Lest We Forget… please join us in a moment of silence to remember the large number of civilians and military personnel who have lost their lives due to war.
World War 1 resulted in the loss of a huge number of lives, including civilian and military. Remembrance Day was created as a memorial day, observed since the end of World War 1, to honor the members of the armed forces who died in the line of duty. Officially ending with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on June 28, 1919, the war unofficially ended in 1918 with fighting ceasing at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. On November 7, 1919, King George V dedicated November 11th as Remembrance Day, and the tradition has continued for the past 94 years.
The Remembrance Poppy is the official emblem of Remembrance Day, blooming across the battlefields of Flanders in World War 1, and as referenced in the poem “In Flanders Fields” by Lieutenant 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.
The official Canadian National ceremonies are held each November 11th at the National War Memorial in Ottawa, Ontario. A service is held, wreaths are laid, and many of the public come to lay poppies, letters and pictures of their loved ones lost.
In honor of Remembrance Day, our Office will be closed on Tuesday, November 11th. Please join us in remembering.
Thank you,
The Costen & Associates Team
Lest We Forget…
