Lest We Forget

Every November we are once again reminded not to forget.  But with the passing of those who could tell us of the pain, the terror and yes the adventure of wartime, how do we honestly remember.  Many of our historians prefer to deal with the "big pictures" and the "big men".  As undeniably important as these presentations of the past are, how can we remember the efforts of the young farm boy who marched off to the fields of Flanders, never to be seen again.  Or the clerk who lived through the cold, wet evenings of bombardments in muddy trenches, only to catch some infection and die as a result.  Their deaths may not have been glorious and deserving of high medals, but their valour, for just being there, is something my generation cannot appreciate, cannot properly value.

For this reason, it is very important that the few facts surrounding ordinary soldiers who fought and perhaps died during these horrible episodes of world history, be made available for us all to think about.  The stories of these Canadian Pilons are the stories of our great uncles or great aunts.  They, and the times they lived in, must not be allowed to become faceless, featureless names and events submerged in general discussions which leave them only as silhouettes against a grey sky, a background for more important events and personnages.

Lest we forget them...and they are: