Thursday, November 15, 2018

A Memorial At Night

I went off to the Canadian War Museum after the national service, which we'll start looking at tomorrow, and returned to the downtown core afterwards. I reached the War Memorial around quarter after five in the evening, after the sun had already set. There were still a good number of people around the Memorial. This shot from the south features Parliament Hill's East Block off to the left (with a section of it lit up beneath scaffolding as part of the work going on here) and the Chateau Laurier at the right.


The Memorial dates to 1939, but at its base is a more recent addition, dating to 2000. The Tomb Of The Unknown Soldier was placed here at the turn of the millennium. The body of an unknown Canadian soldier was selected from a cemetery near Vimy Ridge. The World War One battle was one of the watershed moments in Canadian history, and this soldier was selected to be repatriated back to Canada and placed here. The poppies and other items you see here happen each Remembrance Day, and started with the first Remembrance Day after the installment and dedication of the Tomb, a spontaneous act by the public that has since been embraced by the country as a whole.


This being the centennial year of the end of the Great War, the wreaths placed by several of the key dignitaries were different than usual. In 1919, wreaths of the time looked like this. The governor general, the Silver Cross Mother, and others placed these wreaths. In addition, another wreath was placed in commemoration of the First World War.


The rest of the wreaths, placed around the other sides of the Memorial, were of the kind I'm used to. Government ministries, various organizations, political parties, other levels of government, diplomatic missions, and private individuals placed wreaths here during and after the service.


Here we have a view of the National Arts Centre lit up across from the Memorial grounds. As I mentioned yesterday, for whatever reason the falling poppies showed up better in daylight on my camera than by night.


I paused to take a couple more shots of the Memorial and the Tomb.

42 comments:

  1. Your "quarter after five" made me laugh :-)
    Because East and West Germans - if they use such sayings - do it differrent and no one knows what time is meant.

    The Tomb, if you can say so, looks beautiful, especially as it was a spontaneous act.

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  2. Yes the Germans say a quarter after five, I found it completely normal as expression ! Your photos are beautiful although the object is rather sad !

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  3. Another interesting round up of the occasion.

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  4. A beautiful memorial especially so when lighted up.

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  5. ...all of those poppies are quite impressive.

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  6. That first photo of the memorial at night shows how much it stands out, even in darkness. Spectacular!

    Janis
    GDP

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  7. I'm struck by the symbolism of the poppies every year.

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  8. Hello, the memorial at night is beautiful. The poppies and wreaths are lovely. Enjoy your day, have a great weekend ahead!

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  9. So much honor and attention is given to these monuments. It would be better if we paid this much attention to others before the war.

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  10. well remembered. i enjoy the colors they did pick. ( ;

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  11. @Iris: and that spontaneous act has become tradition.

    @Gattina: I find the memorial very moving.

    @Joan: thank you!

    @Nancy: it really is.

    @Marianne: definitely.

    @Tom: that they are.

    @Janis: indeed!

    @Jan: me too.

    @Eileen: thanks!

    @Sandi: true.

    @Beth: so do I.

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  12. Those poppies are such a wonderful thing to see, so many of them. It's a fitting tribute to these brave men.

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  13. You did a fine jobs covering and sharing this.

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  14. All those poppies! I love seeing them.

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  15. That memorial lit up at night is stunning! What a fine commemoration for those who gave up everything to help ensure the future for our children and grandchildren.

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  16. This area is well lit so you get some bright photos.

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  17. @DJan: it is a wonderful tradition.

    @Anvilcloud: thank you.

    @Sharon: so do I.

    @Lowell: the designer behind the Memorial did a magnificent job.

    @Red: definitely so on this night. Most nights certain segments of the Memorial are lit more so than others.

    @MB: true.

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  18. Great photos William. The memorial is beautiful all lit up, and at the same very moving.

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  19. The memorial looks fabulous against that dark blue sky!

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  20. The memorial looks awesome all lit up, it's very pretty to see. Wonderful photos, William.

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  21. Wonderful night time shots and wonderful colors too in your memorial photos!

    Happy Day to you,
    A ShutterBug Explores,
    aka (A Creative Harbor)

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  22. Pretty to see the photos taken at night. The poppies are impressive.

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  23. @Denise: I agree!

    @RedPat: it definitely does.

    @Bill: thank you!

    @Carol: thanks!

    @Maywyn: it's well lit, particularly on that night.

    @Happyone: they are.

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  24. The wreaths are so beautiful! I love the poppies too.

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  25. I think Canada seems to pay more attention to remembrance than the U.S., but I live far from our capitol so I can't tell. (But I do know the Orange Menace couldn't even stir himself to visit our Unknown this year, or the French graves we paid for him to visit. What an embarrassment.)

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    1. He can't bother to do anything that shows respect to anyone but himself.

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  26. Amazing photos. The wreaths are so beautiful and the falling poppies so moving:)

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  27. Oh, those poppies and wreaths on the memorial -- so beautiful and touching.

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  28. Very poignant images William, the memorial looks wonderful lit up at night ✨

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  29. The memorial at night looks most beautiful.
    To see all the poppies and wreaths is beautiful yet touching, as we remember all those no longer with us.

    A very good post.

    All the best Jan

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