Remembrance Day, or as we call it
here in the States, Veterans Day, has a long history. Or as long as just under
a hundred years can be. As with many things in modern society, this day traces
its origins to the First World War. As always, I have a bit of a history lesson
and then some of my own thoughts.
First, the history. Remembrance Day,
as Remembrance Day, was designated by King George V on 7 November 1919 but is
now observed on this day, 11 November. 11 November is Armistice Day—the First
World War armistice became official at the 11th hour of the 11th
day of the 11th month. (The war did not end until the end of June
1919.) Today, Remembrance Day is celebrated (although I’m not entirely happy
with “celebrated”) in the Commonwealth Nations—53 countries including the UK,
India, Canada, South Africa, Australia, and New Zealand. Throughout the
Commonwealth, the red poppy is used to symbolize the day.
In France and Belgium, Remembrance
Day commemorations are similar, but in France, the blue cornflower symbolizes
the day. Germany does not mark the anniversary of the armistice, but rather has
Volkstrauertag (people’s mourning day), observed on the Sunday closest to 16
November.
And now the United States. In the
U.S., 11 November is called Veterans Day, to recognized the sacrifices made by
all veterans in all the country’s wars. Veterans Day was established after the
Korean War. Memorial Day, celebrated at the end of May, commemorates the people
who died while serving in the Armed Forces during conflicts. Memorial Day was
established as Decoration Day just after the American Civil War. Some similar
events were held in the final year of the war, but were not formal or
nationwide.
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| The Tower of London put on a special poppy installation, Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red, starting in August with most of it being taken down tomorrow. In total there are 888,246 ceramic poppies, one for each of the British fatalities in WWI. |
The most visible sign of Remembrance
Day is the poppy because of the large amount that grew in the fields of
Northern France and Flanders, where the UK and Colonial soldiers fought most in
Europe. One of the most popular First World War poems focuses on poppies. John
McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields” on 3 May 1915. It reads
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 fields.
Take
up our quarrel with the 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.
Like most World War One poetry,
there is a feeling of desolation. When I was in Manchester researching over the
summer, the Imperial War Museum Manchester had a early version of Wilfred
Owen’s “Dolce et Decorum est”. It is one thing to read it online, but it is
completely different to see a handwritten original copy.
To me, Remembrance Day, or Veterans
Day or Armistice Day, is not simply about remembering the sacrifices made in
the past (or made in the present). It is also about thinking about why we the
day exists. When we remember our family members who served, we should also
remember why they did. I have spent much of my academic career studying the
First World War, so I have a good understanding of the ways in which that war
changed the world. (No, I do not think that to be an overstatement, however,
the substantiation for that claim is the topic of another blog.)
When we remember today, we should
also remember the upheaval caused by war—the changes to geopolitical
relationships, the changes to social norms, and the changes to economies. This type
of remembrance is not easy; it takes some critical thinking. It is easy to wear
a poppy, or to send a 140-character tweet, or to post a cookie-cutter Facebook
status. But it is much more difficult to look at war and the damage it causes,
especially the 20th century wars, and to remember how we still feel
the effects of wars that happened a hundred years ago (or longer, but, again, a
subject for a different time).
If you want to learn more about the
First World War, I have a slew of books I can recommend. But, if you want
something less academic, and more fun, I recommend the Horrible Histories First
World War special. It is available currently in the UK on BBC iPlayer but in
the US, you might have to do some digging. (I recommend Horrible Histories if
you want a fun way to learn about history in general.)
Though the methods change over time,
war wreaks destruction on all societies. In remembering the sacrifices made during
war, we attempt to maintain a connection to them. We honor them, but we also
try to validate their suffering—to prove that we are different, that we have
learned something.
I will conclude here. With “For a
War Memorial” (1922) by G.K. Chesterton:
The
hucksters haggle in the mart
The
cars and carts go by;
Senates
and schools go droning on;
For
dead things cannot die.
A
storm stooped on the place of tombs
With
bolts to blast and rive;
But
these be names of many men
The
lightning found alive.
If
usurers rule and rights decay
And
visions view once more
Great
Cathage like a golden shell
Gape
hollow on the shore,
Still
to the last of crumbling time
Upon
this stone be read
How
many men of England died
To
prove they were not dead.
Sources:
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day
http://www.bbc.co.uk/remembrance/how/poppy.shtml
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/poems/john-mccrae-in-flanders-fields.htm
http://www.poetryfoundation.org/poem/177818
