One of those HV threads.

[Huge_Vitae]

Remembrance Day is always one of those sadder days in my life, it is a time when I remember with equal sadness and fondness friends and relatives, some of which I knew some of which I never met. My P. Great Uncle who fell at Pachendale, My M. Grandmother's Nephews who to a man fell at The Somme, none survived. My Uncle who survived WWI as a member of The RFC and his Son who survived WWII in the Parachute Regiment serving at, amongst others Monte Casino and DDay. My Uncle Alg who was a POW of the Japs, My Uncle Fred RN. who went to hell and back in the Artic Convoys. My Dad and Father in Law who were evacuated from Dunkirk and who both returned to fight. My Good friend Peter, he survived the entire of WWII, serving in N.Africa, Malta for the siege, assaulting Salerno and being moved as part of 5 Brigade Command to assault Normandy. Dying just a couple of years ago, My friend Pete G, 3 Platoon, A Coy, 2 Para who by a stroke of luck survived Warrenpoint by a few yards only to fall six months later. And to all my friends and relatives who served and suffered.

 

Now I add to that all of YOUR friends and family who suffered.

 

That is the sad bit done, so now, as I usually do, I look for things to cheer me up and make me smile or laugh, as usual for me that will be at my own expense.

 

So, Friday just gone was, considering the time of year, was lovely here, sun was shining, it's warm enough for me to be out in a t.shirt and I'm on my way in the car to my local town driving, as usual with my window open.

 

On the radio, it's request hour, comes an instrumental version of 'Money for Nothing' didn't catch who was playing it but thumbed the button on the steering wheel to put the volume up very high on the 'bose'. Brilliant.

 

Then the bloody mobile rings, that's unusual for me, unusual that I have remembered to take it out with me, and unusual for anybody to call me on it, caller display says it's a local Solicitor, figuring that he would have called home I concluded since it's almost 5 that it must be urgent. I don't talk on the phone when driving but have now got into a traffic queue for some roadworks. The radio has already muted by the Bluetooth so I accept the call on steering wheel control.

 

He needs to speak to me with a problem, I explain that I am in a traffic queue and will pull over and call him back in a few minutes. I hang up just as the lights change and I start moving again, I am just passing the bus stop outside Osborne House that, as usual for that time of the day has a large queue.

 

As the Bluetooth disconnects the radio switches back on, bearing in mind it's still turned up very high, window is still open and the station is playing the next record requested 'bye bye baby' by The Bay City Rollers. I cannot scan the people waiting for familiar faces, but you can bet your life there was a couple I know in that queue.

 

I am not the only person to be sad and proud at the moment, if you are, I hope reading this will give you a smile, it has me. Remember the saying, 'A person who laughs at his own actions is always seen smiling by the rest of the World."

Edited November 12, 2017 by Huge_Vitae

[barry luxton]

what a rich history of sadness, shame we can't thank them for serving.

 

Kudos for sharing.

[Andrew]

My uncle Albert my dads brother,killed in action on the 16th December 1944 aged 20

 

Edited November 12, 2017 by Andrew

[chesters1]

My grandad had one of the most dangerous jobs on a bomber a tail gunner ,after the war he went a bit doolally and the family split up because he couldnt cope with his visions of what happened below when he did his job.

He topped himself in 1968.

He was no hero he had no choice other than prison but my gran said he was a bastard before the war and worse after ,he was so nasty he refused to divorce my nan and she only got married to Bob (my step grandad) in 1968 .

 

You hear of all the help ex forces get to cope with trauma but they chose the proffesion so knew what it encompassed in my grandads case and for millions of others i think the only help was "pull yourself together" the old bloke 2 doors away still has nightmares (a bomber pilot) and got so bad he asked for help but was sickened by the idiot "therapist" who ofcourse never seen what he did treating him like a child ,he does his best to cope himself.

 

Not dissing veterans by any means my great uncle joe was sent mad by the japs torturing him we all have relatives harmed by war (my dad lost 4 brothers in the blitz) but i find it strange the media seemingly forgetting who we were actually fighting ,in one broadcast germans were never mentioned at all and in other you get around germany by reffering to nazis!!

As you say "lest we forget" and please never forget everything they died keeping us who we are

In essence dont just remember who !also remember why !

Edited November 12, 2017 by chesters1

[Ken L]

Soldiers on both sides died to protect their people, their culture, their values and their identity from the "other".

They would no longer even recognise the countries or the people that they supposedly died for.

[Steve Walker]

My granddad spent the war in Burma, fixing aeroplanes. I think the only outward sign of any lasting trauma was a dislike of the smell of barbecuing meat.

 

I do still think of him on Armistice Day, though, because he died in hospital on November 11th.

[Ken L]

Those that gave their lives or their youth are constantly used as political tools.

We've been told that they made their sacrifice for the EU when the opposite is true and in the name of all manor of lefty garbage by people who cynically exploit their memories for personal political gain.

But the real feelings of people who played a part in WW2, were captured back in 2009 by Tyneside writer, Nicholas Pringle who decided to send letters to local newspapers across the country in 2006, asking for those who lived through the war to write to him with their experiences.

He rounded off his request with this question: 'Are you happy with how your country has turned out? What do you think your fallen comrades would have made of life in 21st-century Britain?'.