Remembrance Day 2017
Significance
Remembrance Day (sometimes known informally as Poppy 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. Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November in most countries to recall the end of hostilities of World War I on that date in 1918. Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month”, in accordance with the armistice signed by representatives of Germany and the Entente between 5:12 and 5:20 that morning. (“At the 11th hour” refers to the passing of the 11th hour, or 11:00 am.)
Observance
Remembrance Sunday is held in the United Kingdom and the Commonwealth of Nations as a day “to commemorate the contribution of British and Commonwealth military and civilian servicemen and women in the two World Wars and later conflicts”. It is held on the second Sunday in November, the Sunday nearest to 11 November.
Remembrance Sunday is observed by the IMF every year on the 2nd Sunday of November, and is a solemn ceremony, during which wreaths are laid on behalf of various organizations. An eminent member of the Shipping fraternity is invited as the Chief Guest; this year it was Capt Kiran Kamat, Chairman and managing Director of Link Shipping and Management System. Also in attendance were senior officers of the Indian Navy, Indian Army and local dignitaries. This year we were fortunate to have our President Arvind Saraf, and First Lady Vidya with us, as also Rtn Shirish Mohile. Also present on the occasion was Mr. Pradeep Rawat, Chairman of the newly formed National Shipping Board.
Seamen’s War Memorial
This Ceremony was held at the Seamen’s War Memorial, located inside the Bund Garden (Mahatma Gandhi Udyan), Pune, on the 12th of November 2017. Many people are unaware of the existence of this memorial and its significance. It was built through the initiative of our very own Rtn Cmde Rajan Vir, the President of Indian Maritime Foundation, and his persistent efforts with the Pune Municipal Corporation (PMC). Also involved in this project was another eminent member of our Club, Rtn Shirish Mohile, who was the Architect of this project, and spent many hours supervising the construction. The Memorial was inaugurated on Gandhi Jayanti, 2008. It is built to commemorate the sacrifice made by 7955 Seamen, who lost their lives while sailing on board Allied merchant Ships during the two World Wars, and is dedicated to the City of Pune.
Invocation by Rtn Dr. Saroj Bande
The function began with an Invocation by Rtn Dr. Saroj Bande, which was followed by a recitation of the Naval Prayer by yours truly. Cmde Rajan Vir welcomed all present and in his welcome address paid tributes to the sacrifices made not only by the seamen, in whose memory this memorial is constructed, but also other Indians who gallantly fought alongside British amd other Allied troops during the two World Wars. He reminded all, that over 70,000 Indians lost their lives during the wars. This year is also being celebrated as the Centenary year of the First World War, which ended in 1918.
Speech by Capt Kiran Kamat
In his Speech, Capt Kiran Kamat, brought out the necessity of also honouring the present-day seamen, who for want of suitable jobs, may die of hunger, if the country does not take urgent measures to at least double the number of ships flying the Indian Flag. He also talked about encouraging Coastal Shipping, which is a much cleaner and greener way of transportation of goods, and how the Govt. could make it the cheapest form of transportation, by removing the ‘hidden’ costs, such as the necessity of passing through Customs and Immigration, even when the port of origin and the destination port are both in India.
Last Post
After the wreath Laying, the ‘Last Post’ is played by Buglers; we were fortunate to have the services of two buglers from the B.E.G. Centre. A word about the ‘Last Post’: The “First Post” call signals the start of the duty officer’s inspection of a camp’s sentry posts, sounding a call at each one. The “Last Post” call originally signaled merely that the final sentry post had been inspected, and the camp was secure for the night.[4] In addition to its normal garrison use, the Last Post call had another function at the close of a day of battle. It signalled to those who were still out and wounded or separated that the fighting was done, and to follow the sound of the call to find safety and rest.
Its use in Remembrance Day ceremonies has two generally unexpressed purposes: the first is an implied summoning of the spirits of the Fallen, the second is to symbolically end the day, so that the period of silence before the Rouse is blown becomes in effect a ritualized night vigil. Serving Military Officers are required to Salute while the last post is being played.
“The Rouse” is a bugle call most often associated with the military in Commonwealth countries.
The use of both “Last Post” and “The Rouse” at memorial ceremonies essentially turns the one-minute silence into a ritualized night vigil. The selection of “The Rouse” in the ceremony as assembled in the aftermath of the First World War also carries a subtle Christian reference to Judgement Day and the implied hope that there will be a day when the living and the dead arise together.
Performance by SCC
The audience were then treated to a ten-minute performance by young members of the Sea Cadet Corps, Pune Band, as they played martial tunes. This marked the end of the ceremony.
