The Price of Peace and the Fragility of Freedom

Every year on November 11, at 11 a.m., we wear red poppies, observe moments of silence, and remember those who served, sacrificed, and died as a result of conflict. During the Second World War, 44 Shawnigan alumni and one staff member gave their lives for our freedom. In total, more than 100,000 Canadians have died in the service of this country. These men and women fought not just for their families and friends, but for all of us. However, our remembrance and reverence for them extends far beyond Canada’s borders.

 

Today, as conflicts rage in Ukraine, Israel and Palestine, the Middle East, and many others, 27 lives are lost every hour to war. We wear poppies not only to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice in the great wars, but also ongoing armed conflicts around the globe.

 

This past summer, I had the opportunity to visit the French province of Normandy – site of the historic D-Day landings. As soon as we arrived, we were greeted by the fresh ocean air, warm sunshine, and the welcoming people of the region. But that initial sense of peace quickly faded when we visited the Canadian War Cemetery.

 

There, row upon row of gravestones stretched out before us, each one marked with a service member’s name, age, hometown, and date of death. At first, I was struck by the sheer number of graves, but I didn’t fully understand the weight of what I was seeing. That understanding came later.

 

While browsing the cemetery registry, my dad and I found the name of Lt. William S. Ferguson – a Shawnigan alumnus, a man who once walked through these gates, sat in this Chapel, played on this rugby pitch, and lived on these lands. Standing among those graves, I felt history come alive. It reminded me that his sacrifice ripples through families, communities, and generations.

 

Later that week I began to realize the amount of death that truly occurred. We travelled west to visit Omaha and Utah Beach, where we went to the American cemetery. There, thousands upon thousands of young men and women lay buried in perfectly aligned white crosses. To give you a sense of scale, the cemetery is about 30 acres in size – that’s roughly 20 times the size of the Canada Field rugby pitch.

 

For the first time in my life, I was surrounded by death on that scale. Standing in a place where nearly half a million people perished in the span of two months truly changed my perspective on history, conflict, and the meaning of Remembrance Day.

 

So, why do we remember those who gave their lives for ours? It’s not just to honour history – it’s a reminder of the price of peace and the fragility of freedom.

 

When I learned I would have the privilege of standing here today, I asked members of the Shawnigan community if they had any personal connections to those lost in war. The answer was overwhelmingly "yes." Many spoke of great-grandfathers, uncles, aunts, family friends, and distant cousins – virtually every corner of their families had been touched by loss in some way.

 

War is, without a doubt, a terrible thing. November 11 is not a day to celebrate, but to commemorate. We don’t celebrate victory; instead, we honour the courage, sacrifice, and bravery of those who gave their lives.