Remembrance Day

[Anna Woman von NRW]

For me personally, it's a tiny moment in a fast and furious world to pause, reflect and remember Anyone,  Anywhere,  Anytime who lost their life because of Conflict.

For one brief snapshot each year Politics, Belief System and History can and should be left outside which means you can reflect on the real truth – the Human Cost.

For those of us in Western Europe (and all the associated Allies/Empire/Colonies etc.) the First World War remains a vivid example of the horror and true cost of conflict. As such it stands as a representation for all the 7 billion and counting who have cause to stop and remember.

I'm not ashamed to say that I had tears streaming down my face when I watched this video. A song I'm familiar with but a video I was not. It needs no words:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=kHyo9b3e6V8

At some point take time to stop and remember in your own way, for your own why.

Love.

Anna
x

[Master Ray]

Anna, I couldn't agree more.  Remembrance Sunday is such a poignant day, for personal reasons...

I think I've told this story before, so feel free to skip it... but my dear Grandad was very heavily involved with the Royal British Legion, he sold the poppies on the streets since the 60's, even when he was a bit too old to do it but we didn't dare try and stop him... he was made an MBE in the 60's but never told any of us why.  If you pushed him, he just said he was a clerk in Bhagdad.  Now, they don't give you an MBE for pushing a pencil... but we never argued with him.  It was a secret he chose to keep and we respected it.

Oddly and sadly, he died a couple of years ago, at about 10pm on a Saturday in late December and at that EXACT moment, I was at an NMA Christmas gig in Nottingham... I sometimes wonder if I should have been there when he passed away... but after thinking about it, he wouldn't have wanted that.  He hated people making a big old fuss.  He was always happy to see ME and his family happy.

All I can say is that I'm so happy that the local Royal British Legion centre is now called 'The Ernest Cope Centre'... that's my Grandads name, but if you think about him, he'd prefer it if you called him 'Ernie'...

The greatest man I ever knew.

[Zenboy]

Hi.

A couple of weeks ago my girlfriend & myself travelled to France to bury a relative of hers along with 14 others who fell during WW1, you may have seen it mentioned on the telly.  It was a very moving experience & I feel honoured to have been there.


Zen

[Pol]

Its makes you realise just how lucky are when you see the programmes about the first world war especially. Young men in their late teens and early twenties sent to almost certain death. Its almost impossible to comprehend what it must have been like.

[Master Ray]

Its makes you realise just how lucky are when you see the programmes about the first world war especially. Young men in their late teens and early twenties sent to almost certain death. Its almost impossible to comprehend what it must have been like.

This, a thousand times over.

I know that what happened during those wars was so awful... but try and tell that to some of the tracksuit-wearing tossmonkeys nowadays who think they can't do any wrong, not EVER, and the slightest inconvenience to their sad little lives is just 'fuckin' takin' the piss, innit?'   

[Rusco]

About the First World War; the long story of Modernism (well, 2000th century) is a wonderful, horrible, authentic, beautiful and sick in all its contents. It's interesting to go back in history and read about era before WW1, what happened among artists and what was the avantgardist movement about. And what happened after the war(s).

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Pol - I totally agree and I don't think that you would get that sort of response from society if the call went out now.

Ray - Agree with your point too about the incomprehension from a lot of people nowadays, it's bewildering to me. However I must point out a) don't pin this on young people, sadly people of all ages have this view and my son and some of his mates have far more awareness and empathy than people my own age who have the don't give a **** attitude. b) don't pin it on my Southern Chav Tribe neither!!!! you lot up there have your fair share of numpties and if I could but make out what the words were supposed to be I'd bet it would be a literal translation. A Dickhead is a Dickhead wherever they come from.

Zenboy - I hadn't heard/read about that at all. What a touching, lovely thing - thanks for sharing that x

Ruscoe - good point, all these cultural aspects that were influenced by events lays out how people felt/reacted. As for what happened after the war(s)................. we haven't got to the after yet. Since the outbreak of WW1 the world has not had One Single Day with no War. Sad but true.

