Remembering War's End

Another Veterans Day, which means it's time for me to trot out the old Armistice Day routine (and the biplane comics cover). I've always been intrigued by the armistice that ended World War I, closing down the hostilities on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. The agreement had been signed less than six hours earlier, and time was needed to get the news to the front. But who wanted to be in a firefight at 10:59? Apparently Henry Gunther, the last casualty of the war, did. He charged German machine guns against the advice of both his commanding officer and the Germans themselves, who tried to wave him back until he came too close and was firing on them. With a minute to go before the war was officially over, the Germans fired back.

Today happens to be the 95th anniversary of the end of the First World War, but we've had too many wars between then and now for Armistice Day to remain just a remembrance of WWI vets. After World War II, the United States changed the day to Veterans Day and expanded the honor to all vets from all wars. The United Kingdom and Commonwealth nations renamed the day Remembrance Day and commemorate it with poppies, inspired by John McCrae's poem, "In Flanders Field." And, quite frankly, that's all the excuse I need to post Siouxsie and the Banshees' "Poppy Day," which also borrows liberally from the poem.