Library News

Origins of Remembrance Day

Why is this day special to Australians?

At 11 am on 11 November 1918 the guns on the Western Front fell silent after more than four years of continuous warfare. The allied armies had driven the German invaders back, having inflicted heavy defeats upon them over the preceding four months. In November the Germans called for an armistice (suspension of fighting) in order to secure a peace settlement. They accepted allied terms that amounted to unconditional surrender.

The 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month attained a special significance in the post-war years. The moment when hostilities ceased on the Western Front became universally associated with the remembrance of those who had died in the war. This first modern world conflict had brought about the mobilisation of over 70 million people and left between 9 and 13 million dead, perhaps as many as one-third of them with no known grave. The allied nations chose this day and time for the commemoration of their war dead.

#We Remember Them

Reference: Australian War Memorial (2020) Origins of Remembrance Day. Viewed on 09 Nov, 2021. https://www.awm.gov.au/commemoration/remembrance-day/traditions

See the resources available on the Australian War Memorial site HERE 

Ms Joyce Sendeckyj 

Head of Library