zondag 11 november 2007

Remembrance Day

by Carola

Vandaag is het Remembrance Day. Dat is zeg maar de Dodenherdenking hier. Elk jaar op de 11e dag van de 11e maand om 11.00 uur houdt iedereen hier 1 minuut stilte om de gevallen soldaten te herdenken. Het symbool is de rode klaproos.

De herdenking in Brisbane vindt plaats bij het Shrine of Remembrance.



What is Remembrance Day?
Remembrance Day - 11 November - is set aside as a day to remember the sacrifice of those who have died for Australia in wars and conflicts. It was originally known as Armistice Day.
Why is This Day So Special to Australians?
At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns of the Western Front fell silent after more than four years continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted the allied terms of unconditional surrender.
The eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration
~~ Lest we Forget ~~