Since it is November, I thought I will write about Remembrance Day which is also known as
Poppy Day or
Armistice Day. It is observed in
Commonwealth countries since the end of
World War I to remember the soldiers, sailors and airmen who have died in the line of duty.
Remembrance Day is observed on November 11
th to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month," in accordance with the
Armistice.
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| John McCrae |
We are studying about the Great War in our History class this semester so I am a bit more familiar about it than before. The Great War was called the War to end all wars, but that didn’t happen and about 20 years later, in 1939, the world was at war again.
The red
remembrance poppy has become a familiar emblem of Remembrance Day due to the poem
"In Flanders Fields" written by the Canadian poet, physician, artist, author and soldier
John McCrae. These poppies bloomed across some of the worst battlefields of
Flanders in World War I, their brilliant red colour an appropriate symbol for the blood spilled in the war.
The Commonwealth War Graves Commission has an excellent website
www.cwgc.org where you can search and find details about men and women who died in the service of Britain and the Commonwealth in the two world wars.
Do you have any relatives that fought in the two World Wars?
Please feel free to write your comments.
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