November marks the annual observing of Remembrance Day which falls on November 11th each year. During the week there will be various events happening to mark this moment of commemoration, not just throughout Canada but also other countries from the commonwealth all united in marking their respects to the fallen. These dates are also observed in other non commonwealth countries, this day is also known to many as Poppy day and Armistice day.
Remembrance Day was created after World War 1 to never forget the memory of the many who lost their lives in this most devastating conflict and of course all the others who have lost they lives in other armed conflicts to date.
The Red Poppy is probably one of the most symbolic emblems that has arisen from this day due to the ‘In Flanders field’ poem. The battle at Flanders is widely known to be one of the most deadliest and brutal of all battles, this battlefield among many was where the Red Poppy bloomed and became an appropriate symbol for the lives lost and the colour of the blood that was spilled during those dark days.
The Poem ‘In Flanders Field’. Was written by the Canuck poet John McCrae
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.
John McCrae Biography: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/history/first-world-war/mccrae
This years ceremony’s will no doubt be a very highly charged and emotional event considering the recent killings of 3 men who served in the armed forces in Canada, so we understand that this year will strike a chord with many within Canada as the gravity and significance of what this day means will surely not be lost on us when November 11th comes around.
Remembrance day events in Vancouver.
Remembering Day Service, Remembering Peace
Memorial Service – Sunday November 9, 2014 10:30am – 12:00pm
Canuck Memorial United Church
1806 W. 15th Ave, Vancouver
Honouring Remembrance Day and this church’s legacy as a memorial to peace. Rev Beth Hayward reflects on how we come together in communities of hope and collaboration to communicate and bring alive peace in this time. Further than just an absence of war, peace is an active and deliberate call to bring about change within our relationships, within ourselves, and within all creation. In this complex world today, with fear and factions growing, more than ever we are called to bring peace into all our dealings in ways that contribute to bringing about equality and justice for peace on earth. Featuring music from Vancouver’s celebrated Universal Gospel Choir! Free and open to all.
Remembering with Gratitude
Sunday November 9, 2014 10:30am – 12:00pm
Rosedale on Robson Suite Hotel
838 Hamilton St. Vancouver
Urban Community Baptist Church would like to extend an invitation to all who have served or are currently serving in the Canuck Forces with their family and friends to join us for a special service being held in their honour on Sunday November 9, 2014 at 11:00 am. A free continental breakfast will be served at 10:30 am and all veterans and military personnel will be given a gift.
Books of Remembrance – Open House, Canuck Memorial United Church
Sunday November 9 13:00 – 15:30
Canuck Memorial United Church
1806 W. 15th Ave Vancouver
A Reflection on War and Peace Join us for music, memories, and reflection in our unique chapel built for peace in honour of those who gave their lives in war. View the only copies of the Books of Remembrance outside of Ottawa and perhaps find family members who gave their lives in hope of peace. Reflect with wonderful instrumentalists as musical accompaniment in this sanctuary for peace. All welcome, all free, refreshments served.
Tuesday November 11th – Victory Square – Vancouver
Here at Victory square will be the main gathering for the memorial of Remembrance day, there will be a strong presence from members of the Armed Forces young and old who will gather and unite with the general public to mark their respects at The Cenotaph. Here we will hold our traditional 2 minute silence to mark the end of the 1st world war. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month (11:00 am, 11 November) marks the time (in the United Kingdom) when the armistice came into effect. The familiar Bugle call of ‘The Last Post’ will be played as customary at this event, it is a very haunting tune that is familiar to all who serve and attend this memorial.
Vancouver’s Nov. 11 ceremony will be Victory Square’s 90th anniversary. The monument was dedicated in April 1924.
A Great Service – Chor Leoni’s 22nd Annual Remembrance Day Concerts
Tuesday November 11 19:30 – 21:30 St. Andrew’s-Wesley United Church
1022 Nelson St at Burrard Vancouver
Chor Leoni Men’s Choir’s 22rd annual Remembrance Day concerts. With special guest reader Christopher Gaze, O.B.C. Amidst the chaos and brutality of war, soldiers also consoled and cared for each other. Robert Service witnessed these unsung acts of compassion as a WWI volunteer ambulance driver. A Great Service places his harrowing stories alongside musical selections by Gustav Holst, Vaughan Williams, Paul Mealor, and Rupert Lang in this beloved Chor Leoni Remembrance Day tradition. This concert is supported by a major gift from Rob McAllister and James Emery, in loving memory of Shirley McAllister.
Christopher Gaze – Director of Bard on the Beach http://www.bardonthebeach.org/artistic-director
Poppy Fund: http://www.poppyfund.ca/
The Legion – Poppy Campaign: http://www.legion.ca/honour-remember/the-poppy-campaign/
Veterans Affairs Canada: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/