[Master Ray]

Sorry, Anna, wasn't meaning to tar all youngsters with the same brush... the keyword there was 'some'... and in my hometown, there are plenty of people my own age who are equally as ignorant...

You know me, mate, I might cause offense very occasionally, but it's never intentional, just my usual idiocy...

 

[Pol]

I'm so glad that there was only one army i had to join.
Both my older brothers were in the army n done tours of duty in northern Ireland and went to the Falklands after the fighting so glad that they weren't involved in any major conflicts.

[Bunny]

Its very difficult to imagine the world as it was in both the First and Second World wars. It shaped the world today, mainly in the western world I think.. Its completely right that we should remember. When I was born it was a mere 25 years that marked the end of world war 2.. Ive walked the planet 20 years longer and in my life everything is a blink away.. Cant begin to feel what my granparents felt.

On an aside, there will come a time when a generation wont. Every war fades into history as people pass away. Quite scary to think that two world wars will have as much social significance as say the Crimean War. I do think its fantastic that young kids are still getting an understanding. From both sides of the trench.

[Tony S]

Its very difficult to imagine the world as it was in both the First and Second World wars. It shaped the world today, mainly in the western world I think.. Its completely right that we should remember. When I was born it was a mere 25 years that marked the end of world war 2.. Ive walked the planet 20 years longer and in my life everything is a blink away.. Cant begin to feel what my granparents felt.

On an aside, there will come a time when a generation wont. Every war fades into history as people pass away. Quite scary to think that two world wars will have as much social significance as say the Crimean War. I do think its fantastic that young kids are still getting an understanding. From both sides of the trench.

I agree. We're of the same generation. I was born just 18 years after the end of WW2, so even though it still felt like a long time in the past as a young child, there was something tangible in the 60s/70s that made it very much something in relatively recent memory of a lot of folks. As a child, we all knew about Spitfires, Hurricanes and Messerschmidts etc, and war films abounded, and it was all stuff we gained quite an understanding of as we got older. And of course, learning about WW2, knowledge of WW1 inevitably followed.

You're right that it will begin to have less significance to future generations, but hopefully there will always be some sort of remembrance of what people went through, and the horrendous losses in those dark times.   

[Pol]

Thought i would post this as my tribute. I hope its acceptable
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y0MUQh3lAvc

[Bunny]

  

[Anna Woman von NRW]

Sorry, Anna,

For what? You know me dude, it's just back and forwards chat, like having a pint. Not as if I would ever be a bit sensitive or feisty is it???   

Its very difficult to imagine the world as it was in both the First and Second World wars. It shaped the world today, mainly in the western world I think..

Very true, I've just been trying to think of one single area or part of life that would have been untouched or unchanged by these wars and I can't think of one.

Every war fades into history as people pass away. Quite scary to think that two world wars will have as much social significance as say the Crimean War.

Not sure I'd go with scary - I think it's good for them to be moving into history.

You're right that it will begin to have less significance to future generations, but hopefully there will always be some sort of remembrance of what people went through, and the horrendous losses in those dark times.   

Unfortunately it seems that every generation has it's own Fallen and it's own wars and I think each generation will have it's reasons for Remembrance. For me, whilst WW1 & WW2 are important they are now only part of the reason for Remembrance today.

Thought i would post this as my tribute. I hope its acceptable
https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=y0MUQh3lAvc

Why shouldn't it be fella? in my first post I said "remember in your own way, for your own why" - Must admit not sure I get it but you did and you shared. Most acceptable I'd of thought 

I read a report about a new war memorial in Northern France which for the first time ever listed in strict alphabetical order the names of all the Fallen without division of rank/nation/religion. The unveiling was attended by Angela Merkel but neither UK or US bothered.

[MARKXE]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=CTU8uFQD3y4&list=RDCTU8uFQD3y4#t=29