At 11 a.m. on Nov. 11, we will stand up and be silent for two minutes.

In my Country, Remembrance Day commemorates Canadians who died in service to Canada from the Boer War, World War One, World War Two, the Korean War, and to the present day missions .

The first Remembrance Day was conducted in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth. First known as Armistice Day, the name was changed in 1931 to ‘Remembrance Day’.


In Flanders Fields
by John McCrae

In Flanders fields the poppies grow
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 was a Canadian poet, physician, author, artist and soldier during the First World War. His most famous poem is, ‘In Flanders Fields’.
John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario and studied medicine at the University of Toronto.
Having previously served with the artillery division during the Boer War, when war with Germany was declared, McCrae was appointed as a Field Surgeon in the Canadian Artillery division, and was in charge of a field hospital during the Second Battle of Ypres, 1915.
The poem, Flanders Fields was inspired by the death of a friend and his former student, Lt. Alexis Helmer who was killed in battle. John McCrae died in 1918 from having caught pneumonia and meningitis.

A wonderful tribute to the American men and women in the military. Do visit *Jenna-Rose's gallery, you won't be disappointed.


Arthur J. Bourdon VIII RECCE
1943
Arthur Bourdon was but one of the 200 young men from the North Peace who in the autumn of 1943 volunteered for service overseas in the Canadian Army. He was 18 years of age. He left the sweeping valleys and the Mighty Peace River as a boy full of expectations and adventure, and returned home a man. He had changed, but the Mighty Peace and valleys had not; they awaited the children’s return to comfort the weary bodies and bruised souls.
During his time overseas with the 8th Recce (Reconnaissance) Regiment he fought his way through France, Belgium, the Netherlands and Germany.
The primary mission of 8 Recce was to provide reconnaissance for the 2nd Canadian Infantry Division. The reconnaissance role of 8 Recce often put its members well ahead of the main body of the division, especially during the pursuit of the retreating enemy across northern France and Belgium. 8th Recce was responsible for liberating many towns in the campaign across Northwest Europe.
The times were intense but the company of friends and loved ones was a powerful catalyst. Friends raised hell together, most times simply to ease the tension and be distracted from the horrors of war. Many times it would be the last time they would share a ‘int’ with their friend.
They risked their lives, and some paid with their lives so that we could enjoy the freedoms we enjoy today.
WE SHALL NOT FORGET!