Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

LEST WE FORGET

Remembrance Day

[first female Canadian soldier

killed in combat]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

LEST WE FORGET

Today Is Remembrance Day in Canada

World War I

World War II

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

Contemplating the hardships they endured

and the sacrifices they made in their own times

for the collective good of our nation --

may it put into perspective for us now

the much shorter and easier inconveniences

we must currently undergo for 

our nation's collective health during this pandemic.

Remembrance Day

[by Eric Goggin,

Destination Art]

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

Lest We Forget

The National Aboriginal Veterans Monument is located in Ottawa's Confederation Park near Canada's National War Memorial. It commemorates the wartime service and heroism of Canada's indigenous peoples. Many served with valour and distinction in World Wars I and II, the Korean War and most recently in Afghanistan, despite the historical mistreatment and lack of equality which they endure(d) in Canada.

Four warriors from different indigenous cultures stand, one facing each of the four sacred directions, surrounded by the fierce and powerful totems of Eagle, Bear, Wolf, Elk and Bison.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

LEST WE FORGET

[Photos #1 and #6 from the internet; photos #2, #3, #4 and #5 © Debra She Who Seeks, 2010]

Remembrance Day

Today is Remembrance Day in Canada. Like the armistice which ended World War I, it is marked at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. This year's Remembrance Day, however, has a special resonance for us. It is the centenary of Canada's most famous poem, In Flanders Fields, written by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae following the second battle of Ypres in 1915.

Here's a short video about the poem's history (thanks, Guillaume of Vraie Fiction, on whose blog I first saw it) --



It is said that In Flanders Fields achieved the prominence it did because, unlike the bitter and disillusioned poetry written by other famous soldier-poets of the Great War, John McCrae's poem of grief and loss was still tinged with patriotic romanticism, speaking of "glory and honour in a war that has since become synonymous with the futility of trench warfare and the wholesale slaughter produced by 20th century weaponry." (wikipedia) Certainly, the poem was promoted and made use of for propaganda purposes by the wartime governments of both Canada and Britain.

Yet, the sincerity of the poem's central focus on those who died saves it from being true propaganda, I think. While it does not challenge the institution of war, In Flanders Fields transcends its specific circumstances and touches the universal grief of war.

Remembrance Day

                         They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

                         Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

                         At the going down of the sun and in the morning

                         We will remember them.

                                --From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

                             LEST WE FORGET

[by Bruce MacKinnon,

Halifax Chronicle Herald]

Remembrance Day

                    They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

                    Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

                    At the going down of the sun and in the morning

                    We will remember them.

                           --From "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

                        LEST WE FORGET

Poppies From the Heart

In the year 2000, the Canadian government placed a tomb of the unknown soldier at the National War Memorial site in Ottawa. On the first Remembrance Day after its installation, Canadians spontaneously created a small but beautiful gesture to pay tribute to our Armed Forces war dead. After the official ceremony with all its dignitaries, prayers and wreath-laying was completed, the attending crowd did not simply disperse but surged forward and put their poppy pins on top of the unknown soldier's tomb.

Now this ritual has become an important part of every Remembrance Day in Ottawa. Seeing the grey granite tomb awash in a tribute of red poppies is one of the most moving parts of the whole ceremony for me.

It is a wonderful new tradition created by the heartfelt collective action of Canadians.

[All photos from the internet]

Remembrance Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

--from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon


LEST WE FORGET


[Photo from the internet: Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the National War Memorial in Ottawa]

Remembrance Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

LEST WE FORGET

Remembrance Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon

[Photo copyright by Bryan Scott and found here. Used with permission. See more of Bryan's fabulous photos at Winnipeg: Love & Hate]

Remembrance Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

--from "For the Fallen" by Laurence Binyon