Names of soldiers who fell in 1916 projected at the Canadian War Museum, Ottawa, as part of ‘The World Remembers’ (Photo: Canadian War Museum)

‘The World Remembers’ – 1916 memorial event opens

The Canadian War Museum is among 60 institutions globally hosting the 2016 screening of The World Remembers – a video project commemorating the dead of the Great War.

The names of almost 600,000 soldiers killed in the year 1916 will be projected in the six weeks leading up to Armistice Day, November 11.

They can also be viewed online as part of this annual event, created for the Centennial by Canadian actor R.H. Thomson.

“A personal connection to the almost unimaginable history of the First World War is what we want to provide with the names display,” Robert Thomson explains.

“Many have found it a moving experience just to silently watch the names, appreciating that each name is a life lost, while others have discovered details of a relative of which they had little knowledge.”

Schools, libraries, and universities are among the 60 locations involved.

Musems taking part include the Bundeswehr Military History Museum, Germany; In Flanders Fields, Belgium; National World War I Museum in the US; and Derby Museum in the UK.

Launched in 2014, The World Remembers is a Canadian-led international project, dedicated to commemorating the millions of soldiers, nurses and other military personnel who fell between 1914-18 in the centenary year of their death.

The names are sourced from participating countries. For 2016, 597,889 soldiers from 12 nations are represented.

“The unprecedented loss of life during the First World War devastated nations, communities and families. Death on this scale is difficult to imagine,” said Stephen Quick, Director General of the Canadian War Museum in Ottawa.

“The projection of the individual names as part of The World Remembers project provides visitors with another way to see and understand these losses from a very personal perspective.”

To search for the Fallen, and find out more about the project, visit The World Remembers.

Source: The Canadian War Museum, Ottawa

Images courtesy of Canadian War Museum

Posted by: CN Editorial Team