NOVEMBER 11

Not far from Ypres, Belgium, lies Tyne Cot Cemetery, where more than 11,900 soldiers are buried.  Of these, over 8,000 are unknown.  

My wife and I visited Tyne Cot Cemetery in June of this year, while travelling to some Canadian World War I battle sites in Europe with the organization True Patriot Love.  It was a very moving experience. On arrival, we were all given a fresh red rose and then we dispersed individually throughout the cemetery.  

Finding one of the many graves that indicated “A Soldier of the Great War, Known unto God,” I placed my rose beside the stone.  In doing so, I said a few words inwardly, including “I hope in some way you know that you are not forgotten.”  One doesn’t need a name or a nationality in order to appreciate the sacrifice of a fellow human being.   

Had the Allies lost in either World War I or World War II, life in Canada would, of course, be very different. The freedom fought for over there, gave us our freedom here.  

Here is the trailer for a short film about World War II, Legacy of War, which has my music as soundtrack.  

The film was created by Gina Dineen around my music, which in turn was inspired by a poem written by Michael Alexander. Understandably, the whole project became much more meaningful after visiting the battle sites in Europe.  In the music, I am grateful, as always, to have worked with superb talent – arranger Brian Gagnon, guitarist Cesco Emmanuel, trumpet player Ira Zingraff, and vocalist Daphne Nesbitt. The film will be released in 2018.