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
Lieut.-Col. John McCrae
Composed at the battlefront on May 3, 1915
during the second battle of Ypres, Belgium
Fewer and fewer seem to take any notice nowadays. We were a couple of the very few that bothered with a poppy donation or a little bit of silence on the day in our neck of the woods.
peterm:
Fewer and fewer seem to take any notice nowadays. We were a couple of the very few that bothered with a poppy donation or a little bit of silence on the day in our neck of the woods.
i’m the same I gave money to the poppy appeal a few days ago,then went into town on Saturday and bought a number of items from the british legion,you got to it’s the right and decent thing to do,although I did say about the poppies to the staff,that was no matter how careful you put the poppy on your clothes the pin allways works loose,next thing is you look down and no poppy as regards the silence,yeah your right,when the two minutes came I sat in silence in the cab[I know you are supposed to stand]but I noticed everyone else walking around doing what they normally do getting on with their jobs,after the 2 min I started up and pulled away,as you say not enough are showing respect
peterm:
Fewer and fewer seem to take any notice nowadays. We were a couple of the very few that bothered with a poppy donation or a little bit of silence on the day in our neck of the woods.
I was on the train at 1100hrs on Friday. At a few minutes before, the guard made an announcement about remembrance day and again spit on 11. Most (including myself) reflected silently for two minutes, except for some loud-mouthed, self-important career-type ■■■■■ who continued her phone call throughout. If that wasn’t disrespectful then I don’t know what is.
Know what you mean - I’m cracking on now, and my old dad was was in the RAF in India and Burma for much of the war.
But as long as some of us remember these men, and the men (and boys) that died in the 1st World War, and the military establishment keeps the day going, their memory will not die.
I remember when I was a nipper, being on a bus with father in the West End of London on a Remembrance Sunday. At 11 o’clock everything came to a standstill, engines off, bus and taxi drivers getting out and standing alongside with heads bowed, pedestrians also standing quietly. I presume it doesn’t happen now?
Bernard
^^^
The tradition is still alive, at least one bus company asks drivers to warn passengers that they will be pulling over and switching off at 11am if it is safe to do so.
I recall the same scenes from my childhood. I can also remember one year standing next to my father during the silence and realising that he was crying quietly; he never did say anything about his army service other than the amusing incidents. All he ever did say is that he was in the Reconnaisance Corps and landed in Normandy on D plus 7.
This was my grand dad (On my mothers side), after being shot and gassed in WW1. He returned to the front and came back to father
four more children, including my mother.
If it were not for the sacrifices made by my grand dad and his brothers in arms, I would not be here, great respect.
As a former squaddie and the Secretary of my local Regimental Association, I take Remembrance Day very seriously.
My wife and I were married while I was serving, and she is now an ordained priest, and as our Association Chaplain, she proudly wears my Regimental badge on her stole.
I was very pleased to see many small children at our local Remembrance services on Friday and Sunday.
I pulled into services got out the cab and stood silent for the 2mins!! Saw loads of people just carrying on with there day totally oblivious!! Even though it’s probably on there radios! But never mind it’s what you do yourself that counts! At least you know that you have paid your respects!!
peterm:
Fewer and fewer seem to take any notice nowadays. We were a couple of the very few that bothered with a poppy donation or a little bit of silence on the day in our neck of the woods.
Oddly enough I found myself approaching Sutton Scotney services just before 11am on Friday, so I nipped in for a 15 minute break. I entered the shopping area just on 11am so I stood to one side just inside the door for my own personal 2 minute silence. One or two people continued with their chattering/walking around but then the shop manager came and stood by me, head bowed. The chattering stopped and (with a bit of uncomfortable shuffling) everyone joined us in silence. Except for a couple of flip-flops who naturally had not the slightest clue what we were doing or why. Two minutes later the manager thanked everyone and we carried on about our business.
peterm:
Fewer and fewer seem to take any notice nowadays. We were a couple of the very few that bothered with a poppy donation or a little bit of silence on the day in our neck of the woods.
I was on the train at 1100hrs on Friday. At a few minutes before, the guard made an announcement about remembrance day and again spit on 11. Most (including myself) reflected silently for two minutes, except for some loud-mouthed, self-important career-type ■■■■■ who continued her phone call throughout. If that wasn’t disrespectful then I don’t know what is.
i cant help thinking how satisfying it would need to have been,ripping the phone,out of her hand and slinging it out of the window,then worrying about the fine later…you just can exactly picture the ■■■■■ from previous experiance with similar…but what do you do…i remember a cpl years ago someone in a prison took both pool cues from a cpl of taliban as they hadnt stopped playing during the silence and wondering why he didnt just beat them to a pulp at the same time…
I manage a under 9s football team and we had a minutes silence before the game which was observed impeccably by both teams of kids…such a shame those who are too busy with their own lives couldn’t spare the time.
Judging by the stories here, we’re in no imminent danger of losing this event - the truth is that there’ll always be many people who don’t give a ■■■■, but there’ll equally always be a huge number of decent people who will remember, and take those short 1 or 2 minutes to remember with respect.
I think Remembrance has been more widely observed in recent year than for a long time, I don’t remember the 2 minutes silence being observed much on the 11 of November as it is now.
Personally I’m not bothered whether others observe it or not as long as those that do are allowed to and given time with their thoughts. the same goes with wearing poppy’s. I always buy one, but I don’t always wear it as it gets damaged or lost when I’m working.
This year I also got a wristband, so I wore that during the week and the poppy on Sunday, when I went to something called the Race of Remembrance at the Anglesey race track. It’s run by a charity that is run and works with ex-forces personnel, the race comes to a halt at 10:45 and a Remembrance service is held in the pit lane, then they restart the race at 11:15. There must of been a couple of hundred people taking part in the service.
I thought the 2 minutes silence seemed even more pronounced as only a few minutes earlier the place was full of racecars running flat out. On the way home I noticed several villages in Wales had poppys tied to lamp posts, never seen that before.
It was very impressive in the NEC yesterday, except for one two in the cafe who carried on talking, while sat at the table.
On Friday I pulled car and caravan into a layby at 11.00, for our own two minutes reflection.
Got a couple of strange looks from a fella on the phone in the car in front!
Parked up on the 11th at 11 for 2 minutes silence and pulled into a lay by on the way to Peterborough Sunday at 10.55 for 15 minutes,bought a poppy and my good lady did it has to be done out of respect.
Great grandad was gassed at the Somme .
It probably goes unnoticed, but these forums go offline at the eleventh hour, on the eleventh day every year for two minutes, and again at the eleventh hour on remembrance sunday. We do not and will not forget.
