11Th November 2011 (11-11-11)

[planemad]

To many, today is a very special day when members of the Commonwealth, and those who fought along side remember the fallen from all nations. It is not a day to glorify war, but to remember the sacrifices made by so many that we can live in a free society today. For many, the poppy is the symbol of that act of rememberance and also a contribution to assist those sufferning or grieving from past (and current) conflicts, so please, give a moments thought for those brave souls who served their country and paid the ultimate price.

For The Fallen

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,

England mourns for her dead across the sea.

Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,

Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal

Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres,

There is music in the midst of desolation

And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,

Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.

They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;

They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years contemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables of home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

Thank you on their behalf.

KS

[Mossfinn]

Link

[Moonrakers]

Lovely sentiments planemad

But let's not forget it is not just about England, but also about Britain, The Commonwealth and all her Allies.

Lest we forget

Edited November 10, 2011 by Moonrakers

[Mossfinn]

Lovely sentiments planemad

But let's not forget it is not just about England, but also about Britain, The Commonwealth and all her allies.

Lest we forget

As the wearing of the Poppy has an American origin, perhaps Allies should be capitalised as well?

Lest we Forget

[Moonrakers]

Lovely sentiments planemad

But let's not forget it is not just about England, but also about Britain, The Commonwealth and all her allies.

Lest we forget

As the wearing of the Poppy has an American origin, perhaps Allies should be capitalised as well?

Lest we Forget

Forgive my ignorance.

Fixed it

[roamer]

Lovely sentiments planemad

But let's not forget it is not just about England, but also about Britain, The Commonwealth and all her allies.

Lest we forget

As the wearing of the Poppy has an American origin, perhaps Allies should be capitalised as well?

Lest we Forget

Forgive my ignorance.

Fixed it

Indeed. And Moina Michael who did so much to bring about the wearing of the poppy as a symbol of remembrance, was herself inspired to do so by these lines;

"We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields."

Written by a Canadian soldier, John McCrae in Ypres following the death of a friend, he was to die himself in 1918.

[MrMuddle]

Bless them all. May they rest in eternal peace, never to be forgotten.

[Blueeyes1999uk]

Lest We Forget

[Thongkorn]

My Grandfather fought in the first world war, He was in before it Started, he was a Career Soldier. He joined to get out of working in the mines of Duram in the noth East of England, he was a black smith. He became a Horse Sargent. because of his knowledge of horses, he rode a horse into battle.. also he was one of the first soldiers to drive the tank, , it came out of Rushden Bicirus factory in Lincoln in the UK, where they where made. he told me when i was young that when they drove them at full speed they where thrown around inside them, I have his Diary's and Books from the first world War, Some are harrowing reading, he listed all his men that had died and how they died, Some where gassed and some just disappeared in front of his eyes. blown up. When he died in 1971, he still had shrapnel in his body, and some in his legs. Pity all this knowledge is being lost . there are not many old soldiers around from that war now.

Edited November 11, 2011 by Thongkorn

[MrMuddle]

My Grandfather fought in the first world war, He was in before it Started, he was a Career Soldier. He joined to get out of working in the mines of Duram in the noth East of England, he was a black smith. He became a Horse Sargent. because of his knowledge of horses, he rode a horse into battle.. also he was one of the first soldiers to drive the tank, , it came out of Rushden Bicirus factory in Lincoln in the UK, where they where made. he told me when i was young that when they drove them at full speed they where thrown around inside them, I have his Diary's and Books from the first world War, Some are harrowing reading, he listed all his men that had died and how they died, Some where gassed and some just disappeared in front of his eyes. blown up. When he died in 1971, he still had shrapnel in his body, and some in his legs. Pity all this knowledge is being lost . there are not many old soldiers around from that war now.

Thank you for sharing the story of your Grandfather with us. Thankfully he survived to pass on his experiences to you, but sadly so many did not survive. Ordinary men, from ordinary backgrounds, committed extraordinary acts of bravery, and went through all kinds of horrific experiences so that we may enjoy the freedom we have today. The bravest of the brave.

[roamer]

Any other Thai poppy sellers I wonder ?

Here is my daughter (Ok stepdaughter if we are being pedantic) selling her poppies as she does each year. The person doing the strange contortion on her left is my wife doing likewise. They were both inspired to do it following a visit to Khanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass that reduced them to tears. The wife actually raises a substantial amount each year, she works for M&S and makes sure all her boxes are strategically placed throughout her store. Daughter will be at a Remembrance sevice on Sunday with her Scout group.

The profile of Poppy day has been raised much more amongst the young over the last few years I've noticed.

[andyg75]

This morning I was working in a house that overlooked the village green, in a small village in Kent. And at 10.50 all the children from the village primary school walked across the green from their school to the war marmorial the other side of the green and joined lots of people already there. At 11am cars that were driving through the village stopped their cars by the green and the whole village came to a standstill for the 2 minute silence. It bought a lump to my throat and a tear to my eyes.

