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The Oswego County WWI Commemoration Project, (OWWICP), has worked with the county and City of Oswego, as well as local veterans’ organizations, to prepare special program at 1:00 p.m. Sunday, Nov. 11 at Oswego County Veterans Memorial Park (West Linear Park along the river).
The program will recognize the 132 servicemen from Oswego County who died in the war, and mark the 100th anniversary of the armistice that ended it, said Dan Allen, spokesperson for OWWICP.
“A bronze plaque, commissioned by the Oswego County Legislature, with the names of the 132 Oswego County veterans who died in the war will be dedicated at this ceremony,” Allen said.
The ceremony will include remarks by Oswego City Historian, Mark Slosek, and guest speakers, Hon. William J. Barlow, mayor, City of Oswego; and Hon. Shane Broadwell, chairman, Oswego County Legislature. There will also be a performance of “God Bless America” by Oswego Girl Scout troops, and an echo “Taps” will be played by Emily and Corey King.
The signing of the Armistice between the Allies and Germany, ending WWI took place at Compiègne, France, taking effect at the “eleventh hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month,” in 1918.
This year and especially on November 11, 2018, the 100th Anniversary of the signing of the Armistice, will be a time and day of remembrance and commemoration, as we honor those who served and who died during WWI, and reflect on the toll of war.
“Also on Nov. 11, a number of places of worship, throughout the county, will ring their bells at exactly 11:00 a.m., and religious leaders of all faiths have been asked to give a sermon, or talk appropriate to their religious customs, as a reflection on the words of a young soldier from WWI,” Allen said.
The following words were written by Corporal Arthur Ingram of the Canadian Army to Rev. Richmond Gesner, Rector of Christ Church, in Oswego, NY. Before joining the Canadian Army, Corporal Ingram lived in Oswego. He was wounded in France, and died in a hospital in England, his native country. His letter to Rev. Gesner was published in the Oswego Daily Times, June 15, 1916 issue:
“About half the time, I have been in the front line, sometimes not more than sixty yards from the enemy. We go back every little while for a few days’ rest, and it is certainly great to be away from the noise and gloom of the firing line, where what was once a beautiful wooded country is just a shelled, broken-up, muddy mess. Not a twig on any tree is alive, but the one link we have with nature is the birds. There are some fine songsters out here, and the more intense the bombardment, the harder they seem to sing. They just sound great in contrast with the guns. When I hear them, it seems like a promise of peace. No doubt that seems strange to you, but being out here makes one think things that would not come to his mind in time of peace.”
For more information, please call or text Dan Allen at 315-591-2842, or email oswegocountyww1@gmail.com.
