David Thomas, President of the Claremont RSL Sub-Branch and a good friend of our Club, came along on the 11th of November to remind us what Remembrance Day is all about. Dave reiterated that the Armistice between the Allies and Germany came into effect at 11am on 11 November 1918. The guns fell silent on the Western Front and after more than four years of unimaginable bloodshed and destruction, the war was finally over. However it took until 29th June 1919 for the formal peace treaty to be signed in the Hall of Mirrors in the Palace of Versailles. During World War I, the battlefields of the Western Front in northern France and Belgium were churned up by shelling and trench digging, and a weed called poppies thrived in the disturbed soil. These poppies bloomed in huge numbers across the fields where soldiers had fallen and been buried – hence the significance of poppies in the ceremonies that still take place each year. After the end of the Second World War, the Australian and British governments changed the name from Armistice Day to Remembrance Day.Dave then presented a short slide show which underlined various facets:
- Connecting with history
- Valuing peace
- Supporting our Veterans
- Promoting unity
Remember; Reflect; & Act