Wednesday, November 8, 2006 · Page 10 Symbol of the battlefield Symbol of the battlefield The poppy is more than a memory of the battlefield, it is the universal symbol of all the lost lives and selfless acts of our troops in all wars, past and present. Each November, millions of Canadians wear the Legion's red poppy. The small red flower has never been forgotten, nor has the memory of the more than 117,000 soldiers who died in combat. The poppy has been the official flower of Remembrance Day since 1921. Immortalized by the poem "In Flanders Fields", by John McCrae, the poppy ensures that the men and women who gave their lives shall never be forgotten. When he wrote his poem, Lieutenant Colonel McCrae had just lost a fellow soldier, who died in combat. An expression of his anguish and a reflection of his surroundings, John McCrae wrote these 15 lines in 20 minutes. He was in a field where multitudes of wild poppies grew among the simple wooden crosses that marked the improvised graves. He would never have imagined that the red poppy would soon become the symbol of our fallen soldiers. In Flanders Fields In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. We Will Remember Phone: (519) 776-6457 29 Talbot Street North, Essex, Ontario The 11 hour of the of the th th Canadians who served the cause of freedom in the Great War, World War Two, Korea, Vietnam, the Gulf War and today in Afghanistan. As well as those who served the cause of peace in other distant places like Haiti, the Balkans and the Middle East. exÅxÅuÜtÇvx Wtç, when we remember those Tà à{x zÉ|Çz wÉãÇ Éy à{x áâÇ tÇw |Ç à{x ÅÉÜÇ|Çz? ãx ã|ÄÄ ÜxÅxÅuxÜ à{xÅA 11 month.g|Åx áàtÇwá áà|ÄÄA 11 day 29 Talbot Street North Essex, ON N8M 2Y1 Phone: (519)776-6457 Fax: (519) 776-7400 th www.dpmins.com Reid Funeral Home Limited 87 Maidstone Avenue East, Essex Craig & Lorna Baker Funeral Directors Wear a poppy and r emember. Rem emb rance Day services, S a t u r d a y N o v e m b e r 1 1 a t 1 0 a m a t E s s e x U n i t e d C h u r c h , th e n to the Cenotaph for 11. Plan on attending " A n E m p t y C h a i r f o r t he H o l i d a y s " . Christine Byrne presents timely advice on coping with the holidays after the loss of loved ones. This informal get-together is Wednesday Nov. 22 at 7:30pm at the Essex Railway Station www.reidfuneralhome.ca 519-776-4233 FUNERAL HOME LTD 128 TALBOT ST. N. ESSEX 776-7378