Remembrance Day
NAV BAR



xx

Remembrance Day Facts

REMEMBERANCE DAY Second World war veteran Ernest"Smokey" Smith of Vancouver and Silver Cross Mother, Alice Taylor of Ottawa visit Parliament Hill in Ottawa during 1997 ceremonies. Mrs. Taylor is 100 years old and becomes Remembrance Day S ilver Cross Mother for the second time at a ceremony to be held in Ottawa Novemeber 11. (CP PHOTO)
(From the Ministry of Veterans Affairs)

 Remembrance Day commemorates Canadians who died in the First and Second World Wars and the Korean War. It is held every November 11, beginning at 11 a.m.
 
 The first Remembrance Day was conducted in 1919 throughout the Commonwealth. Originally called Armistice Day, it commemorated the end of the First World War on Monday, Nov. 11, 1918 at 11 a.m.: the eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month.
 
 From 1923 to 1931, Armistice Day was held on the Monday of the week in which November 11 fell. Thanksgiving was also celebrated on this day.
 
 In 1931, M.P. Allan Neill introduced a bill to hold Armistice Day on a fixed day - November 11. During the bill's introduction, it was decided the word "Remembrance" would be used instead of "Armistice". The bill passed and Remembrance Day was conducted on Nov. 11, 1931. Thanksgiving Day was moved to Oct. 12 that year.
 
 The poppy is the symbol of Remembrance Day. Replica poppies are sold by the Royal Canadian Legion to raise money for needy veterans.




Remembrance Day Links
Veterans Affairs Canada Royal Canadian Legion
Canadian Military history links:
World War I
World War II
Korean War
Canadian War Museum
Books of Remembrance
(Canada's war dead)