In Flanders Fields

by Lieutenant-Colonel John McCrae Canadian Expeditionary Forces Ypres, Belgium 1915

In Flanders Fields...

the poppies grow....

between the crosses, row on row ...

that mark our place ...

and in the sky the larks, still singing bravely, fly...

scarce heard amid the guns below ...

we are the dead ...

short days ago we lived ...

felt dawn...

saw sunset glow...

l o v e d

and were loved ...

and now we lie in Flanders Fields.

Take up our quarrel with foe

to you from failing hands...

we throw the torch ...

be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die ...

we shall not sleep ....

though poppies grow in Flanders Fields.

IN TIMES OF WAR

This scene was played out in thousands of train stations as men prepared to go to war.

Many men would never return home.

Many of the men were badly wounded.

Soldiers were not the only casualties of war. Over one million children under the age of sixteen died during the Second World War. A brave young girl named Anne Frank was only one of them.

Women played an important role during times of war by working in the factories and doing many of the jobs usually done by men.

In Europe, especially, food was very hard to get In Europe, especially, food was very hard to get. Each person was given a ration book that they used to buy their food. Each person could have only a small amount of meat, sugar, butter, bacon, tea and cheese each week and were allowed only one egg! Children seldom got candy or treats.

Instead of buying stockings women had their legs painted. If you wanted to buy new clothes you had to use COUPONS. Each item was worth so many of these. Every man, woman, child was allowed 48 coupons per year. A girl’s dress cost 5 coupons, shoes cost 2 coupons, and boy’s pants cost 6 coupons. Instead of buying stockings women had their legs painted.

Many of these children would never see their parents again. During the Second World War, thousands of children were evacuated from Europe. Many of these children would never see their parents again. Some of these children came to Canada and went home only after the war was over.

Men often had to march hundreds of miles to reach the battlefield.

The sound of the roaring guns often left men deaf for days.

It was not unusual for men to go without sleep for days on end.

During much of the First World War the men had to fight in trenches such as these at Flanders. The trenches were often filled with water and rats. The men were seldom dry or comfortable.

Soldiers also dug and lived in foxholes to try and stay safe.

Many small towns and villages, such as this one in France, were destroyed during the fighting.

Entering small villages and towns occupied by the German Army during the Second World War was a dangerous undertaking.

The young girls shown in this picture are asking the soldier to take their dolls thinking that he can keep them safe until the war is over.

Women played an active part in many of the battles that were fought.                                                          Women played an active part in many of the battles that were fought.

Many battles were fought in the air.

Many men met their deaths when they parachuted in behind the enemy lines.

This painting, by Rich Thistle, depicts Billy Bishop who was a Canadian war ace during the First World War.

Many battles took place at sea.

Many brave men were lost.

Soldiers were often transported to battles by large ships. The soldiers were then transported to shore by landing craft such as these.

Many Canadians died while trying to reach the beaches during the D-Day Invasion in France.

This picture shows people celebrating the end of the First World War This picture shows people celebrating the end of the First World War. Armistice was declared at 11:00 a.m on November 11, 1918. The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month is when Canadians everywhere pause to remember those who made the ultimate sacrifice so that we could live in peace.

War memorials are a common sight across Canada and are one way that we honour those men and women who made the supreme sacrifice so that we might live in peace.

The Books of Remembrance in the Hall of Honour in Ottawa are filled with the names of Canadians who gave their lives during times of war.                

On Remembrance Day we wear poppies to help us remember the horrors of war and the many brave people who lost their lives as a result.

REMEMBRANCE DAY SERVICES ARE ANOTHER WAY THAT WE PAY TRIBUTE TO THOSE WHO FOUGHT FOR US.

ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE DURING THE ONE MINUTE OF SILENCE YOU ARE ASKED TO STAND AND BOW YOUR HEAD. REMEMBER THAT IT IS ONLY BECAUSE OF THE SACRIFICE OF SO MANY THAT WE ARE ABLE TO LIVE IN FREEDOM AND PEACE TODAY.