Remembrance Sunday

[Letum]

It's remembrance Sunday.

The First World War dramatically changed the way we think about and
remember war. Largely, this was a result of the scale of death.

D-day, 1944 is rightly remembered as a day of great loss, There
where around 10,000 Allied casualties at the end of the day.
However, on the first day of the battle of the Somme there where
over five times that volume of allied losses.

Around 1/8 of the allied forces did not survive the war and 1/3
suffered serious injury. Only around half the dead have known
graves. Europe was deprived of the best of a generation. It's hard to
find a family that was not effected. Two of my great uncles where
killed, one whilst winning the VC. Arguably, the conflict did not end
until 1945.

For the first time, Europe became covered in war memorials, often
with lists of names carved in them and, for the first time, a day was
set aside each year to remember what had happened.

Since 1919 countless conflicts have been added to those we
remember and the motto "Never Again", that was often repeated at
the memorial services at the end of the First World War has come to
ring a little hollow.

Spend a few minuets to remember the fallen today; for our sake, if
not theirs.
Send a little money to a veterans charity if you can as well.

http://www.poppy.org.uk/support-us/give-money

[Jimbuna]

Already done via my local Royal Brirish Legion club....of which I am a member.

Lest We Forget

[nikimcbee]

Does anybody have family that fought in WWI? Did they survive, what did they do?

[Jimbuna]

My Grandfather (Mothers Dad) fought in the trenches and was buried alive at The Somme.

He was lucky, he was dug out but the price he paid was total deafness for the rest of his life.

[August]

Two of my maternal Great Grandfathers served in the Kaisers Army. Opa Haas, a drummer, was severely wounded by artillery shrapnel in 1916. The other, Opa Karl fought through the entire war as an Infantryman but was killed in action within sight of the end on Oct 3rd 1918.

[Reaves]

We do it on 11/11 at 11 O'clock here.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

[antikristuseke]

My great grandfather on my fathers side fought in Estonias war for independance that came right water WW I. He was awarded the Freedom Cross of the II-nd rank for his services, the highest award possible.

[DeerHunter UK]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Does anybody have family that fought in WWI? Did they survive, what did they do?

My great uncle Charles fought in the Great War. He served in the infantry (I don't know which regiment) and fought on the Western Front where he was killed aged 16 years old.
My Uncle John and Peter tracked down his grave in the mid 90s after the army lost all information for him.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

My Grandfather (Mothers Dad) fought in the trenches and was buried alive at The Somme.

He was lucky, he was dug out but the price he paid was total deafness for the rest of his life.

Did he every talk about his experiences there in the trenches (or did you ask him about it)? I love to hear first hand war stories. I'm pretty sure my family missed WW1, but WW2 is a different story. It's hard to believe WW1 was almost 100 years ago!

[GoldenRivet]

I wrote this commemorative poem just now... thought i would share it.

Roaring Cannon and Pounding trumpet

Be ye replaced by the sounds of singing birds and swaying grass.

Screams of pain and cries of agony

Be ye replaced by the silence of peace and laughter of children.

Blood soaked trenches and no man's land

Be ye replaced by rolling hills and endless bright red poppies.

For now is the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.

For though the fighting fades

Our memory of your sacrifice burns forever.

[papa_smurf]

Not sure about anyone in my family fighting in WW1, must find out if I can.
But I do know that my Grandfather (on my Fathers side) was in the Merchant Navy during the Second World War - not sure which ship (might be hard to find out as he died earlier this year).
And I recently discovered that his brother (my fathers uncle) fought in Burma and was a POW, and when he came back to his home, as far as I know, kept door unlocked so he could get out. What he experienced I have know idea, and I don't think I want to find out - some things are best left alone.

[Oberon]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Does anybody have family that fought in WWI? Did they survive, what did they do?

I have two that I know of, a great-granduncle Robert Currie who sadly was shot by a sniper at Verdun at around 1916 I think, and another Charles Edward Clack, my great-grandfather, who served in the 3rd Wiltshire Regiment, he served at the Somme, Sulua Bay, Ypres and Messines Ridge. At Messines Ridge he was half buried by shell fire whilst running messages, but managed to dig himself out and keep going. He was awarded the Military Medal and mentioned in dispatches for this.



At the end of the war, he left as a Sergeant and returned home to his wife who he had married before he joined up, since he had lied about his age at the signing up when the Second World War began he was young enough to participate in that as well, first in the BEF, and then after Dunkirk he went to the Med as a Military Policeman on board the Strathallan which was promptly torpedoed by U-562, but he survived that and carried on to the end of the war, finally passing away in April '84.

[ReallyDedPoet]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Does anybody have family that fought in WWI? Did they survive, what did they do?

My Great Grandfather fought and died in Belgium.

[Jimbuna]

Originally Posted by nikimcbee

Did he every talk about his experiences there in the trenches (or did you ask him about it)? I love to hear first hand war stories. I'm pretty sure my family missed WW1, but WW2 is a different story. It's hard to believe WW1 was almost 100 years ago!

I don't think so....but even if he had I can't recall because I was about 16 year old when he passed away.

[nikimcbee]

Originally Posted by jimbuna

I don't think so....but even if he had I can't recall because I was about 16 year old when he passed away.

That's too bad. When I was a kid, I interviewed one of my uncles who was a gunner on a DE? and fought kamikazes. Sadly I don't remember it. I'm pretty sure we taped it, but that was a long time ago.