Remembrance

At the 11th hour, on the 11th day of the 11th month…the guns fell silent.  Remembrance Day is a memorial day observed in Commonwealth of Nations member states since the end of the First World War to remember the members of their armed forces who have died in the line of duty. However, this Remembrance Day, I wish to honour two who did not die in the line of duty.

The first is my maternal grandfather.  He enlisted in the army only to be scooped up by the navy during the process.  He served aboard the HMCS Transcona, a Bangor class minesweeper as an anti-submarine escort for trade convoys.

The second is my paternal grandfather.  He attempted to enlist in the army, but was medically rejected.  He served during the war, at the brass factory, preparing shells.