Remembrance Day
Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in former countries of the British Empire, and current Commonwealth member states since the end of the First World War to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. The day is also marked by war remembrances in several other non-Commonwealth countries. In most countries, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the end of First World War hostilities. Hostilities ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. The First World War formally ended with the signing of the Treaty of Versailles on 28 June 1919.
The tradition of Remembrance Day evolved out of Armistice Day. The initial Armistice Day was observed at Buckingham Palace, commencing with King George V hosting a "Banquet in Honour of the President of the French Republic" during the evening hours of 10 November 1919. The first official Armistice Day was subsequently held on the grounds of Buckingham Palace the following morning. During the Second World War, many countries changed the name of the holiday. Member states of the Commonwealth of Nations adopted Remembrance Day, while the US chose Veterans Day.
Observance in the Commonwealth
The common British, Canadian, South African, and ANZAC tradition includes a one or two-minute silence at the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, as that marks the time when the armistice became effective.The Service of Remembrance in many Commonwealth countries generally includes the sounding of the "Last Post", followed by the period of silence, followed by the sounding of "Reveille" or sometimes just "The Rouse". The Service of Remembrance is finished by a recitation of the "Ode of Remembrance". The "Flowers of the Forest", "O Valiant Hearts", "I Vow to Thee, My Country" and "Jerusalem" are often played during the service. Services also include wreaths laid to honour the fallen, blessings, and national anthems.
The central ritual at cenotaphs throughout the Commonwealth is a stylised night vigil. "The Last Post" was the common bugle call at the close of the military day, and "The Rouse" was the first call of the morning. For military purposes, the traditional night vigil over the slain was not just to ensure they were indeed dead and not unconscious or in a coma, but also to guard them from being mutilated or despoiled by the enemy, or dragged off by scavengers. This makes the ritual more than just an act of remembrance but also a pledge to guard the honour of war dead. The act is enhanced by the use of dedicated cenotaphs and the laying of wreaths—the traditional means of signalling high honours in ancient Greece and Rome.
Australia
In Australia, Remembrance Day is always observed on 11 November, regardless of the day of the week, and is not a public holiday; it is a time when people can pay their respects to the substantial number of soldiers who died in battle. Some institutions observe two-minutes' silence at 11 am through a program named Read 2 Remember, children read the Pledge of Remembrance by Rupert McCall, and teachers deliver specially developed resources to help children understand the significance of the day and the resilience of those who have fought for their country and call on children to also be resilient when facing difficult times. Services are held at 11 am at war memorials and schools in suburbs and cities across the country, at which the "Last Post" is sounded by a bugler and a one-minute silence is observed. When Remembrance Day falls on a normal working day in Melbourne and other major cities, buglers from the Australian Defence Force often play the "Last Post" at major street corners in the CBD. While this occurs, the majority of passers-by stop and observe a moment of silence while waiting for the bugler to finish the recital.History in Australia
In interwar Australia, Remembrance Day was a popular public commemoration. But from 1946 to the 1970s, Australians observed Remembrance Sunday following the British pattern. It is only in the 1980s and 1990s that Remembrance Day was once again systematically observed on 11 November. The resurgence of Remembrance Day became official on 30 October 1997, when the Governor-General, under the Howard government, proclaimed that " 11 November in each year shall be known and observed as Remembrance Day; and all Australians are urged to observe, unless impractical, a minute's silence at 11:00 on Remembrance Day each year".In recent decades, Remembrance Day has been largely eclipsed as the national day of war commemoration by ANZAC Day, which is a public holiday in all states. Attendance at Anzac Day services boomed, while that of Remembrance Day services continued to decline. Historian Romain Fathi explains, "In Australia, ANZAC Day has addressed the question of the meaning of the war far better than Remembrance Day or Remembrance Sunday. It can acknowledge loss and suffering with a nod to the sacred, while simultaneously representing imagined distinct national values such as mateship, laconic humour and stoicism. This capacity to connect the national community to the numinous explains Anzac Day's primacy over Remembrance Day."
