ON THIS Remembrance weekend I have a modest proposal to make. We should do what the British have done since the last war and hold the ceremonies on the nearest Sunday to Nov. 11. The reasoning behind this star- ing suggestion is that Nov. 11 has become not much more than a day off. Or leads to a diy off, as it will on Monday for many. The change of mood is not! really surprising, considering that the Second World War ended 50 years ago. Half a century is well over half the average lifetime and soon there will be little point in having a Remembrance Day at all. There won't be anyone left who remem- bers. The war will sink into history, like all other conflicts, and will be left to academics to ‘argue about. , Which, indeed, is happening now. -. Comparatively few people turn out for the ceremonies and it is by no means a “holy day.” Some stores don’t close at all and others open in the afternoon, as if the whole thing should be swept under the carpet and forgot- ten within the hour, That too is understandable. given the half-century factor. Fewer people wear poppies and I doubt that John McCrae’s poem In Flanders Fields is still taught in the schools. There probably isn’t a child in sight who could recite its immor- tal werds. And how many of them would know they were written by a Canadian? That sort of stuff belongs tc “the bad old days” of imperialism and intense national pride, now long out of fashion. ’ That’s why we had The Valour and the Horror on the CBC. Other things have become chic, like _ multiculturalism and political cor- reciness. ‘There are flaws in this argu- ment, of course. Especially for older people. As the years reel away, the past becomes more vivid. Until about 10 years ago | hardly ever thought about the bat- Collins _ | 6 son the 8 other hand tles of yesterday. Yet in 1940, in less than one month's fighting. 137 of my bat- ° talion of 600 men were killed and another 57 severely wounded — about the sume number of deaths as the reconstituted battalion lost in the 10 months from D-Day to the end of the war in Europe. it affects me now when I think about it but it didn’t affect me much then. There was a war on, as people kept saying. In those days, too, if the cause was right we did what we were asked to do. , My platoon “runner’ did. I had sent him to company HQ with a message and on his way back his leg was shattered by a mortar bomb. Was his errand really neces- sary, and did he survive? We did our best for him but when we retreated in the direction of Dunkirk we had to leave him and other wounded behind. “Oxo” didn't survive. “Oxo” was PSM Oxtuby, a tal! Canadian who had ivit this coun- try during the Depression and joined the British Army. He became g Platoon Sergeant Major, had the heart of a tion, and laughed a lot. But he was one of the nk any who caught it, My earliest recollection of . Armistice Day, as it was called in England, was when I was seven or so, and if it feil on a Sunday thou- sands would go to the Cenotaph. My father once took me along with him. But on the way to the memorial the gun for the two- minute silence boomed and every- ream Team at 4 ina 3 HKatr Vogue Come meet the dream team. Vicki specializes in hairstyles for men & Yasmin is very creative with festive hairstyles for short & long styles. All are experienced & professional hairstylists in ail aspects. PERMS @ COLOUR © HIGHLIGHTING DEREK A. CAVE Trial Lawyer Get the settlement you deserve. 2508, Kapilano 100 Building 100 Park Royal, West Van. thing stopped. For 120 seconds there wasn'ta sound in the whole country. For there was hardly a street anywhere from which someone wasn't miss- ing. That was then. And times change. Which is why Remembrance Day has become a day off. : Sul, you could look up MeCrae’s poem. And there's: another one that hits the mark: They shall not grow oid, as we that are left grow old, Age shall not weary them nor the years condemn, That may sound a bit maudlin now, But il’s true. Age docs not weary “Oxo.” If he had lived he would be about 80. For me, though. he will always be 26. And always laughing. a SEER ee HOLIDAYS! North Vancouver May 31/96 aboard the HORIZON BS bly Cities ALASKA y Allow Us To Exceed Your Expectations from § 85 Qusiop 4 1325 Marine Dr. ¢ Ask about our’ ) Noreat Mall Singles Book! Is Private Health Care the Answer} | : It’s your chance to speak out about health care. B. on Health Minister Paul Ramsey goes head to head with BCMA President Dr. Victor Dirnfeld in a CBC Evening News Forum hasted by Kevin Evans. Monday, November 13, 6:30 pm Doots open at 5:30 pm . CBC Television Studios, 700 Hamilton Street Call 662-6872 or 662-6601 to reserve seating CBC Bh Television British Columbia Channel 2 / Cable 3.