Armed Forces Day

After the tragic events last week in Woolwich and the coming together of the great British public to mourn a true hero,plus all the work our brave boys and girls do and have done in places like Afgahnistan, Iraq, The Falklands etc and to remember our fallen in all conflicts I would urge everyone on here if they are doing nothing on the Saturday 29th June to go to their nearest Armed Forces Day event and have a great day with all the family whilst remembering the work and sacrifice all our Armed Forces put in and do to give us the way of life we have today. Nottingham is where the main event is happening and it looks like it will be a fantastic day for everyone who goes. I for one am going to get down there, I have never been in the Armed Forces but that doesn’t stop me from having great pride and admiration for everyone who chooses a career in the Army, Navy or the RAF. Our Armed Forces are the best in the world in my eyes and are filled with the best people from our great country and what is just giving a day of you’re life to show your support when some of them give their life to give us our days we live??

Well said :slight_smile:
If only the British Government would stop cutting back and instead increase the armed forces, Britain needs them now more that in recent years.

SteveBarnsleytrucker:
After the tragic events last week in Woolwich and the coming together of the great British public to mourn a true hero,plus all the work our brave boys and girls do and have done in places like Afgahnistan, Iraq, The Falklands etc and to remember our fallen in all conflicts I would urge everyone on here if they are doing nothing on the Saturday 29th June to go to their nearest Armed Forces Day event and have a great day with all the family whilst remembering the work and sacrifice all our Armed Forces put in and do to give us the way of life we have today. Nottingham is where the main event is happening and it looks like it will be a fantastic day for everyone who goes. I for one am going to get down there, I have never been in the Armed Forces but that doesn’t stop me from having great pride and admiration for everyone who chooses a career in the Army, Navy or the RAF. Our Armed Forces are the best in the world in my eyes and are filled with the best people from our great country and what is just giving a day of you’re life to show your support when some of them give their life to give us our days we live??

Well said Steve mate.true heroes in my eyes the guys and gals that are in the forces.

SteveBarnsleytrucker:
After the tragic events last week in Woolwich and the coming together of the great British public to mourn a true hero,plus all the work our brave boys and girls do and have done in places like Afgahnistan, Iraq, The Falklands etc and to remember our fallen in all conflicts I would urge everyone on here if they are doing nothing on the Saturday 29th June to go to their nearest Armed Forces Day event and have a great day with all the family whilst remembering the work and sacrifice all our Armed Forces put in and do to give us the way of life we have today. Nottingham is where the main event is happening and it looks like it will be a fantastic day for everyone who goes. I for one am going to get down there, I have never been in the Armed Forces but that doesn’t stop me from having great pride and admiration for everyone who chooses a career in the Army, Navy or the RAF. Our Armed Forces are the best in the world in my eyes and are filled with the best people from our great country and what is just giving a day of you’re life to show your support when some of them give their life to give us our days we live??

If you are anywhere near to Nottingham,The National Memorial Arboretum is the place to go,on the A38 just south of Burton on Trent,as there is some commemoration going on most days,including June 29th.
Check out this link for timetable of future events.
I spend a lot of time there working on the memorial for the fallen of my Regiment,The Blues and Royals.
If you are emotional,take a big handkerchief with you!

thenma.org.uk/events/events- … vents.aspx

I am actually wanting to go down there one day and spend a good few hours looking at all the graves and headstones but never knew where it was in Staffordshire.

The National Memorial Arboretum doesn’t actually have graves and headstones, but it does have loads of Memorials…from ‘offical’ ones, to trees planted in memory of people… My son and I went at Easter… you’ll need a whole day and then a bit to get around it all…Fantastic place…It’s a very humbling experience, in my opinion.

As for Armed Forces Day, we’ll have the bunting and flags up at our house… When my son came home on leave, we put up the RN Ensigns, balloons, bunting and Welcome Home banners, and the Official neighbourhood gossip-monger was convinced he’d been released from prison as she hadn’t seen him around for a while… Made me laugh !!!

