Remembrance Day - Lest We Forget

[Buoyant Babe]

Originally Posted by darthmoll

I am all for remembering the armed forces, but i feel a little disapionted that the Merchant navy get so little recognation. The British Merchant Navy lost meny men and woman, and if the sea lanes had not been filled with men and woman willing to brave the terror of the battle of the Atlantic aboard lightly armed merchant ships, we would have never won the war, and the UK would have been starved to its knees.

Just been to Church and in our Rememberance Service we sang 'for those in peril on the sea'. South Shields has a Marine College that is renowned worldwide so I guess we like to remember our Merchant Navy lads and lasses. My Dad was in it and so was his Dad.

We will remember.

I notice too that it would have been Chris Hall's birthday today. I didn't have the privilege to meet him but I hope wherever he is he is smiling.

Helen xxx

[aclivity]

I heard on the news this morning that the armed forces feel disconnected from the rest of the public: BBC NEWS | UK | Armed forces 'let down by public'

I thought it was appropriate at this time to bump this thread. To those who put themselves in harms way for our sakes, thankyou.

Andy

[Letz]

Excellent thread and I always feel very strongly about buying the Poppies, and I do generally buy a few as they are always lost along the way somewhere.

I'm sure Remeberance Sunday is used to remember all those that have fought for us in wars but I think it's wonderful that individuals and schools still teach about the 1st and 2nd World Wars, "lest we forget"


I acually get quite annoyed when you encounter the attitutude of many today and think how many sacrificed their lives so we would have the freedom to make our own decisions, strive to improve our lives. And here they are expecting the government to dish everything out for them and here am I feeling, quite strongly, that some should be castrated at birth!

[hilrosepaul]

Originally Posted by aclivity

It's that time of year again. Lest we forget.

nuff said

[Richard Mason]

Originally Posted by aclivity

It’s getting to that time of year – got my poppy just over a week ago.

I was reminded recently of a trip we took a few years ago to northern France, we visited some of the First World War memorials there. There is a massive arch at a place called Thiepval, which bears the names of all of the British and Commonwealth soldiers who died but were not buried (as their bodies were not found). The arch is huge, and the names are closely packed together on the marble sides, so many names, such a huge loss. It was a beautiful sunny day, blue skies, and ever so peaceful. Suddenly there was a loud noise, and two fighter planes flew quite low over the monument – it was quite a poignant sight, the monument to the “War that would end all wars” and tools of destruction juxtaposed.

Not far from there we had stopped at one of the many cemeteries and there were so many soldiers from Canada, New Zealand, Australia. Thousands of miles from home, and often only something like 17 or 18 years old. Again, another poignant, tearjerking sight. Someone had obviously visited the cemetery recently, there were flowers and a card at the grave of a 17 year old. The card read ‘to my brother, I will always remember you’. The eyes were definitely stinging then.

Our last port of call on this impromptu battlefield tour was the Canadian war memorial. What they have done is set aside an area of the original trenches, and maintain it so that future generations can see what the battlefield was like. I was surprised by just how close the trenches were to each other – I had read about this, but seeing it was a revelation. What reminded me of this recently was that I found a photograph of a plaque at the entrance to the memorial containing the following inscription:


Reading it now, at my desk, sends a chill down my spine. Then, reading it in that place, tears flowed.

WW1 and WW2 were a long time ago, ranks of the men and women who fought & suffered are fast diminishing and we can never forget what they did & went through - those events are burned into the consciousness of pretty well all of us.

However, lets not forget that those wars, massive as they were haven't been the end of armed conflicts to which we've sent our troops; Korea, Malaya, Indonesian Confrontation, Viet Nam, Aden, Oman, Northern Ireland, Falklands, Gulf War 2, Sierra Leone, The Balkans, Afghanistan and Iraq are all conflicts in which British, Aus, NZ, Canadian, US and other allied troops have died.

Whilst not forgetting the deeds and suffering of the World Wars, lets not forget that Poppy Day is also about the guys, as young as 18 years old who are under fire and losing limbs & faculties and their future happiness in the current conflict. It makes me feel prety old to see the names of kids now a little younger than my oldest son in the casualty lists - more so because I saw their contemporaries in the nursery at the maternity dept only 19-20 years ago and to think, that these fellows are now in the meat grinder - when I think of it like that, it all seems pretty obscene.

In fact in the years to come, I think that on a practical level, it will be as much about these young guys, as anyone else.

[EDIT: Sorry Aclivity - I didn't see your last post.]

[edward]

from a few pages back - my poppy doesn't read 'haig fund', but 'poppy appeal'. A bit more appropriate I guess.

Lest we forget.

[TerryH]

Originally Posted by edward

from a few pages back - my poppy doesn't read 'haig fund', but 'poppy appeal'. A bit more appropriate I guess.

Lest we forget.

Yep, seems that not only was it non PC (for those who know there history),
but wasnt relevant to todays world. Much happier that the memory of one
of the butchers of WW1 isnt perpetuated.