Tuesday, September 26, 2017

Sentries At The Memorial

The Response, the formal title of Canada's National War Memorial, is a favourite photo subject for me. This first shot had it looking quite bleak, with the Chateau Laurier in the background.


On another day, the weather was in fine form as I visited, circling around the Memorial and taking in all of the details. The Memorial was inaugurated in 1939 by King George VI and Queen Elizabeth as a tribute to veterans of the First World War, and serves as a national memorial to all of the fallen of Canadian wars and military service. The Tomb of The Unknown Soldier is at its base, a more recent addition. It contains the remains of an unknown Canadian soldier re-interred here from his resting place at Vimy Ridge. From early April to the 10th of November, sentries are posted here throughout the day, standing at post for an hour before they are relieved by the next shift. They come from each branch of the armed forces, and will spend a few days doing this, twice a day, coming in from all parts of the country. Have a look at the changing of the sentries in this video. The ritual is brief, conducted at the end of the hour, alternating between English and French.

39 comments:

  1. It's quite an impressive monument, from all angles.

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  2. Very outstanding memorial. Have a beautiful day!

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  3. Lots of detail on the memorial. I love the bilingual aspect. Are you equally fluent in both English and French?

    Janis
    GDP

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  4. A grand and impressive memorial to rightly honor those who gave so much to preserve freedom and human worth. With the crazy man in the White House, it might be good to speak of such memorials and their meaning and how easy it is to lose those things that make life worth living!

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  5. @Kay: it certainly is.

    @Nancy: it suits its purpose well.

    @Francisco: thanks.

    @Regine: thank you.

    @Janis: my French has become quite rough from lack of use.

    @Tom: it certainly is big.

    @Marianne: I agree!

    @Lady Fi: definitely.

    @Lowell: quite true.

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  6. Great perspective in the first and second shot. And sunlight makes such a difference!

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  7. Both the memorial and guard changing make us stop and remember. It makes us think about many things

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  8. It certainly is an impressive monument.

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  9. English, French and a wee bit of 'Scotland the Brave' 😊 I love this memorial William, it's one of the best I've seen.

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  10. @Bill: it was designed in just the right way. It's not celebration, but commemoration.

    @Marleen: it really makes a huge difference.

    @Red: I agree.

    @Sharon: definitely!

    @Grace: whenever I pass through there, I stop for a moment or so and reflect.

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  11. I can see why it is a favourite monument to the fallen soldiers. Very impressive.

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  12. It's a beautiful monument. Love the view both in gray and under the blue sky!

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  13. Hello, the war memorial is beautiful. Happy Tuesday, enjoy your day!

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  14. I can see why it's a favorite of yours. Some very impressive bronzework.

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  15. It is much nicer in the sunshine!

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  16. What a neat memorial. So big and so much detail. Thanks for sharing

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  17. @Christine: the original designer made a masterpiece of it.

    @Tamago: it is as much sacred ground as I can define the term.

    @Lois: this place has great meaning to me.

    @Revrunner: that was a particularly clear day!

    @Eileen: thank you!

    @Catalyst: the sculptures in and above the gateway are incredibly realistic.

    @RedPat: it is, yes.

    @Jo: you're welcome.

    @Norma: definitely!

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  18. It is a very striking memorial and your photos are great.

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  19. What a beautiful memorial this is! It's gigantic! So grand!

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  20. It is a beautiful monument, William!

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  21. @Beth: if we have a theme day on shadows next year, this is going to be my subject.

    @Bill: it certainly is.

    @Denise: thank you!

    @Tanya: it's the largest monument here in the city, especially when you add in the terrace around it.

    @Linda: it certainly is.

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  22. Wonderful to see when so many in my country are just the opposite when it comes to anything that might make them patrotic.

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  23. It's quite a monument and even looks good in silhouette.

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  24. Movingly shown and explained, William

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  25. Such iconic photos.
    P.S. for the last 4 posts I keep meaning to say how lovely your header is. sigh. Brain fart. again.

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  26. @Mari: it depends on one's interpretation of patriotism. My definition is not blind idolization of someone who's unfit for office. In fact, I would argue that dissent is a hallmark of a functioning democracy.

    @Linda: it certainly does.

    @Cloudia: thanks!

    @Jennifer: thank you!

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