“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.”
These powerfully sad lines, written by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae in 1915 while entrenched in the bloody battlefront in Ypres, Belgium, are inscribed on a wall in the Memorial Chamber in the Peace Tower on Parliament Hill in Ottawa. This is appropriate, for the Chamber is considered the “holiest spot on Canadian soil.”
Parliament Hill in Ottawa is more than just a hill and cluster of magnificent sandstone buildings, it is the heart of Canada. Crowning the Hill is the Peace Tower, which was built just after the First World War as a memorial to Canada’s role in that war. The soaring Gothic lines symbolize both victory and peace.
The slender Peace Tower with its carillon, observatory deck, dominant gargoyles and topped by the Canadian flag, is magnificent. But the Memorial Chamber, a small room near its base, is its soul. This beautiful room conveys the dignity and grace of a Gothic cathedral but is also steeped in emotional memories of the years of suffering and sacrifice of the First World War. A special ceremony held every day forms a personal connection between the living today and those who passed away defending our country. No one leaves with dry eyes.
Entering the chapel through great wrought-iron gates the mood turns sombre and you are transported back to a horrible time. Everything is steeped in memories of the great bloodbath that took place between 1914 and 1918.
The Chamber was designed as a national shrine to Canadians who gave their lives during the war in France and Flanders. The stones in the Chamber come from Canada’s allies: the pale white walls are made of stone from France, the altar is white limestone from England, and the altar steps are black marble from Belgium. The floor is of stone from the battlefields where Canadians fought, which forms the shape of a large cross. The stone is inlaid with shell casings and inscribed with the names of major battles including Ypres, Mont Sorel, Vimy Ridge, Amiens and the Somme.
The ceiling is high and vaulted. Stained glass windows allow sombre light to enter through three walls. Over the entrance doorway are carved the heads of animals including a dog, horse and carrier pigeons that served the troops during the war. You are immersed in graceful beauty and memories, memories, memories.
The poem, “In Flanders Fields” is carved into the east wall. A shiver will run down your spine as you read the lines in this peaceful spot and imagine the horrors that McCrae and his comrades experienced.
“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.”
The Altar of Remembrance dominates the centre of the Chamber; it is ornately carved with the arms of Canada and bears a gold-framed glass casket. On the altar rests a Book of Remembrance, which contains the names of all the Canadians who died in World War I, inscribed in calligraphy and arranged alphabetically. Because the bodies of these Canadians were buried in cemeteries in France and Belgium, the purpose of the Book of Remembrance was to record and commemorate these people in this special place in their own country.
Initially, only those who perished in World War I were enshrined, but subsequently six more volumes were produced. Together, the seven Books of Remembrance contain more than 118,000 names of all Canadians who have died in wars since 1867. These include the names of those who fell in both world wars; those who died in 1884-1902, which includes the Nile Expedition and the Boer War; those who perished while serving in the Merchant Navy; those who died in the Korean War; and to Newfoundlanders who died from 1867 to 1949, before the Colony joined Canada. The seven volumes are placed on the central altar and side tables around the circumference of the room. All the books are open so the names on the pages are visible.
A special ceremony, which builds a link between past and present on a very personal level, is held in the Chamber every morning. The pages in the Books of Remembrance are turned in such a way that every name is visible at least once a year. An appointment can be made to be present when a specific name appears.
Frank and Jean Cummins and their granddaughter, Arielle, recently visited the Memorial Chamber with the goal of seeing the name of Frank’s grandfather, also named Frank Cummins, in the Book of Remembrance. He died on August 17, 1917, from stray shrapnel and was buried at age 34 in a French cemetery.
“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.”
At 11:00 am, a uniformed guard entered the Chamber, stood before the Altar, bowed, saluted and turned the page in the book for World War I. He repeated the process for each Book of Remembrance going around the Chamber in a counter-clockwise direction. After he left, the room was silent as the Cummins family stepped up to the Altar of Remembrance with bowed heads and gazed at the Book of Remembrance and the name Frank Cummins, the grandfather of Frank and the great-great-grandfather of Arielle. It was a sad and moving moment.
So many like Frank Cummins paid the ultimate price for us to live in peace and security, and the Memorial Chamber helps ensure their sacrifice does not go unremembered or unappreciated.
IF YOU GO
To search Books of Remembrance for a name and date of appearance, visit: http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/remembrance/memorials/books/search
To book attendance for a specific page-turning ceremony, contact Gilles Gervais, Assistant Deputy Sergeant-at-Arms; gilles.gervais@parl.gc.ca; 613-996-1826.
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