Barbados
In Barbados, Remembrance Day is not a public holiday. It is recognised as 11 November, but the parade and ceremonial events are carried out on Remembrance Sunday.The day is commemorated to recognise the Barbadian soldiers who died fighting in the First and Second World Wars. The parade is held at National Heroes' Square, where an interdenominational service is held. The Governor-General and Barbadian Prime Minister are among those who attend, along with other government dignitaries and the heads of the police and military forces. During the main ceremony a gun salute, wreaths, and prayers are also performed at the war memorial Cenotaph at the heart of Heroes' Square in Bridgetown.
Belize
In Belize, Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November. It is not a public holiday.Bermuda
In the British Overseas Territory and former Imperial fortress of Bermuda, which sent the first colonial volunteer unit to the Western Front in 1915, and which had more people per capita in uniform during the Second World War than any other part of the Empire, Remembrance Day is still an important holiday. The parade in Hamilton had historically been a large and colourful one, as contingents from the Royal Navy, British Regular Army and Territorial Army units of the Bermuda Garrison, the Canadian Forces, the US Army, Air Force, and Navy, and various cadet corps and other services all at one time or another marched with the veterans. Since the closing of British, Canadian, and American bases in 1995, the parade has barely grown smaller. In addition to the ceremony held in the City of Hamilton on Remembrance Day itself, marching to the Cenotaph, where wreaths are laid and orations made, the Royal Navy and the Bermuda Sea Cadet Corps held a parade the same day at the memorial in Hamilton, and a smaller military parade is also held in St. George's on the nearest Sunday to Remembrance Day before the Royal Garrison Artillery memorial in the King's Square.Canada
states that Remembrance Day is intended for "remembrance for the men and women who have served, and continue to serve our country during times of war, conflict and peace"; particularly the First and Second World Wars, the Korean War, and all conflicts since then in which members of the Canadian Armed Forces have participated. The department runs a program called Canada Remembers, with the mission of helping young and new Canadians, most of whom have never known war, "come to understand and appreciate what those who have served Canada in times of war, armed conflict, and peace stand for and what they have sacrificed for their country."Remembrance Day is a statutory holiday for federally regulated employees and a provincial and territorial statutory holiday in six of the 10 provinces and all three territories. Nova Scotia and Newfoundland and Labrador recognize the day under separate legislation. Manitoba, Ontario, and Quebec are the only three provinces where the day is not a statutory holiday. The Royal Canadian Legion is officially against making the day a national statutory holiday, in part because its leadership believes the time free from work or school would eventually overtake the memorial purpose of the occasion, whereas, having schools in regular session on that day would be an opportunity for children to be taught the day's true significance in a mandatory fashion. In a more informal manner, there has been opinion voiced against the trend of Christmas creep, so that the conclusion of Remembrance Day should be the earliest acceptable time in which to mark the beginning of the Christmas holidays.
History in Canada
Canadians began to commemorate their veterans and war dead as early as 1890, when Decoration Day began to be observed on 2 June, the anniversary of the Battle of Ridgeway against the Fenians in 1866. A further observance was, from 1900 to 1918, held on 27 February to mark the Canadian victory over the Boers at the Battle of Paardeberg.File:WLMK laying wreath.jpg|thumb|William Lyon Mackenzie King lays a wreath at the future location of the National War Memorial in Ottawa, 1937
The first Armistice Day commemoration was in 1919, when King George V called on all countries in the British Empire to observe it. It was later placed on a statutory footing in 1921, after the Parliament of Canada provided that Thanksgiving and Armistice Day would both be held on the Monday of the week in which 11 November fell. Charles Dickie, the Conservative Member of Parliament for Nanaimo, campaigned to change the name from Armistice Day to Remembrance Day, which was approved in 1931, when Parliament accordingly amended the act, with its observance fixed on 11 November.
Several other days of remembrance for veterans were also created, including the National Aboriginal Veterans Day, inaugurated in 1994 to recognise the contribution of Aboriginal soldiers. In 2001, Merchant Navy Remembrance Day was created by the Canadian Parliament, designating 3 September as a day to recognise the contributions and sacrifice of Canadian merchant mariners.