In 1897, Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936) composed a poem entitled,“Recessional,” where he reminds readers not to forget what is not to be obliterated. 

In the poem, he underscores the phrase “lest we forget”:

God of our fathers, known of old,
Lord of our far-flung battle-line,
Beneath whose awful Hand we hold
Dominion over palm and pine—
Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet,
Lest we forget—lest we forget!

During the transition of the seasons from autumn to winter, we individually and collectively pause on November 11 to remember and reflect on all those who have served their country and the personal sacrifices that they made. 

LEST WE FORGET

Photo by LS Erica Seymour, 4 Wing Imaging

Remembrance Day, then called Armistice Day, was first observed in 1919. Today, 104 years later, we continue to pause to remember at the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month.  We pause:

- to remember the 2,300,000 who have served our nation in both war and peace;

- to remember the more than 118,000 who made the ultimate sacrifice;

- to remember the countless numbers who suffered and are suffering from physical, mental and emotional injuries; and,

- to remember all the families that so steadfastly supported and continue to support their members who are veterans.  

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

The Kandahar Cenotaph is located within the Afghanistan Memorial Hall at National Defence Headquarters (Carling) in Ottawa. It was created in 2006 as a grassroots endeavour by soldiers to honour their fallen brothers and sisters at the Canadian Task Force Headquarters located at the Kandahar Airfield (KAF) iAfghanistan.

Canada’s military mission in Afghanistan came at a significant cost: 158 Canadian Armed Forces personnel, a Canadian diplomat, a Department of National Defence contractor, and a Canadian journalist who was embedded with the Canadian Armed Forces were killed. American service personnel and civilian contractors were under Canadian command at times and 42 military personnel and one contractor were killed during the conflict.   

The Kandahar Cenotaph was transported to Canada at the end of Canada’s mission in March 2011. The Kandahar Cenotaph is now located in a purpose-built pavilion at National Defence Headquarters (Carling) in Ottawa.

Official ceremonies were held on May 13, 2019 and August 17, 2019 to open the Afghanistan Memorial Hall and rededicate the Kandahar Cenotaph, respectively. Families of the Fallen, Veterans and their families, Canadian Armed Forces members, Department of National Defence employees, and members of the public are invited to visit the Afghanistan Memorial Hall and pay their respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice in Canada’s most recent war.

On November 11th, 1918, the 28th Battalion had orders to advance from their current position just south of Mons, Belgium, to the village of Havre. While they had pushed the light German resistance back just past Havre by 9:00 am, that's when the battalion received news that all hostilities would cease at 11:00 am.

Private Price and a group of other soldiers decided to begin searching houses for German soldiers. It was at this point when Private Price approached a house, knocked on the door, that was answered by a family. Unbeknownst to Price, they were German sympathizers. He asked the family if any German soldiers were inside and was told "No". As Private Price turned around to head back to the street, a German sniper - who had been set up across the street in a different house - shot and killed him at 10:58 am.

The monument to Private George Price is located in Ville-sur-Haine, in the Municipality of Le Roeulx, where he fell on November 11, 1918. In the name of all Canadians, the then Governor General, Julie Payette, participated in a ceremony there and laid a wreath on the monument on November 10, 2018.

The Malta at War Museum is located at Couvre Porte, Vittoriosa (Birgu). It stands as a symbol of the great ordeal which the brave people of Malta and their defenders have endured throughout the dark days of the Malta Blitz (1940-43) during the Second World War.

Vittoriosa is Malta's old maritime city, first convent of the Knights of St. John before Valletta (1530), Great Siege Headquarters (1565) and former home to the Royal Navy (1800 – 1979). Ensconced within Dockyard Creek, it inevitably became one of the worst bombed places of the conflict with almost half of it being destroyed as a result of enemy action.

The museum is housed in an 18th century army barracks which served as a police station and air raid precautions center during the war. It sits on top of a massive underground rock-cut air raid shelter which offered refuge to hundreds of people. This shelter has been restored and forms part of the museum experience.

The MAW offers a rich collection of period artifacts and memorabilia ranging from personal items, documents, medals, uniforms and weaponry. It also features numerous period newsreels and sounds, hands-on interpretation and multilingual audio-guides.