SteveBarnsleytrucker:
I am actually wanting to go down there one day and spend a good few hours looking at all the graves and headstones but never knew where it was in Staffordshire.

There are no graves or headstones there,it is purely memorials,but they range from the simple to the spectacular,depends on who has enough money to spend.
The biggest is of course the All Forces Memorial which had several interior walls on which are carved the names of the persons of all services who have died since the end of the last war.
More poignant is the blank wall waiting for the names of future losses,I believe that the name of Drummer Lee Rigby is to be carved on almost immediately.
Although most of the memorials are military,it is not exclusively so,there are memorials to policemen and police forces,firemen,insurance companies,the Co-op,life boatmen and individuals.
One of the most moving memorials is the “Shot at dawn” which remembers the lads shot for cowardice in the first world war.
Another moving one is the S.A.N.D.s memorial which is for still born and Neo natal deaths,you need a large hanky for that one.
Apart from the All Forces Memorial,my Regimental memorial is the only one to have all the individual names of lads who lost there lives in service since the end of the war.
I will post these pics to give you an idea of what to expect.

This spectacular memorial is for the Para’s:

My Regimental memorial:

And another pic:


Some of the moving statues on the All Forces Memorial:

On this second statue,the man is pointing at a part open door,and at 11.00 on the 11th November if the sun is shining,it passes
through the gap and lights up a central showpiece.

All these statues are life size and life like down to the hairs on their heads.
Don’t expect to see everything in one day,there is an excellent cafe.

Pat Hasler:
Well said :slight_smile:
If only the British Government would stop cutting back and instead increase the armed forces, Britain needs them now more that in recent years.

Why is there need to increase the armed forces?

There is another memorial agreed. It’s for the ones who didn’t come home from the first gulf war. A Kuwati Prince donated £10.000 towards it.

As an ex Coldstream guardsman I will certainly give and always do support to our troops.
And yes I agree, they are the best in the world.

Nulli secundus . (Second to none )

As an ex member of the Royal Navy I have always reserved the right to have absolutely nothing further to do with the Military, I don’t even fall in on Rememberance Day I just stand in the crowd.

The Woolwich Atrocity really has brought home to me the old saying
‘If you’re not with our Armed Forces you’re against them’
Thanks to the OP for bringing Armed Forces Day to my attention, I shall look into what events might be on in my area.

W

Thanks for the info and pics lads. Might go down there one Saturday and make a wkend of it.does it open Sundays?

Think I’ll pass on this thanks.

I put money in the British Legion poppy day tins and stop at 11:00 on the 11th November for a couple of minutes contemplation. I’ve spent time in the war cemeteries in France and that moved me greatly, particularly as I was with my son who was older than many of the fallen in those graves.

I don’t think members of the armed forces are “heroes” just for taking the queens shilling and to suggest otherwise does a disservice to people like Johnson Bugharry VC who does fit my idea of a hero.

If these opinions upset any one I’m sorry but they are mine and they are sincerely held.

7

Wiretwister:
I don’t think members of the armed forces are “heroes” just for taking the queens shilling and to suggest otherwise does a disservice to people like Johnson Bugharry VC who does fit my idea of a hero.

If these opinions upset any one I’m sorry but they are mine and they are sincerely held.

I agree with your sentiment Wiretwister. I guess ‘Hero’ is just an easier way for some members of the general public to express admiration and gratitude to the Military.

Personally, I consider the lady cub scout leader to be the true hero from Woolwich.

I actually don’t know what ‘Armed Forces Day’ entails but I shall endeavour to find out when I get home. I can’t imagine that it and Rememberance Day are going to be too mutually exclusive.

It does bother me that after Woolwich even someone who has little enthusiasm for the Military like me, feels the need to express solidarity rather than grateful thanks to our Serving Forces. Even though, I just think that I ought to.

A brave post Wiretwister and I respect it.

W

Wiretwister:
Think I’ll pass on this thanks.

