Remembrance Day - 11/11/11 - Poppy Day

November 11, 2011

We call it Veterans Day in the States, but in Great Britain it is refered to as Remembrance Day.

It is a national celebration and this year it was bigger than ever because it was 11/11/11. For the two weeks prior everyone wears paper poppies on their lapels and people hang out poppy wreaths. We made sure the missionaries were wearing them when they were out of the MTC. They are worn as a sign of respect in remembrance of their war veterans. The Sunday following Veterans Day all congregations observed 2 minutes of silence. It was a wonderful day for the missionaries as we had been invited to the Preston Ward to participate in their Sacrament Meeting.

As the meeting began an old decorated war Veteran stood at the pulpit and read the following:

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.

He then called for 2 minutes of silence. At the conclusion of the silence he said,

When you go home, tell them of us and say, for your tomorrow, we gave our today.

It was a tender moment and the missionaries felt the spirit of the people they will serve.

This poppy wreath hangs at the entrance of our complex as you can see in the first picture.

The wearing of the poppies dates back many years. It came about because of an incident that occured in May of 1915 when a young WWI Canadian officer was killed in action. He was serving in the same unit as a friend of his who was a military doctor and artillery commander, Major John McCrae.
John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for his friend. He was buried in a grave decorated with only a simple wooden cross. The grave yard was desolate except for the wild poppies that were blooming between the crosses that marked the graves of those who were killed in battle. Unable to help his friend or other fallen soldiers, John McCrae gave them a voice by writing a poem that would be known through the ages, "In Flanders Field."

It is a poignant piece of literature that I think is akin to "Danny Boy". Richard loves it so much he has committed it to memory.

In Flanders Fields by John Mc Crae

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The Larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved, and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders Field

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yourse to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

WE SHALL NOT SLEEP,

THOUGH POPPIES GROW

IN FLANDERS FIELDS.

To add to the festivities, we attended a Remembrance Day Choir Concert that was held in an old

Temperance Hall in a neighboring town. This choir is put together by James Loynes, a church member who is young, handsome and very talented. He sings all the old vintage music and his choir numbers reflected that. They were all from the 40's and included such numbers as "White Cliffs of Dover" and "Apple Blossom Time". It is a choir of older people that he puts together in 8 weeks and it is quite amazing. (Go on his web site jamesloynes.com)
The old hall was decorated with flags and banners and it was such fun to capture the local flavor of the evening.

All in all, this has been a wonderful holiday season. Now, we roll into Christmas. We will have Thanksgiving here but the rest of the country is now headed towards Christmas. And not to be out done, we have put our decorations up and turned on the Christmas music! Why not!!!