Lest we forget


"Lest we forget" is a phrase commonly used in war remembrance services and commemorative occasions in English speaking countries. Before the term was used in reference to soldiers and war, it was first used in an 1897 Christian poem written by Rudyard Kipling called "Recessional". The phrase occurs eight times; and is repeated at the end of the first four stanzas in order to add particular emphasis regarding the dangers of failing to remember.
The concept of 'being careful not to forget' was already present in the Bible :
This Biblical quote is 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 – 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.
The phrase later passed into common usage after World War I across the British Commonwealth, especially becoming linked with Remembrance Day and Anzac Day observations; it became a plea not to forget past sacrifices, and was often found as the only wording on war memorials, or used as an epitaph.