At the end of the World War I, many people heard about the Armistice through bells ringing. When the bells rang out on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918, they announced the end of the  war.  This year marks the centenary of the Armistice, now referred to as Veterans Day.

The Mattapoisett Women’s Club launched a “Veterans Day Bells of Remembrance” project in 2017 to remember and honor those veterans who put their lives on the line on the battlefield.

The Bells of Remembrance project is asking communities throughout Massachusetts to pause for a minute of silence and honor the centenary of the Armistice by ringing church and municipal bells on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

Last year several churches and municipal buildings from Wareham, Fairhaven, Marion and Mattapoisett participated by ringing their bells and this year many more Massachusetts communities will participate.

The Mattapoisett Woman’s Club is also asking church members either in their bulletins or from the pulpit, to work for peace. Given the special significance of this year the commemoration takes on added importance.

There is a free smart phone app “Bells of Peace Participation” available on iTunes and Android stores. The app has a built-in countdown timer and will toll 21 times on Nov. 11 in remembrance of the moment when the fighting stopped. The app can be found at ww1cc.org/YourAce