Sasha Odesse

When you were in elementary school, or even high school you most likely had to attend a Remembrance Day assembly with your class, where a wreath was carried to the stage, bagpipers marched in a veteran who then gave a long and touching speech and “The Last Post” was played either by some musically inclined student or off a CD which was finally followed by two minutes of silence. Most likely, there was that kid that refused to stop talking and during the two minutes of silence you were trying desperately to think about what it would’ve been like in the trenches or in the midst of battle and failed miserably. And why would the 6-12 year-old versions of ourselves be able to recall such memories? Since you have never experienced, and will most likely not ever experience, anything even remotely close to the terrors, the guilt, the sorrow, the immense tragedies of war.  

Now, as students of the University of Guelph, you aren’t forced to partake in any Remembrance Day activities or spend two minutes in silence at 11 a.m, but perhaps you should.  As students, you are now at the age when, if you had lived through WWI or WWII, we would’ve been required to leave our country and fight in the war.  We aren’t living in that time, however.

The way in which we engage in Remembrance Day activities is through post-memory. Post-memory can be defined as the memories that are felt by the second generations. These memories are often so powerful that second generation persons feel as if the memory is their own, even if they did not experience it. 

There are numerous ways in which students can partake in post-memory ceremonies in Guelph, on and off-campus.

On Nov. 10, Holocaust Survivor, Vera Schiff will speak about her experience in the Theresienstadt concentration camp and her survival of the Holocaust.  Schiff is from Prague, Czechoslovakia and was the only member of her family to survive the horrors of the Holocaust.  This event is part of both Peace Week, Diversity Week  and Genocide Awareness month.  Peace Week 2011 will take place from Nov. 9 to 16 with a number of peace-themed activities organized by the university’s Multi-Faith Resource Team.

More information and a schedule of Peace Week events can be found on the U of G Multi-Faith Resource Team Facebook page

On Remembrance Day, services will be held at War Memorial Hall at 10:30 a.m.

As well, Guelph Transit buses will be stopping for a moment of silence at 11 a.m.

John McCrae House will be open by donation from 9 a.m. to 5 p.m. There will be a short service held in the McCrae Garden at 9 a.m. organized by the Royal Canadian Legion. The John McCrae Public School will be holding their Remembrance Day Assembly following the service.

The Guelph Amateur Radio Club will be at the McCrae House broadcasting a reading of “In Flanders Fields” and information about John McCrae as well as discussing the significance of Remembrance Day.

There will be a Remembrance Day parade at 9:50 a.m. starting at the Armory on Farquhar Street and marching to the Sleeman Centre, where there will be a service, including the laying of wreaths, prayer, two minutes of silence and the firing salute followed by speeches from Guelph’s political leaders. The parade will then march past the Cenotaph at around 11:30 a.m. and conclude at the Armory.

You can also visit the Cenotaph located at the corner of Eramosa and Woolwich Street.

On Sunday Nov. 13 Rev. Dr. Ronald C. Smeaton will be the guest speaker at Norfolk Street United Church for the celebration of the 85^th anniversary of Col. John McCrae Branch of the Royal Canadian Legion and the 145^th anniversary of the 11^th Field Regiment.

Engaging with post-memories of war and loss can be as easy as taking two minutes of your day to reflect and remember those who served in the war so that we could we be here today, going about our lives, studying for midterms, ordering a coffee, sleeping in late. All of these little things that we take for granted, we owe to the soldiers who fought for these freedoms and so much more. Whether you spend two minutes of your day in silence or attend one of the Remembrance Day events in Guelph, it is important to remember, lest we forget.

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