Remembrance Day

Remembrance Day occurred this past Sunday in Great Britain. This holiday is celebrated on the eleventh month, of the eleventh day, at the eleventh hour by two minutes of silence at all of the churches in the country. After the silence, a moving service is held in honor of those slain for the freedom of the United Kingdom. As an American, it was interesting to observe this service.

During the two minutes of silence, I prayed for the safety of all troops and for peace to be secured in our world. Currently, I am teaching quite a few students that serve in the U.S. military. At the start of the course, one such student informed me that a blackout could occur during the semester (where she would be unable to participate for five days in the class because of no internet access), and that this would always happen if someone in her unit or area of the Middle East was killed. This student also described to me the conditions in which she is living ... a tent in the desert. I pray for this students most often. Thus far, she's been the most studious and interested pupil in this particular course.

The music on Remembrance Day was particularly interesting. As Matt and I walked to church, we passed another parish which boasted a bag pipe player in full Scottish apparel - kilt and all. It was particularly moving to see the congregation hurry inside to this memorial service as the bag piper beckoned them to worship. At the service we attended, the ceremony concluded with signing of the National Anthem. Here are the lyrics:

God save our gracious Queen!
Long live our noble Queen!
God save the Queen!
Send her victorious,
Happy and glorious,
Long to reign over us,
God save the Queen.

While it was a bit odd joining the Scottish in asking God to save the Queen, the strangest bit about the song is that it is to the tune of the patriotic song America!

After a little internet research, I found the following:

The American song at: http://www.scoutsongs.com/lyrics/america.html

The British version at: http://www.woodlands-junior.kent.sch.uk/customs/questions/anthem.html

Because the Brits first sang their anthem in 1745, the tune must have originated with them and not the Americans!