Page 9 - Nov2019

Remembrance Day falls on Monday, November 11.
What Is
Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day evolved out of
Armistice Day, which continues to
be marked on the same date. The
initial Armistice Day was observed
at Buckingham Palace, commencing
with King George V hosting a
"Banquet in Honour of the
President of the French Republic"
during the evening hours of 10
November 1919. The first official
Armistice Day was subsequently
held on the grounds of Buckingham
Palace the following morning.
Remembrance Day commemorates
the sacrifices of people in all armed
conflicts.
Canadian Personnel
Killed
First World War: 66,665
Second World War: 46,998
Korea: 516
Peace Keeping: 121
Afghanistan: 157
Legion hopes to revive
history of First World War
with launch of poppy
campaign
The red poppy has become a emblem
of Remembrance Day due to the
poem "In Flanders Fields" written by
Canadian physician Lieutenant-
Colonel John McCrae. The custom
spread to Europe and Commonwealth
countries within three years.
In recent years, the iconic flower has
Poppies were worn for the first time
grown in popularity.
at the 1921 anniversary ceremony.
In the last ten years, there has been
At first real poppies were worn as
an increase in people getting
these poppies bloomed across some
poppies, and attending
Remembrance Day ceremonies. of the worst battlefields of Flanders in
World War I; their brilliant red colour
While the story is remembered in became a symbol for the blood spilled
the history books, it’s otherwise in the war
often forgotten by people.
They think of trenches, rats and
mud, but what people fail to
understand is, given how difficult it
was, what Canadians and
Newfoundlanders managed to
contribute was far beyond what was
expected of them.
While many remember the Second
World War and more recent combat
missions, we must try to keep those
older stories alive.