[MiG16]

Lest we forget

[Mossfinn]

[marstons]

due to floods did not go this year. actually 11mins 11th day 11 month just me and wife in cemetary at Kanchanaburi. dont understand why no service there. Australians, Dutch plus others. suprised no official presence,and no recognition of the moment.

Edited November 11, 2011 by marstons

[roamer]

due to floods did not go this year. actually 11mins 11th day 11 month just me and wife in cemetary at Kanchanaburi. dont understand why no service there. Australians, Dutch plus others. suprised no official presence,and no recognition of the moment.

There always used to be a service there but I seem to recall it takes place on Remembrance Sunday rather than 11/11 ? Same is true of London & other places, that's the big day.

[JAG]

"When you go home, tell them of us and say,

for your tomorrow, we gave our today."

Inscription on the memorial at Kohima.

Always gives me dust in the contact lenses!

Edited November 11, 2011 by JAG

[Flatouthruthefog]

My Grandfather fought in the first world war, He was in before it Started, he was a Career Soldier. He joined to get out of working in the mines of Duram in the noth East of England, he was a black smith. He became a Horse Sargent. because of his knowledge of horses, he rode a horse into battle.. also he was one of the first soldiers to drive the tank, , it came out of Rushden Bicirus factory in Lincoln in the UK, where they where made. he told me when i was young that when they drove them at full speed they where thrown around inside them, I have his Diary's and Books from the first world War, Some are harrowing reading, he listed all his men that had died and how they died, Some where gassed and some just disappeared in front of his eyes. blown up. When he died in 1971, he still had shrapnel in his body, and some in his legs. Pity all this knowledge is being lost . there are not many old soldiers around from that war now.

The horse regiments did indeed move on to tanks. The name 'tank' comes from the misleading labels placed on crates carrying those new, top secret, weapons to the battle front.

Ruston Bucirus (correct spelling I think) went on to make cranes and earth movers. 'Swords beaten into ploughshares'.

Chiang Mai has held a Remembrance Day gathering for several years now at the Foreign Cemetery, always at 11.00am on the 11th, no matter what day of the week. It is run by the northern sub-branch of the Royal British Legion, and Americans of the local Veterans of Foreign Wars post join in. Some years we have members of Seri Thai attending, survivors of the little known Thai resistance which aided the Allies, repatriating many Brits and Americans 'sprung' from the captivity of the Japanese.

These days, Remembrance Day commemorates all who have fallen in any war at any time, be they soldiers or civilians.

It's good to hear that the message is being passed on to schools elsewhere. One party of young teenagers from Lanna International School were among those laying wreaths here yesterday.

A party of people from the northern RBL will attend ANZAC Day at Kanchanaburi next April, for the second year running.

It does no harm to teach and reflect on the futility of war, anywhere, at any time.

[Chonburiram]

Lest we forget - soldiers are ...?

[JUDAS]

The old man’s eyes mist with tears as he remembers every face

Each of his fallen brothers and the killing which took place

He proudly dons his beret, his blazer and his tie

For today he will remember the ones who fell and died.

On his chest there is a poppy, a blaze of scarlet on the blue

He steps out into the cold, he has a duty he must do

Once at the cenotaph he stands amongst the ranks

Of those who marched to war and those who manned the tanks,

He bows his head in reverence, as the last post begins to play

And he wonders what will happen at the ending of his days

Will anyone remember? Will anybody care?

About the lads so far from home whose life was ended there?

I wish that I could tell him, that he should fear not

For this soldier and his brothers will NEVER be forgot

We owe a debt of gratitude that we can never pay

And this country WILL remember them, on each Remembrance day.

From a poem by Maria Cassee

[fletchsmile]

Thank you

[JAG]

Lest we forget - soldiers are ...?

Men who died to buy the freedom, amongst other things, to allow you to post such comments on the internet.

[Flatouthruthefog]

Lest we forget - soldiers are ...?

Men who died to buy the freedom, amongst other things, to allow you to post such comments on the internet.

If you can read, thank a teacher.

If you can read English, thank a soldier!

(Thanks Thongkorn, but only the first 3 lines to me got through. Please PM me again and give your own e-mail address).

[Kan Win]

Yet another year has passed and

Lest we forget

Win

Edited November 7, 2012 by Kan Win

[theblether]

On September 7th 1920, in strictest secrecy four unidentified British bodies were exhumed from temporary battlefield cemeteries at Ypres, Arras, the Asine and the Somme. None of the soldiers who did the digging were told why. The bodies were taken by field ambulance to GHQ at St-Pol-sur-Ternoise. There the bodies were draped with the Union Flag. Sentries were posted and Brigadier-General Wyatt and a Colonel Gell selected one body at Random.

