Sapper Jennifer Labrador lays a Canadian flag at the grave of fallen soldier in a military cemetery in Calgary.
Jeff McIntosh/Canadian Press, 2008
Remembrance Day has the unique power to bring people together by commemorating lives lost across 52 countries, (almost all of the Commonwealth,) while serving in the line of duty. If there is one thing that any part of the world can relate to, it’s the feeling of loss when a loved one marches away, then the unique dread while waiting for the news of their possible return. As November eleventh approaches, people begin to reflect on how the actions of those no longer with us have shaped the lives we lead today. At the eleventh minute of the eleventh hour (11:11) two minutes of silence are held in honour of the people who never got the chance to see what their sacrifice had done for the world.
Though Remembrance Day was originally established as Armistice Day to acknowledge the date hostilities ceased at the end of World War I in 1918 “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month,” it has evolved to encompass all lives lost in the line of duty since then. Some notable Canadian acknowledgements of the lives lost in war include the World War Books of Remembrance in the Memorial Chamber of our Parliament building. The books, which are open to public viewing, list the names of the Canadians who lost their lives in both World Wars.
The First World War Book Of Remembrance.
Veterans Affairs Canada
Also in Ottawa is the Canadian War Museum, a stark grey building meant to represent the horror and desolation of war. However, the roof of the building is one of the increasingly popular “Green Roofs,” a device symbolizing the period of growth, relief, and regeneration that follows a war. The inside of the museum is made of angled stone and concrete, providing a cold atmosphere, with an uneven floor meant to unsettle the visitor. In the museum is the Memorial Hall, which vaguely resembles a concrete safe from the exterior, but the inside is made of concrete blocks that allude to tombstones. A single window in the wall is designed to allow a beam of sunlight to show through and land on the headstone of the Grave of the Unknown Soldier, but only on November 11th at 11am.
A view of the museum at night.
An aerial view of the museum, including the green roof.
The exterior of the Memorial Hall.
A view of the Gravestone in the Memorial Hall on November 11th at 11:00am.
Here at Sullivan Heights, assemblies are being held on November tenth, hoping to encourage students to reflect on the events that occurred so long ago, while still being incredibly relevant to the lives we lead today. The eleventh is a statutory holiday in British Columbia, and consequently, schools are closed. In years past, the school drama program has performed a piece thematically appropriate to the occasion, and the famous poem “In Flanders Fields” has been presented. Additionally, the school choir will be performing in this year’s upcoming Remembrance Day Assemblies.
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