At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, Canadians and others around the world will stop and remember for two solemn minutes. Some will gather in groups for services, others in school gymnasiums, and others still will simply pause what they are doing, but together we will remember them.
#RememberThem
All year round and especially during November Canadians remember those men and women who respond to our country’s needs. On Remembrance Day, November 11th, we do certain special things to show our support and gratitude for their service. We pause for 2 minutes of silent tribute, wear poppies and attend commemorative ceremonies.
More recently you may have noticed an increase in Remembrance Day hashtags like #RememberThem, #LestWeForget and simply #RemembranceDay. Adding poppies to profile pictures, using hashtags and sharing social posts remembering the war dead are all ways people will commemorate this solemn day online.
Why Wear a Poppy?
Many Canadians will be seen wearing poppies or adding them to social media profiles during November. But how did this tradition get started? And what does the poppy represent?
Veterans Affairs Canada explains and you can read more here.
“Following the First World War a French woman, Madame E. Guérin, suggested to British Field-Marshall Earl Haig that women and children in devastated areas of France could produce poppies for sale to support wounded Veterans. The first of these poppies were distributed in Canada in November of 1921, and the tradition has continued ever since, both here and in many parts of the world.
Poppies are worn as the symbol of remembrance, a reminder of the blood-red flower that still grows on the former battlefields of France and Belgium.”
In Flander’s Fields
At the Battle of Ypres in the spring of 1915 a doctor serving with the Royal Canadian Army Medical Corps, Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae, wrote of the poppy flowers that grew among the graves of the dead soldiers.
“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.”
Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae
2016 Remembrance Day Services in the Niagara Region
How ever you choose to remember, it’s important for all Canadians to take time during Veterans Week and on Remembrance Day to stop and show our support. If you’re in the Niagara Region this November 11th and looking for a Remembrance Day service we’ve compiled a list here of ceremonies you could attend.
Fort Erie Remembrance Day Service and Parade
Legion Branch 71
130 Garrison Rd, Fort Erie, Ontario L2A 6E1
November 6th, 2016 1:30 pm
Fenwick Cenotaph, Centennial Park
Legion Branch 613
999 Church St, Fenwick, Ontario L0S 1C0
November 6th, 2016 9:00 am
Ridgeville Cenotaph, Old Pelham Town Hall
Legion Branch 613
491 Canboro Road, Ridgeville, Ontario L0S 1C0
November 6th, 2016 10:00 am
Fonthill Cenotaph, Town Hall
Legion Branch 613
20 Pelham Town Square, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0
November 6th, 2016 12:30 pm
Lincoln Jordan Cenotaph
2793 4th Avenue, Jordan Station, Ontario L0R 1S0
November 11th, 2016 10:30 am
Niagara Falls, Gale Centre
4171 4th Ave, Niagara Falls, Ontario L2E 4N2
November 11th, 2016 10:45 am
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queen Street Cenotaph
15 Queen St, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
November 11th, 2016 10:00 am
Niagara-on-the-Lake, Queenston Cenotaph
Legion Branch 124
116 Queenston St, Niagara-on-the-Lake, Ontario L0S 1J0
November 11th, 2016 12:30 pm
Pelham Veteran’s Park
Legion Branch 613
141 Hwy 20 E, Fonthill, Ontario L0S 1E0
November 11th, 2016 10:45 am
St. Catharines Remembrance Day Service and Parade to Cenotaph
50 Church St, St. Catharines, Ontario
November 11th, 2016 10:00 am
St. Catharines Memorial Park Cenotaph
Legion Branch 24
6 Yates Street, St. Catharines, Ontario L2R 5R2
November 11th, 2016 10:45 am
Wainfleet Cenotaph
31953 Sugarloaf St, Wainfleet, Ontario
November 11th, 2016 10:45 am
And for those visiting Niagara make sure to stop at the war memorial at the base of Clifton Hill, between Falls Avenue and Niagara Parkway.