Wiktionary
interj. 1 (context British and Canada English) (non-gloss definition: Used in Remembrance Day ceremonies as a caution against forgetting those who died in war.) 2 (context Australia and New Zealand English) (non-gloss definition: Used on ANZAC Day memorials in remembrance of those who fell in the First World War)
Wikipedia
Lest We Forget may refer to:
- " Lest We Forget (phrase)", a phrase in the poem " Recessional" by Rudyard Kipling
- " Ode of Remembrance", United Kingdom, Canada, Australia, and New Zealand
Lest We Forget is a 1947 military documentary produced by the U.S. Army and signal corps.
Lest We Forget is a 1918 American silent World War I espionage drama film directed by Leonce Perret and produced by and starring Rita Jolivet. The film was released by the Metro Pictures company. While the picture is essentially a spy film, it may also be considered a propaganda film popular during WWI.
The phrase "Lest we forget" is commonly used in war remembrance services and commemorative occasions in English speaking countries; and in particular ANZAC Day. Before the term was used in reference to soldiers and war, it was first used in a 1897 Christian poem written by Rudyard Kipling called " Recessional". The phrase occurs 8 times; and is repeated at the end of the first 4 stanzas in order to add particular emphasis regarding the dangers of failing to remember.
'God of our fathers, known of old, Lord of our far-flung battle line, Beneath whose awful hand we hold Dominion over palm and pine— Lord God of Hosts, be with us yet, Lest we forget—lest we forget!'It has been noted that people's awareness of the original usage of the phrase in a Christian poem is not commonly known. In acknowledging the existence of this poem – it is also worth noting the concept of 'being careful not to forget' was already present in the Bible ( Deuteronomy 4:7-9):
"For what nation is there so great, who hath God so nigh unto them, as the Lord our God is in all things that we call upon him for? And what nation is there so great, that hath statutes and judgments so righteous as all this law, which I set before you this day? Only take heed to thyself, and keep thy soul diligently, lest thou forget the things which thine eyes have seen, and lest they depart from thy heart all the days of thy life: but teach them thy sons, and thy son's sons …. "This Biblical quote is hence probably a direct source for the term in the 1897 poem. This is consistent with the main theme of the "Recessional" poem – that if a nation forgets the true source of its success (the "Lord God of Hosts" and His "ancient sacrifice" of Christ) – its military or material possessions will be insufficient in times of war.
The poem "Recessional" also appears as a common hymn at war remembrance services; and the phrase "Lest We Forget" can hence be sung.
Usage examples of "lest we forget".
We must go lest we forget our nature and eat each other as the wild dogs do.
We will now go around the room and you will each give me one of the names you have learned, lest we forget those young lives so painfully taken.
Several qheuens stared in apparent dismay, along with-lest we forget-a handful of sorrowful urrish traders.
Write these down on the Pad of Memos, lest we forget this endless, prodigious flood of names, titles—.
By that he meant we must keep him with us in our thoughts and deeds, lest we forget.