Bells of Peace

On Nov. 11, 2018, the 100th anniversary of the signing of the armistice to end the First World War will be celebrated across the country through a new program.

“During the first and second world wars, here in Newfoundland, the bells were silent. And in military terms, it’s called noise pollution, which was very controlled. When the war ended, the bells rang and rang and rang, in Europe and Canada,” explained Berkley Lawrence, member of the Newfoundland Command.

Essentially, that moment will be emulated this year, starting in Newfoundland as that province is the first to experience sunrise and sunset in Canada.

“At 4:29 p.m., we are asking anyone or any organization that has a bell to ring their bell 100 times at five-second intervals. It will end at sunset in Victoria, B.C. Each province will have their own set time to begin ringing the bells.”

There is a second part to the initiative, he continued.

“Students are also being asked to identify First World War veterans’ gravesites, those who are buried in Canada because there are veterans that came back and were later buried in community cemeteries. And a lot of us don’t know where these graves are. Students are asked to copy down the information, put it on a spreadsheet, and send it Dominion Command in order to build a database of the gravesites for future reference and future study.”