Well done to the RSL Gawler sub-branch for hosting yet another touching ceremony at which the local community could pay their respects to our service men and women, both past and present.
Remembrance Day is a day of great significance to not only the world, our country but also the Town of Gawler and the Pioneer Park War Memorial is where we come to remember our fallen.
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.
To learn more about the origins of Remembrance Day visit Origins of Remembrance Day | Australian War Memorial (awm.gov.au)
Or to learn more about our Memorial visit Pioneer Park War Memorial | Town of Gawler Council
Lest we forget.
