Remembrance Day

[True North]

I just wanted to wish all Canadians the best on Remebrance Day 2005, during this, the Year of the Veteran. I didn't make it to a local ceremony today, so I stayed at home and watched the national ceremony from the War Memorial in Ottawa. As always, I have to fight back a few tears. The Veteran March as always makes me so very proud to be Canadian. This was the first time no one from World War One joined in the ceremonies, as only five Canadians are left who participated, all over the age of 100. Arguably, this is a bitter-sweet momment in our history. I hope you are all wearing your poppies with pride today.

Less we forget.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

Lest we forget.....


One question. When did they stop having this day a holiday? I remember when I was a kid it was a bank/school holiday.

I think that since more and more Veteran's are getting older it is more important than ever to remember.

 

[wee-haggis]

Lest we forget.....


One question. When did they stop having this day a holiday? I remember when I was a kid it was a bank/school holiday.

I think that since more and more Veteran's are getting older it is more important than ever to remember.

As far as I know ,it was only a holiday for Federal employees.
I just wish our folk in Ottawa would finally recognise that this should indeed be a national ,statutory holiday (we can have a holiday for the birth of Queen Victoria but not for the hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers who died and served during the world wars as well as Korean and UN conflicts ?).
I think its a case of the MP's saying "who cares" because they already get a holiday!
One last thing. Working in downtown Toronto, I was bitterly disappointed with the number of folk I saw wearing the poppy.

 

[disney funseeker]

It is a statutory holiday for us here.

My kids just observed 2 min. of silence. Their grandpa is a surviving WW2 veteran.

The kids are on their school fall break (3 days) so the Rememberance day assembly was held on Wed.

All students who are in Brownies, Guides, Cubs, Scouts, etc were allowed to wear their uniforms to school.
Dd wore her Junior Forest Warden shirt. The students in uniform marched into the gym with a uniformed RCMP officer carrying the Canadian flag. He was followed by 2 Veterans in uniform and then the uniformed students.
I was very proud seeing my dd march in behind the group and got very teary.

More tears as I watched a video of a man singing a touching Rememberance day song, with photos of Veterans and a little girl realizing the meaning of this day. And even more tears as I thought about what my FIL went through.

Good thing the assembly was only 30 min long.

 

[highland3]

I remember going to the cenotaph ceremony with my Dad every year in Nova Scotia. It was always a stat holiday. Here, I get the day off as an administrative provincial employee, the banks are closed, but the kids are in school.

I went to the Remembrance service at the school and the kids did a great job, but I missed going to the cenotaph.

I certainly agree that it should be a stat... but I can only hope people would attend the services instead of going shopping.

My Dad was a WW II veteran. He's gone now, but still... we have to remember.

 

[True North]

I just wish our folk in Ottawa would finally recognise that this should indeed be a national ,statutory holiday (we can have a holiday for the birth of Queen Victoria but not for the hundreds of thousands of brave soldiers who died and served during the world wars as well as Korean and UN conflicts ?).
I think its a case of the MP's saying "who cares" because they already get a holiday!

I have to diasgree with two points here. Firstly, while Parliament is not sitting, MPs don't get Remembrance Day as a holiday. MPs are expected in their riding for local ceremonies. I worked for my MP, and Rememberance Day was was always a busy logistical day.

Secondly, having Remembrance Day as a statutory holiday has been studied in the past. While I am torn on the issue, I do beleave it is correct to not make it a statutory holiday. Sadly, statutory holidays often loose meaning of the holiday itself, as people use it for an excuse for a long weekend. Right now, students are forced be at school, where they go through Remembrace Day assemblies, learn In Flanders Fields, and observe a moment of silence. These are thoughts that still come to mind as an adult. While I personally would make sure my child knows all that stuff. I am happy he will be in school learning it with everyone else. Personaly, I think this is more important then adults having a day off, which may or may not involve the true meaning of Remembrance Day.

 

[Yzma and Kronk]

I guess my question now is, "When did they change it?"

It used to be a holiday here in Ontario when I was a kid (it was up until 1979 anyway....)

 

[cdnmickeylover]

It was a holiday when I was a kid growing up in Nova Scotia and here in Ontario. I'm not sure when it stopped being a school holiday.

Remembrance Day takes on a different meaning for me since my DS joined the Reserves.

Thank you to all of the veterans out there.

