On November 11th, 2018 bells will ring out across Canada to mark 100 years since the end of the First World War.
Ringing of bells and gravesite flags to commemorate Armistice 100
With five symbolic peals from the HMCS Carleton Naval Bell, The Royal Canadian Legion in partnership with Veterans Affairs Canada launched Bells of Peace in Ottawa today. The initiative honours the 100thanniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended the fighting in the First World War.
At the setting of the sun on November 11 this year, the Parliament Hill carillon along with spiritual centres, Legion branches and many community locations across the country will ring their bells one hundred times.
"This powerful sound symbolizing peace from coast to coast will allow Canadians to stop, remember and feel the joy that the end of war brought after so much death and destruction," says Legion Dominion President Thomas D. Irvine. "It will also be a reflection of the deep respect we hold for our many Veterans who served in the First World War and for those who continue to serve our country today."
"A century ago, celebratory bells rang out across the world to mark the end of the First World War. This November 11, the Peace Tower bells in Ottawa will ring, as will those in Mons, Belgium, the final town liberated by the Canadian Corps in 1918. We will honour those who served Canada, past and present, by ringing these Bells of Peace as symbols of victory, relief and joy on the 100th anniversary of the Armistice," says Seamus O'Regan, Minister of Veterans Affairs and Associate Minister of National Defence. "As the bells toll, we will reflect on the Canadian Armed Forces members who continue to defend the peace and freedom we enjoy today, carrying on the tradition of those who have served so bravely since the First World War."
On November 11, 1918, when news of the Armistice broke, churches across Canada responded by spontaneously ringing their bells. Each peal one hundred years later will honour the more than 66,000 Canadians and Newfoundlanders killed, the over 172,000 wounded and the countless others who suffered invisible yet painful wounds.
As part of the initiative, and leading up to Remembrance Day, youth across Canada are invited to place small Canadian flags on the gravesites of First World War Veterans in as many locations around the country as possible.
On November 11 at sundown, the Bells of Peace will ring across the country, beginning in St. John's, Newfoundland and Labrador, and ending on Vancouver Island, British Columbia. These two locations in Canada, and others in between, played key roles during the First World War. Each of them will hold additional commemorative activities on Remembrance Day.
At the Ottawa launch event, Canada Post Corporation also unveiled its newest commemorative stamp, which marks the Armistice with symbolic images of struggle, peace and remembrance: barbed wire, a dove, and a poppy.
To learn more about the Bells of Peace initiative, please visit Legion.ca.
To learn more about the Armistice 100 stamp, please visit canadapost.ca.
About The Royal Canadian Legion
Founded in 1925, the Legion is Canada's largest Veteran support and community service organization. We are a non-profit organization with a national reach across Canada as well as branches in the U.S., Europe and Mexico. With close to 275,000 members, many of whom volunteer an extraordinary amount of time to their branches, our strength is in our numbers.
About Veterans Affairs Canada
French version: veterans.gc.ca/100jours
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