A French honour guard was selected, who stood by the coffin overnight. In the morning of the 8th a specially designed coffin made of oak from the grounds of Hampton Court was brought and the Unknown Warrior placed inside. On top was placed a Crusaders Sword and a shield on which was inscribed 'A British Warrior who fell in the Great War 1914-1918 For King and Country'. On the 9th of November the Unknown Warrior was taken by horse drawn carriage through Guards of Honour and the sound of tolling bells and bugle calls to the Quayside. There it was saluted by Marechal Foche and loaded onto HMS Verdun bound for Dover.....The coffin stood on the deck covered in wreaths and surrounded by the French Honour Guard.

On arrival at Dover the the Unknown Warrior was greeted with a 19 gun salute, normally only reserved for field marshals. He then traveled by special train to Victoria station London. He stayed there overnight and on the morning of the 11th of November he was taken to Westminster Abbey.

The Idea of the Unknown Soldier was thought of by a Padre called David Railton who had served at the front during the Great War and it was the Union Flag he used as an altar cloth at the front, that had been draped over the coffin. The intention was that all relatives of the 517,773 combatants whose bodies had not been identified could believe that the Unknown Warrior could very well be their lost Husband, Father, Brother or Son.... On the morning of 11 November 1920 - the second anniversary of the armistice that ended World War One - the body of the Unknown Warrior was drawn in a procession to the Cenotaph. This new war memorial on Whitehall, designed by Edwin Lutyens, was then unveiled by George V. At 11 o'clock there was a two-minute silence, and the body was then taken to Westminster Abbey where it was buried at the west end of the nave.

To the surprise of the organisers, in the week after the burial an estimated 1,250,000 people visited the abbey, and the site is now one of the most visited war graves in the world. The text inscribed on the tomb is taken from the bible (2 Chronicles 24:16): 'They buried him among the kings, because he had done good toward God and toward his house'.......... Every year on the 11th of November remember the Unknown Warrior...

..................This story was sent to me by a childhood friend that spent 23 years in the RAF, Lest We Forget...........

Edited November 10, 2012 by theblether

[planemad]

Yes KW, another year has passed yet the numbers of those killed in war continues to rise. When will we learn?

For those who choose to wear a poppy, wear it with pride!

PLEASE WEAR A POPPY

by Don Crawford

"Please wear a poppy," the lady said

And held one forth, but I shook my head.

Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,

And her face was old and lined with care;

But beneath the scars the years had made

There remained a smile that refused to fade.

A boy came whistling down the street,

Bouncing along on care-free feet.

His smile was full of joy and fun,

"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"

When she'd pinned it on he turned to say,

"Why do we wear a poppy today?"

The lady smiled in her wistful way

And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,

And the poppy there is the symbol for

The gallant men who died in war.

And because they did, you and I are free -

That's why we wear a poppy, you see."

"I had a boy about your size,

With golden hair and big blue eyes.

He loved to play and jump and shout,

Free as a bird he would race about.

As the years went by he learned and grew

and became a man - as you will, too."

"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,

But he'd seemed with us such a little while

When war broke out and he went away.

I still remember his face that day

When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,

I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry."

"But the war went on and he had to stay,

And all I could do was wait and pray.

His letters told of the awful fight,

(I can see it still in my dreams at night),

With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,

And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire."

"Till at last, at last, the war was won -

And that's why we wear a poppy son."

The small boy turned as if to go,

Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.

That sure did sound like an awful fight,

But your son - did he come back all right?"

A tear rolled down each faded check;

She shook her head, but didn't speak.

I slunk away in a sort of shame,

And if you were me you'd have done the same;

For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,

Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!

And so when we see a poppy worn,

Let us reflect on the burden borne,

By those who gave their very all

When asked to answer their country's call

That we at home in peace might live.

Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!

Handwritten in pencil, and on two sheets of foolscap, Don Crawford turned this poem in to the The Perth Courier one morning in the early 1960s, where it first saw print a few days later. For the next several years, and by means unknown, “Why Wear A Poppy” appeared in nearly every weekly newspaper and magazine, including LEGION, in Canada at Remembrance time, as well as foreign publications like Australia’s Anzac Appeal and Scotland’s Claymore magazine, copies of the same being sent to him. Some years ago, Dominion Command of The Royal Canadian Legion, produced it on slides and tape for television and radio. Schools have used it extensively for their Remembrance programs. Donald J. Crawford died in hospital at Perth on Saturday, October 7, 2000.

Edited November 10, 2012 by planemad

[roamer]

Any other Thai poppy sellers I wonder ?

Here is my daughter (Ok stepdaughter if we are being pedantic) selling her poppies as she does each year. The person doing the strange contortion on her left is my wife doing likewise. They were both inspired to do it following a visit to Khanchanaburi and Hellfire Pass that reduced them to tears. The wife actually raises a substantial amount each year, she works for M&S and makes sure all her boxes are strategically placed throughout her store. Daughter will be at a Remembrance sevice on Sunday with her Scout group.

The profile of Poppy day has been raised much more amongst the young over the last few years I've noticed.

Looks like there could be a record sum raised this year, wife just refills her poppy boxes from a large container which is close to empty. This time last year it was still nearly half full

[macksview]

to all those affected by conflicts past and present

lest we forget

[WilliaminBKK]

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.