 

[True North]

From what I have read, it was never a federal statutory holiday, but provinces have adopted it, and let it go. It seems like every site I read though says something diffrent. Wikipedia says it is not a statutory holiday in Alberta, but Funseeker proved that wrong. Does anyone have any info?

When I was in school in Ontario in the late 80's I know we didn't get a holiday. And in Quebec it is not a statutory holiday.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

I remember having Remembrance Day off as a child. Sad to say, my family used that day to drive to Toronto to do our Christmas shopping. I remember, more than once, hearing the cash registers in Simpson's go silent at 11am for 1 minute and then start up again. Not special at all.

I was in a university classroom on Nov. 11, 1988 and raised my hand to point out to the professor that it was almost 11am. His response was, "So what." I asked if we could please observe a minute of silence. He had no choice in the matter. All eyes were upon him and more than one student thanked me after class for requesting the observance.

Since then I vowed to spend each and every Remembrance Day at the local cenotaph, if at all possible. It was easy when I was a member of the Canadian Forces Primary Reserves Militia -- I was paid to be there, and I enjoyed it. When I was ordained a Lutheran minister I also became the padre for the local Royal Canadian Legion branch. There was simply no other place to be on Remembrance Day.

That said, the most memorable Remembrance Day for me came in 1999. I was flying to Vancouver from Toronto aboard Air Canada for a Lutheran camping conference in Mission, BC. I was wondering how Remembrance Day would happen. As the appointed hour approached the flight attendants were serving snacks and beverages and the entertainment system was playing away. The captain made an announcement over the PA system instructing the flight attendants to stow the drink carts and return to their seats. The entertainment system was shut down and the entire plane flew in perfect silence for 2 minutes above northern Ontario. The tears streamed down my face as I remembered those who had gone to war, those who never came home and those who did come home -- but were forever touched by the horrors they had experienced.

I took DD to the cenotaph today. She is 5 years old and her Montessori school had a P.D. Day today. She proudly wore her poppy, waved her flag and stood quietly during the Two Minute Wave of Silence that flowed across the country at 11am. We are trying to teach her about what Remembrance Day means -- I purchased the book "A Poppy is to Remember" to help with this task. She enjoyed looking at the soldiers -- asked about the names on the cenotaph and very proudly pointed out that while we remember the soldiers who never came home, we also remember the soldiers who did come home and asked about the men and women she saw with the medals and the berets.

After 45 minutes of standing and watching and listening very quietly, she mentioned that her feet were starting to hurt. I asked her if we could stand just a little longer for the soldiers who couldn't stand anymore. She liked that idea and soon after we walked back to the parking lot where our car waited for us.

It was a good Remembrance Day to spend with a 5 year old. I think we'll do it again next year.

They shall not grow old as we that are left grow old.
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them.​

 

[CdnDisneyNut]

Here is moving video

 

[True North]

RoyalCanadian: Thanks for sharing your story! I look forward to such momments with my own children.

CdnDisneyNut: I also wanted to thank you for sharing that video. It had a wnderful message.

 

[maddiel]

More tears as I watched a video of a man singing a touching Rememberance day song, with photos of Veterans and a little girl realizing the meaning of this day. And even more tears as I thought about what my FIL went through.

Good thing the assembly was only 30 min long.

That must be the same Telly Kelly "Pittance of Time" video that they show at the Rememberance Day assemblies at my daughters' schools. (Some one else put up a like to it.) My older daughter told me about it it before, but I'd never seen it until I went to the assembly at the elementary school this year. It's very moving. It seems funny to see people in a grocery store during the two minutes of silence though.

It's always been a holiday in Nova Scotia. My FIL is a realtor and he used to leave town on Nov 11 because they'd be censured for even talking to clients that day and he didn't want to risk running into one. The fact that it's a holiday never stopped the schools from holding ceremonies here.

Silly Question: Do Americans or people from other countries wear poppies or is it just a Canadian thing?

M.

 

[True North]

Silly Question: Do Americans or people from other countries wear poppies or is it just a Canadian thing?

M.

I'm pretty sure it is only Canada and Britian.

 

[wee-haggis]

That must be the same Telly Kelly "Pittance of Time" video that they show at the Rememberance Day assemblies at my daughters' schools. (Some one else put up a like to it.) My older daughter told me about it it before, but I'd never seen it until I went to the assembly at the elementary school this year. It's very moving. It seems funny to see people in a grocery store during the two minutes of silence though.

