Lest We Forget
Today in Canada (Remembrance Day) and the United States (Veterans Day) is a day that has been set aside to honor those who have served and are serving in our respective armed forces – it is their collective bravery that has given our 2 great nations the freedoms that we enjoy and often take for granted. Recently and over the decades, many of our soldiers have come home with all sorts of scars – physical scars, emotional scars, and mental scars. Others have not walked off the plane onto North American soil but rather have been carried off in flag-covered coffins. They have paid the ultimate price. They have given their lives for freedom.
The other common name for this day of course is Armistice Day which marks the date and time when armies stopped fighting World War I on November 11th at 11:00 am in 1918 (the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month). Ten million combatants would die, including 60,000 Canadians and 116,000 Americans, before the “Great War” ended with Germany’s defeat on this day 102 years ago. The last 100 days of that war was an epic Canada-dominated finale that began with an all-out attack on German positions on August 8, 1918, a major turning point for the allies.
Here at BMR we hope that you will join us as we remember and honor our men and women who have served and who are serving in our armed forces, protecting our continent and standing up for freedom and liberty throughout the world. We are truly grateful for their bravery and sacrifices.
May God continue to protect and bless our 2 nations at this critical time in history as we fight different types of wars. Freedom, in all of its forms and manifestations, should never be taken for granted.
In Flanders Fields
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae, May 1915
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.
Lest We Forget
The BMR Team
Lest We Forget!
Ahmen
Comment by Murray — November 11, 2020 @ 11:10 am
Lest We Forget!
Comment by David — November 11, 2020 @ 12:06 pm
10 Facts on… In Flanders Fields – Quick Facts – Educators – Information For – Remembrance – Veterans
10 Quick Facts on… In Flanders Fields
1. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was the Canadian army doctor who wrote the world famous poem In Flanders Fields.
2. John McCrae was born in Guelph, Ontario, on November 30, 1872.
3. He attended the University of Toronto Medical School. He liked to write and some of his poems and short stories were published in a
variety of magazines. He completed his degree in 1898.
4. He led a battery with the Canadian Field Artillery during the South African War.
5. When the First World War broke out in 1914, McCrae was 41 years old. He enlisted and was appointed as a medical officer with the First
Brigade of the Canadian Field Artillery.
6. In April 1915, McCrae was stationed near Ypres, Belgium, in the area called Flanders.
7. On May 2, 1915, McCrae’s friend, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed in action and buried in a makeshift grave. Wild poppies were already
beginning to bloom between the crosses marking the many graves and he was inspired to write In Flanders Fields the next day.
8. In Flanders Fields was first published in England’s Punch magazine in December 1915. Within months, this poem came to symbolize the
sacrifice of all who were fighting in the First World War.
9. John McCrae died on January 28, 1918, of illness and is buried in Wimereux Cemetery, near Boulogne, France.
10. Today, people around the world continue to recite the famous poem.
Comment by bigbill — November 11, 2020 @ 12:18 pm
Thanks for sharing bigbill. Great information. One of the things I am most proud of is my dad’s service in WWII. We owe a debt of gratitude to all those past and present who serve and have served our country.
Comment by Danny — November 11, 2020 @ 3:00 pm
The “10 Facts on… In Flanders Fields” above were copied from the Veterans Affairs-Canada website.
Lt. Col. McCrae died from pneumonia according to an interesting write up on him in Wikipedia.
Comment by bigbill — November 11, 2020 @ 3:37 pm
Thanks bigbill. I knew he wrote the poem but never knew this history about him. I keep a poppy and a tiny silver cross pinned to the sun visor in my truck where I can always see it. Helps me to remember the sacrifices that have been made, not just for our freedoms in Canada(and the U.S.)from those who fought in the war, but for the freedom that everyone can have because of Jesus who died on the cross. A greater love hath no man than he who would die for his brother.
Comment by DBReese — November 11, 2020 @ 10:11 pm