REMEMBRANCE DAY (Veterans' Day, Armistice Day...)

Feral Feline

Feral Feline

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Remembrance Day is a memorial observed within the Commonwealth since the end of the First World War in 1918, inaugurated by King George V in 1919; the day is also observed by many non-Commonwealth countries under other names such as Veterans Day in the US, and Armistice Day elsewhere yet again. The Armistice was signed on 11 November, hence the day chosen for remembrances.

The day is not about the glorification of war, as I've sadly heard some claim — it is a time simply to honour armed forces members (from any era) who have died in the line of duty, to honour those who have enabled us to come together here on this forum and show off our builds and speak our minds.

A moment of silence, for two minutes, is held at 11am as a sign of respect for the fallen and a time for reflection. Edward George Honey, a Melbourne journalist and First World War veteran who was living in London in 1919, is credited as the originator of the idea to have the two minutes of silence.

The poppy was a common sight on the Western Front, and has become the symbol for remembrance. The poppy features prominently in Canadian physician Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae's poem "In Flanders Fields", written during The Great War. He died in January 1918.

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In Flanders Fields
John McCrae - 1872-1918

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.



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We do ANZAC day in NZ as Remembrance Day, April 25th. I always remember getting up early with the other Kea/Cub/Scouts and doing the memorial ceremony in the cold morning.

Lest we forget.

To add a rather well known anti-war poem:

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
 
Remembrance Day is held on 11 November each year. This is the anniversary of the Armistice that ended fighting with Germany in World War I. People in Australia, and many other countries, observe 1 minute's silence at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month because that's when the Armistice came into effect.
 
szukalski said:
We do ANZAC day in NZ as Remembrance Day, April 25th. I always remember getting up early with the other Kea/Cub/Scouts and doing the memorial ceremony in the cold morning.

Lest we forget.

To add a rather well known anti-war poem:

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Click to expand...
That’s Randall Jarrell, ‘The death of the ball turret gunner.’ Brilliant to say so much in so few words.
 
szukalski said:
We do ANZAC day in NZ as Remembrance Day, April 25th. I always remember getting up early with the other Kea/Cub/Scouts and doing the memorial ceremony in the cold morning.

Lest we forget.

To add a rather well known anti-war poem:

From my mother's sleep I fell into the State,
And I hunched in its belly till my wet fur froze.
Six miles from earth, loosed from its dream of life,
I woke to black flak and the nightmare fighters.
When I died they washed me out of the turret with a hose.
Click to expand...

I had ANZAC day in my original post, I inadvertently edited it out. My apologies to NZers and Aussies for that gaf.





@music6000 Interesting that there's one minute of silence in some places, I didn't know that. It's always been two minutes in my town (and when I was in Hong Kong), and I've been going to the Cenotaph every 11 Nov since I can remember, parents taking us kids and my mom carrying me as a wee tyke and covering my ears when the cannon or guns fired the salute. Today it's my turn, I'll take my Mom to the cenotaph, no need to cover her ears as she's quite deaf.

Whether one or two minutes, it is the silence and contemplation that goes with it that is important.
 
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