It's always been a holiday in Nova Scotia. My FIL is a realtor and he used to leave town on Nov 11 because they'd be censured for even talking to clients that day and he didn't want to risk running into one. The fact that it's a holiday never stopped the schools from holding ceremonies here.

Silly Question: Do Americans or people from other countries wear poppies or is it just a Canadian thing?

M.

The Commonwealth countries all have their own version of the poppy and even the USA has a version

 

[Fellowship9798]

Silly Question: Do Americans or people from other countries wear poppies or is it just a Canadian thing?

M.

During my work day yesterday, I spoke to someone in Australia (it was Nov. 11 there). They have Remembrance Day and wear poppies too. No holiday though.

By the way, it is a stat holiday here in BC.

 

[RoyalCanadian]

The British poppy is a lovely paper creation. It is worn through the lapel button hole of men's jackets with a plastic stick that has a small branch designed to keep it from falling out. In what is a truly fitting bit of irony the British equivalent of the Poppy Fund is the Earl Haig Fund -- named after the British general who sent so many boys and men to their deaths in the trenches of World War I.

Peculiarly, there is a park in Brantford, Ontario named "The Earl Haig Family Fun Park." Either those who named it have no clue about what Earl Haig actually did, or they know just exactly what Earl Haig did and are having their own joke on the rest of society.

 

[Laurafoster]

The charity for Britain is actually called the poppy appeal - the charity itself is called the royal british legion and was actually founded by Earl Haig.

However although some of the things he did were bad he also did a lot of good!

He won a number of decisive battles, during the conflict (but at a huge cost in dead and wounded). He introduced tanks for the first time in 1916 and it was his assault on the Hindenburg Line which finally brought the war to a close in 1918.

He was made an Earl in 1919 and devoted the rest of his life to caring for the wounded and bereaved - he founded the charity British Legion in 1921. He died on 29 January 1928. Instead of a large expensive memorial, he insisted on having a simple headstone like the many who were buried on the battlefields of France.

 

[briarberry]

I just thought I'd add my two cents worth on the topic. I teach grade 1 in Ontario where children attend school on Remembrance Day. Our school always holds a service (if it's a weekend, we do it on the Friday before) and each class is invited to contribute a song, poem etc. Some classes do and some classes don't, it depends on the teacher. My class recited a poem about poppies yesterday. I try to focus on the peaceful part of Remembrance Day rather than the violent part just because my kids are so young. We talk a lot about how even children can "make peace" by being good citizens etc.
During our service we watched a short DVD presentation which I think was sent to the school by Veterans Affairs. It was very moving.
If Remembrance Day were a "holiday" I know most teachers would still discuss it with their classes. Personally I don't care if it is a "holiday" or not. I just thought I'd share what we do at our school.

 

[SnowWhite]

I too remember being off on Remembrance Day living here in ontario as a child. Even as a small child I was drawn to the seriousness of what the day was about and would attend the local ceremonies later on even without my parents. I was only 10-12 years old those years. When I turned 13 I was given the greatest honour by our local legion of playing "The last post". Even though I was offered a substantial amount of money by the legion to do so, it was always turned down as I felt I was doing my part in honouring my grandfathers who were both lucky enough to come back from war. I did this every year for our school ceremonies and different legions from grade 8 till my second year in college. I think that the children should be in school during Remembrance Day as it is an excellent opportunity to give them knowledge they may not be getting at home. I don't think that it should be a holiday either, however I think that anyone looking to attend a ceremony should not be made to feel guilty leaving work for an hour or two to do so. We are losing veterans very quickly now from the first two world wars and personally I only have one grandfather left now myself. It has taken him until the last 5 years even to talk about the war, but I think he realizes that when he is gone that no one else can share his first hand accounts of what really went on. (last time I checked war was not a love storey). I would like to honour my grandparents by mentioning them here.

1. Sergeant Malcolm Reimer (Tailgunner, Royal Canadian Airforce)
2. Captain Wilf Radford (Infantry Division, Canadian Army)

I am very proud of my grandfathers and their contributions to our freedom. I would also like to say thanks to all of our veterans for their contributions in peace or at war as they were our first line of defence and ready to sacrifice their safety for our freedom. I am very thankful to you!!!!!

Rob (Snowwhite's DH)