I put money in the British Legion poppy day tins and stop at 11:00 on the 11th November for a couple of minutes contemplation. I’ve spent time in the war cemeteries in France and that moved me greatly, particularly as I was with my son who was older than many of the fallen in those graves.

I don’t think members of the armed forces are “heroes” just for taking the queens shilling and to suggest otherwise does a disservice to people like Johnson Bugharry VC who does fit my idea of a hero.

If these opinions upset any one I’m sorry but they are mine and they are sincerely held.

Well you haven’t upset me for sure. I respect your opinion and 100%agree with what you say.
Only a rare few are heroes,

SteveBarnsleytrucker:
Thanks for the info and pics lads. Might go down there one Saturday and make a wkend of it.does it open Sundays?

Yep,open every day.

Wiretwister:
Think I’ll pass on this thanks.

I put money in the British Legion poppy day tins and stop at 11:00 on the 11th November for a couple of minutes contemplation. I’ve spent time in the war cemeteries in France and that moved me greatly, particularly as I was with my son who was older than many of the fallen in those graves.

I don’t think members of the armed forces are “heroes” just for taking the queens shilling and to suggest otherwise does a disservice to people like Johnson Bugharry VC who does fit my idea of a hero.

If these opinions upset any one I’m sorry but they are mine and they are sincerely held.

Non of us joined the services with the intention of becoming a “Hero”.
Heroism comes to a few,when they least expect it and without the thought of what they are doing,it’s just a natural instinct of preservation of yourself and your mates.
There are many young soldiers now who have only just joined up,not thinking too much about the future,apart from getting through their tours of Afghanistan,but how many of them will be heroe’s at the end of the day?
I was lucky during my time,in the '60’s we used to patrol the barbed wire frontier between east and west Germany watching the Russians watching us.
As luck had it,nowt happened and it was a good laugh,BUT, if the ■■■■ had hit the fan,it would have been WW3,then there may have been some more unknowing heroe’s.
What really boils my ■■■■ is when footballers are called heroe’s,now that really is the limit.

already chose to attend stirling on the 22nd and edinburgh on the 29th. proud to be a veteran and fully support our forces people regardless of which branch they are in or were in. my H4H and SSAFA wristbands never come off and i will be wearing my veterans badge with pride

i agree about the use of the word ‘hero’ being misused but civvies are simple people so we should allow them to use it as a term instead of the more literal sense of the word

PRESS RELEASE
Plans are underway for a major celebration of Armed Forces Day 2013 in the City of Gloucester.

Representatives of the City Council, the 1st Battalion of The Rifles, the Royal British Legion and the combined Cadet Forces have formed a group to organise the event on June 29th.2013.

A Drum-Head Service will be held on College Green at 12pm beside our beautiful Cathedral This will be followed by a Parade through the City streets to The Docks where a Family Fun Day will be held in front of the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum. There will be static displays and demonstrations.

Group chairman, Mike Smith said “After the great events of 2012, we aim to give the people of Gloucester another chance to wave their Union Flags to show their support for our wonderful Armed Forces and to thank them for their service, skill and sacrifice.”
The Group is looking for sponsorship for the event from local businesses.

“We appreciate that times are tough,” said Mr Smith, “but it is thanks to the Armed Forces, past and present, that we are able to celebrate in freedom.” Anyone wishing to sponsor this great event or contribute in any way should contact Mike Smith at mike.forthepound@yahoo.co.uk or on Gloucester 424606 for more details.

UPDATE
Armed Forces Day in Gloucester
Location The Park/The Docks,Park Road, Gloucester/Gloucester Docks, Gloucester GL1 2HE.
Date: 29 June 2013, 11:00 - 17:00
Drum Head Service will commence in College Green (in the shadow of Gloucester Cathedral) and the parade will head through College Street, up Westgate Street to the Cross, right into Southgate Street to enter the Docks at the entrance alongside the Tall Ships Public House. Family Fun Day at The Docks, centred on the Soldiers of Gloucestershire Museum.

To find an event in your area click here>>>

Heres the website link from click here above

armedforcesday.org.uk/events/Listing.aspx