This item was published during the term of a previous administration that ended in April 2007
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Remembrance Sunday 2003
10/10/2003
The Queen has decided that November 9 shall be
observed as Remembrance Sunday. The customary Two
Minutes' Silence will be observed from 1100
hours.
The Moderator of the General Assembly of the
Church of Scotland, the Right Reverend Professor Iain
Torrance, has issued the following message.
"As we have moved further from the two great wars of
the last century Remembrance Day has changed. The First
World War, with its horrendous loss of life which scarred
every village inScotland, is earlier than our grandparents. It follows that
for increasingly few today Remembrance Day is a personal
occasion, on which we remember uncles and
grandfathers.
"But it doesn't follow that this day is any less
important - indeed, in these fragile times, its
celebration is more crucial than ever. Just as the
parks in our cities are lungs against pollution from
cars and provide an open common space, wherein people
may move and interact, play or doze, so Remembrance Day
acts as a public common space, into which people of all
faiths may enter and draw breath.
"We should marvel at the sacrifice and commitment
of those who risked and gave everything. We should
remember that they forged the tradition of selfless and
dogged restraint which is the backbone of peacekeeping
today."