One cello was destined to become a canvas when a 63-year-old musician with two cellos and an artist fresh out of high school regularly volunteered together at The Carrot. After all, Bernadette Alseth could not play both cellos simultaneously. During one of their conversations, Alseth asked the artist, Ariel Casapao Jr., to read John McCrae’s poem, In Flanders Fields.
Some people question the lasting importance of the poem. Those questioners may not know that Nov. 11, while honouring veterans of all wars, is really about the First World War. It commemorates the armistice signed between the Allies and Germany at Compiègne, France, for the cessation of hostilities on the Western Front. The armistice took effect on the 11th month, 11th day, 11th hour, and 11th minute of 1918. Continue reading Honouring family and Remembrance DayMy Father’s Cello brings popular wartime poem to life →
The 51st Battalion (Edmonton) infantry trained at Northlands during the First World War. | City of Edmonton Archives.
Women and children among Syrian refugees striking at the platform of Budapest Keleti railway station. Refugee crisis. Budapest, Hungary, Central Europe, 4 September 2015.
Flag-of-Canada By Makaristos (Own work) [Public domain], via Wikimedia Commons
Growing up as a post-war baby boomer, I’ve often thought the Second World War cast a shadow over my childhood and youth. My father lived through occupied France between the ages of eight and 13. My close friend’s father was a veteran who had marched north up the Italian peninsula with the Canadian Army. My grandmother would speak sadly of her older brother, who was lost when his plane went down while serving in the air force. War left a strong impression on these people which took a long time to process, not only touching them but also those close to them.
