We wear poppies on our coats every November. We observe a moment of silence at 11 a.m. each November 11. But why do we do it? What is Remembrance Day all about? The way we mark the day has certainly evolved over the years, but it still holds special meaning to countless Canadians. CBC Digital Archives looks at the significance and the symbols of Remembrance Day.
Rumours of armistice
Broadcast Date: Nov. 11, 1962
By November 1918, trench warfare has finally given way to a headlong pursuit of the retreating Germans. Canadian troops under Sir Arthur Currie are tasked with liberating Belgian villages such as Mons, where house-to-house fighting is fierce. Then a rumour spreads: the war is over! As we hear in this clip, the news seems too good to be true. Even when armistice is confirmed, the exhausted soldiers can barely comprehend the new reality: death one day, peace the next....
Remembrance Day, 1944
Broadcast Date: Nov. 11, 1944
“Some must die so that others may live.” Winston Churchill.
By 2002, about 116,780 Canadians have died in war and peacekeeping missions around the world. Remembrance Day honours the men and women who have given the ultimate sacrifice for their country.
In this 1944 CBC Radio clip, war correspondent Matthew Halton evokes the “dead and the damned battalions,” reflects that “there'll be mad dogs again in the future,” and urges listeners “this time, let's not break faith.”
much more...
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