Gone but not forgotten
The Bible tells people that they are known to God, and that nothing can erase them from His memory
It was a battle he was not supposed to fight. According to orders, his battalion was to be kept in reserve. But, on the morning of Sept. 2 1918, new orders were issued. At 0900 this 21-year-old soldier from P.E.I. was running across no-man’s land attacking the enemy.
He was a long way from the family farm in North River. He had enlisted in Charlottetown on Dec. 16, 1916, with the 105th Battalion. After training at Camp Valcartier, he had travelled overseas. In England when the 105th was broken up he was posted to the 78th battalion (Winnipeg Grenadiers) and sent to France.
It would be easy to overlook this soldier from P.E.I. After all, he was but one of a handful of Maritimers in the 78th Battalion. He held the lowly rank of private and, as such, was largely unknown by the chain of command. In the Battle of Drocourt-Queant, this soldier paid the ultimate sacrifice, but in the war diary of the 78th battalion he isn’t even listed as a casualty.
This soldier was most definitely overlooked. Now that he was dead, was he also forgotten?
This soldier was never forgotten by his family on P.E.I. The family preserved his memory on a special obelisk in Highfield Cemetery in Winsloe and did something else decades later. The soldier’s great-niece made a special Act of Remembrance. On a trip to France, she and her husband visited Dury Mill British Cemetery just outside of Arras. In front of the grave of John Watts Sanderson, Pam (Sanderson) Webster read aloud a letter that Private Sanderson had not received before he was killed. It was written by his mother to tell her son that he was remembered and loved. And there was another message from Private Sanderson’s family. Like all Canadian families who had lost loved ones during the Great War, they were allowed the privilege of having a message inscribed on the bottom of their loved one’s headstone overseas. At the bottom of John Watts Sanderson’s headstone are the words “Gone but not forgotten”.
Two generations after Private Sanderson was laid to rest, the visit of his great-niece underscored the importance of that message – that although he was gone, he was not forgotten.
The Bible tells us that we are known to God, and that nothing can erase us from His memory. As Deuteronomy 31:6 reminds us: “It is the LLord your God who goes with you; he will not fail you or forsake you.” This is why the grave of soldiers whose identity is unknown is inscribed with the words “Known Unto God”. In fact, these words remind each one of us that, because of God’s love for you…you will never be forgotten.
As we live our lives it’s easy to become discouraged, overwhelmed, frustrated and feel that we are overlooked, unappreciated or forgotten. That includes all the profound and seemingly insignificant ways we try to care for and love the people around us. Sometimes it seems like we are not making a difference or that our good works are completely unnoticed. But God, who sees all things, notices and can take our thoughts, words, actions and prayers and use them for good now and for generations to come.
As we observe Remembrance Day this weekend, we honour the memory of those who served like John Watts Sanderson. And whether we know their names or not, we can promise to always remember them.
Amen.