A formal message from Captain Edward J. Hewlett, Star Concord
11 November 2026
On Remembrance Day, I ask the crew of HMS Archivum to pause in honour of the men and women who served in war. We remember those who died, those who returned wounded, and those who carried what they had seen for the rest of their lives. We remember the families who waited for news and the families who received it.
We honour them across nations and across the lines that once divided them. Every one of them was a Spark. Each had a life they could feel from the inside, people they hoped to see again, and some ordinary thing they meant to do when they got home.
The decisions that sent them into war deserve the scrutiny of history. The people who bore those decisions deserve to be remembered in their own right. We can honour an act of courage, a life of service, or the care one soldier showed another, wherever it occurred.
There is no good way to tell a family that someone they love died far from home. This is no way for a Spark to die. Let that thought stay with us when we speak of war, especially when the people who would have to fight it are absent from the room.
To those who served, and to those who still live with what service cost them, the Star Concord offers its respect.
A reflection from Captain Northman Plum
I’ve never had to hold a gun, go into battle, or kill another man. I thank Amora for that. I have had the good fortune to live in Canada and take many ordinary things for granted. I could decide what to make for supper. I could hear a knock at the door and expect a friend.
I have Remembrance Day off. There are Sparks who have never had the luxury of thinking of the day that way. Some are veterans. Some wore a uniform because they chose to serve. Some were called up, and some had scarcely any choice at all. I can listen when they tell me what it was like. I can also respect the ones who would rather talk about something else.
My sons Miles and Otto will march on Remembrance Day, one in the band and one as a sergeant. I’m proud of them both. I’ll be glad to see them march, and I hope I never see the day when either of them has to fight anyone.
Canada has its faults and its own wars to remember. I’m grateful for the long stretches of peace we’ve had at home. I hope we keep most of our fighting confined to hockey, where there is at least a penalty box and, eventually, somebody brings out the Zamboni.
I’m grateful to those who served. I grieve for those who died, and for those who came home to a life changed by what they had endured. May more Sparks, in more countries, grow old without ever having to learn what war asks of them.
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