A memorial to the fallen from World War I, on the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended hostilities, is set for 10:45 a.m. Sunday, Nov. 11, at the Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery in Springvale. COURTESY PHOTO
SPRINGVALE — Everybody is invited to Southern Maine Veterans Cemetery on Sunday to mark the 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that ended World War I, and to dedicate a memorial to the fallen from the war.
Officials recommend people arrive by 10:45 a.m. for the ceremony that begins at 10:58 a.m. with a moment of silence.
Southern Maine Veterans‘ Memorial Cemetery Association will honor the memory of those who served in the Great War and will dedicate a memorial to honor veterans of WWI at the cemetery, located at 83 Stanley Road in Springvale. It will be the first World War I memorial in a Maine veterans cemetery.
SMVMCA’s vision for the memorial stemmed from an idea for a poppy garden, influenced by Lieut. Colonel Dr. John McCrae’s poem, “In Flanders Fields.” With the help of students from Sanford High School and Regional Technical Center, the plan for a modest poppy garden blossomed into a monument that includes two marble crosses flanking a Star of David, accompanied by silhouettes of soldiers heading out to battle from the trenches.
Speakers include Maine Army National Guard historian Capt. Jonathan Bratten and Sen. Ronald Collins, among others. Brother Henry Monday will give the invocation, and Rabbi Ira Korinow will give the dedication prayer.
The Armistice, signaling the end of hostilities between the Allies and Germany, signed on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, marked the conclusion of four long bloody years of war in Europe that began in July 1914.
America entered the war on April 6, 1917.
According to the U.S. Department of Veterans Affairs, there were 53,402 U.S. battle deaths, 63,114 other deaths. A total of 204,002 members of the military suffered non-mortal wounds.
In all, from its beginning to the end, about 8.5 million soldiers from all nations who fought in the war died of wounds or disease.
Together, total military and civilian casualties and those wounded are estimated at 35 million.
— Senior Staff Writer Tammy Wells can be contacted at 780-9016 or twells@journaltribune.com.
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