November 11, 2013
Residents across the South Burnett paused at 11:00am today to mark the 95th anniversary of the moment the guns fell silent in World War I.
Hostilities formally ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” in 1918 about six hours after Armistice documents were signed by Germany in a railway carriage at Compiègne in France.
Although the armies began withdrawing from their positions after the signing, bullets were still flying – and people dying – right up until 11:00am that day.
In fact, it’s been estimated an incredible 11,000 casualties occurred on that first Armistice Day.
The Great War was supposed to be “the war to end all wars” but the reality, of course, is that troops have continued to die in conflicts ever since: from World War II through to the current conflict in Afghanistan there has been barely a year when Australian forces have not been involved in either a war or a peace-keeping mission.
Armistice Day these days is “Remembrance Day”, an opportunity to pause and remember the fallen from all wars, bot just the 1914-18 conflict.
Small ceremonies were held in almost all South Burnett towns.
In Kingaroy, former soldiers and dignitaries gathered in Memorial Park to lay wreaths.
Robert Robinson played the Last Post on the bugle and attendees stood in silence before the National Anthem was played.
