REMEMBRANCE DAY, November 11 – A Tribute

The casualty rate was terribly high for the young dominion of Canada in The Great War of 1914-18. Simple memorials in hundreds of communities from coast to coast remain as testimony. They are still the markers for remembering. A simple poem written on a piece of scrap paper by a Canadian soldier in the trenches has become a shared bond among generations.

In Flanders Fields
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, MD (1872-1918)
Canadian Army, France 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Canada’s National War Memorial

From sunset November 4th until sunrise November 11th, the website www.1914-1918.ca/ will present a nightly vigil projecting the names of 68,000 members of the armed forces plus civilians who died in WW I onto the National War Memorial in Ottawa, as well as buildings in other regions of Canada and Canada House in Trafalgar Square, London, England. A live webcam view is shown in Ottawa on the website.

Originally dedicated to those who lost their lives during the First World War, this monument in the center of the capital has become a place of public solace every November 11th, known as Remembrance Day in Canada. The date is symbolic of the armistice which came into effect among the warring factions in Europe at the 11th hour of the 11th month of the 11th day in 1918.

The remains of a Canadian soldier were transferred from France in 2000 for interment in the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at the base of the War Memorial. It is dedicated to some 116,000 military and civilian personnel who have made the ultimate sacrifice for their country.

While I was concentrating on photography, a runner bounded onto the steps in front of the tomb, coming to an abrupt stop. Raising hand to lips he gently touched the monument and bowed his head, repeating the gesture before leaping from the plinth to continue his run.

Photos and text © Gary Crallé 2008. All rights reserved.

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