a national ceremony takes place at the
Cenotaph in Whitehall, London, n monument erected
as a memorial to soldiers buried elsewhere. The
Queen will lay the first wreath at the Cenotaph, while
others will leave wreaths and small wooden crosses.
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In Canada, Remembrance Day is a
statutory holiday in many provinces
and territories. Official national
ceremonies are held at the National
War Memorial in Ottawa. Events
begin with the tolling of the Carillon
in the Peace Tower, during which mem-
bers of the Canadian Forces participate and congre-
gate at Confederation Square. Similar ceremonies
take place in provincial capitals across the country.
Very often moments of silence are offered for lost
lives.
What about the poppies,
One of the unifying symbols of Remembrance Day
is the poppy that is worn to honor lost soldiers. The
bold, red color of the flower has become an enduring
symbol of those who died so that others may be free.
The poppy became a symbol for a specific reason.
Some of the most concentrated and bloody fighting of
World War 1 took place in Flanders, a region in west-
ern Belgium. As a result of the fighting, most signs of
natural life had been obliterated from the region,
leaving behind mud and not much else. The only liv-
Ing thing to survive was the poppy flower, which
bloomed with the coming of the warm weather the
year after fighting In the region had ceased. Poppies
grow in disturbed soil and can lie dormant in the
ground without germinating. Without the war, they
may have never come to the surface.
John McCrae, a doctor serving with the Canadian
Armed Forces, was moved by the vision of poppies
flowering in Flanders and wrote a poem titled "In
Flanders Fields." After the poem was published, it
received international acclaim, and the poppy
became a popular symbol of those lost in battle.
Men traditionally wear the poppy on the left side of
the chest, where a tnilitary medal would be placed.
Women wear it on the right side because that is where
a widow would wear her husband's medals.
Remembrance Day is celebrated every year, provid-
ing people humbled by the sacrifices of soldiers an
opportunity to remember those soldiers' efforts to
secure freedom.
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Remembrance Day
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