Remembering

November 4, 2008 by Barbara.

Dani over at has already posted her list of Santa parades - and a good thing since the first one takes place this weekend - and there are many churches having their Christmas bazars but I want to talk about remembrance for just a bit before moving full swing into Christmas. Starting tonight and continuing until dawn on Remembrance Day, the names of those Canadians who gave their lives fighting in the First World War will be projected on the National War Memorial in Ottawa and in a number of other cities in Canada as well as on Canada House in London, England. The names will also be visible via webcast. Dubbed Vigil 1914-1918, this event will allow people to remember the sacrifices in a war that ended 90 years ago. I found a schedule of events on the National History Society Vigil site which promises the following for Ottawa on each of the 7 nights:

4:00 National Capital Commission site interpreters provide students with a tour of the National War Memorial
4:30 Official ceremonies begin
- Community leaders invited to share remarks
- Area cadet corps read letters from First World War soldiers
- Area students and classrooms will be invited to:
a) place maple leaves on wreaths and lay the wreaths on the cenotaph (Grade 4-8 program)
b) light votive candles and place them on the cenotaph (Grade 9-12 program)
- musical tribute
5:00 The visual projection begins
5:15 The first of the soldiers names appears on the monument

Halifax, Fredricton,Toronto, Regina, and Edmonton will have different ceremonies. In London, the Queen and The Duke of Edinburgh will attend the opening ceremony at Canada House, Trafalgar Square.

I don’t think that Reid is ready for the ceremony at the National War Memorial on the 11th. There would be far too much waiting involved if we were to get close enough for her to see but I think that this might be do-able for her. Given the unseasonably warm weather we’re experiencing, it seems wrong not to at least bring her for a bit. We’ll colour a poppy and bring it with us, too.

If you lost a family member in the First World War, you can search for their name and attend/watch at the appropriate time.

The National History Society Vigil site has a lot of good information for starting a conversation with children, even small ones, about Remembrance Day, as does the Veterans’ Affairs Veterans’ Week site.If you’re interested in attending, here is the key information from the Vigil 1914-1918 site:

The Names The vigil will commence November 4th 2008. More than 9,700 names will appear each night. Each individual name will appear only once during the seven nights. These include those killed in the Canadian Expeditionary Force, the Royal Newfoundland Regiment, the Canadian Merchant Navy and the Canadian Army Medical Corps.

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