South Shore Breaker

We will remember them

- VERNON OICKLE vernon.l.oickle@eastlink.ca @Saltwirene­twork Vernon Oickle, the author of 32 books, writes The View From Here column, which appears weekly in the South Shore Breaker.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

This poem, For the Fallen, written by Laurence Binyon in 1914, will be familiar to anyone who attends Remembranc­e Day ceremonies such as those that will be held across Canada Wednesday, Nov. 11, but do we really understand its deep meaning?

I say this every year, but it deserves to be stated again. I remember that it’s one of the most somber moments of any Remembranc­e Day ceremony, as these words are a stark reminder of the hundreds of thousands of Canadian men and women who have made — and who continue to make — the ultimate sacrifice in wars both past and present so that you and I can enjoy the freedoms we take for granted each and every day.

This year’s Remembranc­es are especially poignant because in the face of major conflicts that threaten to destroy world peace such as the war in Ukraine, we are reminded of just how important our freedoms truly are.

I’ve heard these words a great deal over the years as I’ve attended Remembranc­e Day ceremonies and I’ve marveled at the powerful message contained in these four short lines. Canadians should take time to pause on Nov. 11 to remember their fallen heroes and to honour those who are still with us. It is appropriat­e then to take a closer look at Binyon’s words.

While they are the most familiar lines, the above stanza is, in fact, only a portion of Binyon’s best-known poem, but they have become the lasting symbol of Remembranc­e. For those of you who don’t know the story, Binyon composed the poem while sitting on a cliff-top looking out to sea from the dramatic scenery of the north Cornish coastline at Pentire Point, north of Polzeath.

According to a website dedicated to Binyon, the poem was written in mid-september 1914, a few weeks after the outbreak of the First World War. During these weeks, the British Expedition­ary Force had suffered casualties following its first encounter with the Imperial German Army at the Battle of Mons on Aug. 23, its rearguard action during the retreat from Mons in late August and the Battle of Le Cateau on Aug. 26, and its participat­ion with the French Army in holding up the Imperial German Army at the First Battle of the Marne between Sept. 5 and 9, 1914.

Binyon said in 1939 that the four lines of the fourth stanza (quoted above) came to him first. These words of the fourth stanza have become especially familiar and famous, having been adopted by the Royal British Legion as an Exhortatio­n for ceremonies of Remembranc­e to commemorat­e fallen servicemen and women.

Like our British friends, Canadian Legions have also adopted the poem, which will be repeated hundreds of times across this country on Remembranc­e Day. It saddens me, however, to think that while many Canadians will pause to honour our war heroes during these Remembranc­e Day services, some Canadians look at Nov. 11 as just another holiday. That is dishearten­ing, indeed.

We must all remember that Nov. 11 is not just another

“day off.” While many take advantage of the day to relax and get caught up on their chores, it’s not just a day to sleep in, do yard work or to party. In fact, Nov. 11 is a day to say thank you and to remember all those Canadians who have made the ultimate sacrifice so that our generation will not suffer the oppression and horrors of war.

For the record, here are the numbers of Canadian military personnel killed while serving their country: First World War (66,665), Second World War (46,998), Korea (516), peacekeepi­ng postings (121) and Afghanista­n (157).

When I attend a Remembranc­e Day service and hear the names of those who died, perhaps alone and terrified, in some far off land away from their loved ones, it causes me to shiver. I cannot even begin to imagine the horrors of war, but I am thankful for those who paid the ultimate price so that I can enjoy the life I lead today.

While Nov. 11 is set aside every year to remember the past sacrifices so many have made over the years, it’s also a good time to wonder what our world would be like if war and strife did not exist.

In an ideal world, wars would not exist so our brave men and women would not have to put themselves in harm’s way. However, as history has shown us time and time again, this is not a perfect world. War has existed for centuries and, sadly, it appears as though it will be with us well into the future.

Our world would be a lot different today were it not for the brave men and women who stood up to the tyranny of those who would do us harm. Surely, we can all set aside a few hours one day of the year to say thank you for their sacrifices.

Too many fought and died for us to ever forget. Sacrifices made by those Canadians must not be forgotten — or at least that’s the view from here.

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