In Remembrance Of The Fallen Of Warfare

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them." ~ Laurence Binyon

"If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields." ~ John McCrae

It is Remembrance Day here in Canada, while elsewhere the date is known as Armistice Day or Veterans Day. At the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918, the guns of war fell silent across the battlefields of Europe, ending the Great War. There will be services in cities, towns, and villages, the laying of wreaths, and the rituals common to the occasion. I will be attending the national service today. And for today, I feature photographs from the last year in my photoblog. The above is taken at Green Island in Ottawa. The park is home to several military monuments, including the National Artillery Memorial. Right beside it is a statue of the Canadian soldier, doctor, and poet John McCrae, who gave the world the poem In Flanders Fields.

Another military monument in the city is the National Aboriginal Veterans Monument, which features four Indigenous warriors back to back, with the wolf, bear, elk, and bison around them, and an eagle overhead. It honours Indigenous soldiers and veterans who have fought for the country, even at times when the country wasn't treating them right. It stands in Confederation Park, where several military monuments reside.

Just up the street, occupying the very heart of Confederation Square, is the National War Memorial, seen here during the Tulip Festival. It was first dedicated to the dead of the First World War in 1939, and has since been rededicated, including the Second World War, Korean War, South African War, Afghan War, and those who have served and died in military service to the country. It is here today that the national service of remembrance is to be held.

The Canadian War Museum is at Lebreton Flats, just west of the downtown core, telling the story of Canadian military history, at home and abroad. It looks like a bunker, or a massive bomber plane, which is entirely appropriate for its subject material.

Lebreton Gallery inside holds a wealth of military equipment from multiple countries and eras, here photographed from above.

As one emerges from the permanent collection, the last artifact is this. Canadian forces ended the First World War at the Belgian town of Mons, where they presented two field guns to the people of the town, saying that these were the last guns fired on the enemy before the Armistice. For the centennial of the ending of the war, Mons presented this one back to the people of Canada, and now it has a place of pride here.

The War Memorial features the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier at its base. An unknown Canadian soldier who fell at the Battle of Vimy Ridge is now buried there. His original gravestone occupies the Memorial Chamber inside the Museum. The building is designed and angled so that at 11 in the morning on November 11th, provided the sun is shining, sunlight will shine through an overhead window and illuminate the stone.