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The Royal Canadian Legion pays tribute with Bells for Peace

A sound will ring out across Canada on the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War

The Royal Canadian Legion was born from the ashes of the First World War. As Canada’s largest veterans’ organization, it had held the torch of remembrance to never forget the sacrifices made in the name of Canada and for Canadians.

On November 11, 2018, 100 years will have passed since the conclusion of the Great War. As a tribute to all Canadians that served in this horrific struggle, the Legion sought to create an event that allows Canadian—if only for a moment—to stop and feel the joy of peace after so much death and destruction.

One hundred years ago, church bells across Europe tolled as four years of war had come to an end. The Legions’ Bells of Peace initiative commemorates that moment in remembrance of our veterans. At sunset on November 11, the bells will ring at Parliament Hill, city halls, places of worship, military bases, Naval vessels and at ceremonies across the country to honour Canada’s veterans and commemorate the end of the First World War. The bells will toll 100 times, with a five second interval between each sounding.

The Legion’s Bells of Peace initiative marks the contributions and sacrifices that Canadians made during the First World War. Approximately seven per cent of the population was in uniform at some point during the war, and hundreds of thousands of additional Canadians worked on the home front in support. Thus, the country’s citizens were all touched in some capacity by the war.

The Legion is encouraging Canadians to attend bell ringings across the country and share photos and videos of the Bells of Peace initiative on social media using the hashtags #100Bells and #100Cloches.

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