On November 11th at 12:30pm in Sarnia, Bells of Peace will ring out, commemorating the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.  The sounds of church bells simultaneously ringing in chorus would be somewhat reminiscent of what it would have been like on that date 100 years ago as news of the end of the ‘Great War’ spread throughout town.

To date, the churches participating in this initiative include;

Our Lady of Mercy

Trinity Anglican

All Saints

Canon Davis

Central United

St. Giles Presbyterian

St. Andrews Presbyterian

First Christian Reformed

In addition, the Sarnia Fire Department will also be ringing fire bells in unison with the churches.

Background for Bells for Peace:

According to records, over 1800 members of the church bell ringers’ guilds in the United Kingdom died serving in Europe during the First World War.  To mark the centennial of the Armistice ending the war, and to honour their memory, the Bells of Peace initiative was started, with both the British and German governments appealing to have bells run across their countries to mark the occasion.

The Royal Canadian Legion has picked up on this movement, encouraging branches across the country to promote participation in their own communities.  The original initiative called for bells to be rung simultaneously at 12:30 pm local time.  Branch 62 of the Royal Canadian Legion in Sarnia has been working with local churches to bring this observance about in the city.