Today November 11, 2015 is Remembrance Day, a day when members of the armed forces (soldiers, sailors and airmen) are commemorated. The other common name for this day is Armistice Day which marks the date and time when armies stopped fighting World War I. on November 11th at 11am in 1918 (the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month). Some 100,000 Canadian soldiers died in the First and Second World Wars.
In Canada, Remembrance Day is a federal statutory holiday – with a notable exception of NS, NWT, ON and QC – as it is in many other countries in the world where this day is observed on the national level.
All government buildings fly the Canadian flag this day and people remember those who fought for Canada during a two minute silence at 11am. Many people wear poppies before and on Remembrance Day to show their respect and support for Canadian troops.
About the Poppy
The remembrance poppy (a Papaver rhoeas) has been used since 1921 to commemorate military personnel who have died in war. Inspired by the World War I poem “In Flanders Fields“, and promoted by Moina Michael, they were first adopted by the American Legion to commemorate American soldiers killed in that war (1914–1918). They were then adopted by military veterans‘ groups in parts of the former British Empire: the United Kingdom,Canada, Australia and New Zealand. Today, they are most common in the UK and Canada, and are used to commemorate their servicemen and women killed in all conflicts since 1914. There, small artificial poppies are often worn on clothing leading up to Remembrance Day/Armistice Day (11 November). Poppy wreaths are also often laid at war memorials.
There are many Remembrance Day ceremonies throughout the niagara region that are ongoing today.
Here is a list of some Remembrance Day events in the Region of Niagara:
St. Catharines
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 24, 111 Church Street, Remembrance Day Service and Parade to Memorial Park Cenotaph on November 11th, 2015. Service: 10:45 a.m.
Location: Memorial Park Cenotaph (Intersection of St. Paul Street West and McGuire Street)
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 138 , 2 Chestnut Street, Remembrance Day Service and Parade to Cenotaph on November 11th, 2015. Service: 10:45 a.m.
Location: Cenotaph (343 Merritt St.)
Fort Erie
Royal Canadian Legion, Branch 71, 130 Garrison Rd., Fort Erie, November 11th, 2015 @ 10:45 a.m.
Grimbsy
Grimsby Cenotaph: 233 Elizabeth St. on Nov. 11, 2015 @ 10:45 a.m. (11:00 am annual Remembrance Day Parade at Elm St. and Main St.)
Niagara Falls
Gale Centre: 4171 Fourth Ave. on Nov. 11, 2015 @ 11 a.m.
Pelham
Royal Canadian Legion Branch 613, 141 Hwy 20 E, Fonthill on November 11th, 2015 beginning @ 10:30 a.m. to 1:00 p.m.
Port Colborne
H. H. Knoll Path Cenotaph: H. H. Knoll Lakeview Park on Nov. 11, 2015 @ 10:45 a.m.
Thorold
Royal Canadian Legion (Memorial Park): 20 Chapel St. S. on Nov. 11, 2015 @ 10:30 a.m.
Welland
Royal Canadian Legion: 363 Morningstar Av. on Nov. 11, 2015 @ 10:30 a.m.
Here is a video of Remembrance Day footage taken on Clifton Hill, Niagara Falls at the Great War Memorial. You can find this structure on Clifton Hill leading into Queen Victoria Park:
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