At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we shall remember them.
-Excerpt from Laurence Binyon’s For the Fallen
It might seem like more than a century away and it would be very easy to forget those who paid the ultimate sacrifice as they fought for our freedom, but those gathered into the tight confines of the bell tower of the United Church have not forgotten.
The occasion was the ringing of the church bells 100 times to commemorate the 100 years since the end of what was called The Great War.
Up in the tower, there wasn’t much space for more than a few people waiting to pull on the rope and someone to keep track of how many times the bell had sounded.
While in the past many churches were equipped with bells and towers to hang them in, not many now are so accoutered. Locally, The Smithers United Church appears to be the only one.
The event took place at the going down of the sun, 4:32 p.m. on Sunday, Nov. 11. The tiny room with that special rope was crammed and others waited on the stairs for a chance to give the rope a tug.
While waiting there were anecdotes about personal experiences and those of relatives. As a veteran of more than 20 years service, Greg Miller was given the honour of getting the bell ringing rolling.
One attendee related the tales of small towns in which most of the young men who had served had also paid the big price. The cost to those communities was incalculable. The price of freedom can be very high but they were willing to pay it for us.
Smithers will have been one of the last sites where the bell ringing ceremony will have taken place due to the lack of bell towers and its western location.
We can only bow our heads and thank those who have helped to make it possible for us to have our treasured way of life.