Remembrance Day - 2008 (Merged)
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As I was working on Sunday, I went to a local church near where I work. As soon as the service started, I realised I had made mistake - H&S brief from the vicar about the emergency exits at the church...
There was a brief mention of what the day meant - remembering the dead of the war and those being killed in conflicts now.....in the Congo.....Afghanistan and Iraq not mentioned. In fact the Congo got a mentioned 2 or 3 times through out the service.
The 2 readings were not relevant at all to the day from what I could see. Then we had the "talk" - I thought it was called the sermon but that is too old fashioned. Again totally irrelevant to the occassion.
Then we moved outside to the War Memorial and the names of those on the memorial were read out - 2 mins silence. The parade commander from the RBL just gave a "dismiss" to the standard party and we all shuffled off.
The whole service felt as it was a normal service with a bit tacked on because they had to cover the Rememberance Sunday stuff.....The vicar was in her 50 so hardly one of the "happy clappy modern" vicars and the church was built in the 1950s to replace the one destroyed in an air raid in 1941.
Won't be going back to that church again!
There was a brief mention of what the day meant - remembering the dead of the war and those being killed in conflicts now.....in the Congo.....Afghanistan and Iraq not mentioned. In fact the Congo got a mentioned 2 or 3 times through out the service.
The 2 readings were not relevant at all to the day from what I could see. Then we had the "talk" - I thought it was called the sermon but that is too old fashioned. Again totally irrelevant to the occassion.
Then we moved outside to the War Memorial and the names of those on the memorial were read out - 2 mins silence. The parade commander from the RBL just gave a "dismiss" to the standard party and we all shuffled off.
The whole service felt as it was a normal service with a bit tacked on because they had to cover the Rememberance Sunday stuff.....The vicar was in her 50 so hardly one of the "happy clappy modern" vicars and the church was built in the 1950s to replace the one destroyed in an air raid in 1941.
Won't be going back to that church again!
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I found this the other day from the memoirs of Colonel Thomas Gowenlock - Intelligence Officer United States 1st Division November 1918. During WW2 he was a Major General in Intelligence.
"OFFICIAL RADIO from Paris - 6:01 AM Nov 11 1918.
Marshal Foch to Commander-in-Chief
1. Hostilities will be stopped on the entire front beginning at 11 o'clock, November 11th (French hour).
2. The Allied troops will not go beyond the line reached at that hour on that date until further orders.
[signed]
Marshal Foch
5:45 AM
Note that the Armistice came into effect in France at 11 AM - which would have been 10 AM GMT.
"OFFICIAL RADIO from Paris - 6:01 AM Nov 11 1918.
Marshal Foch to Commander-in-Chief
1. Hostilities will be stopped on the entire front beginning at 11 o'clock, November 11th (French hour).
2. The Allied troops will not go beyond the line reached at that hour on that date until further orders.
[signed]
Marshal Foch
5:45 AM
Note that the Armistice came into effect in France at 11 AM - which would have been 10 AM GMT.
Red On, Green On
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Note that the Armistice came into effect in France at 11 AM - which would have been 10 AM GMT.
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Pneumonia epidemic,I believe it was called Spanish Flu,
killed more people than the war.In the Bourlon Wood
cemetery there is a whole row of Chinese labourerall killed by
the flu epidemic.
Regards
killed more people than the war.In the Bourlon Wood
cemetery there is a whole row of Chinese labourerall killed by
the flu epidemic.
Regards
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AA
BST was introduced as a wartime measure in 1916 from 21 May - 1st Oct (that year). The Royal Navy (operating around the World) maintained GMT as its standard time for signal purposes. The Army in France operated in French Time which was also the normal Time Zone for the Belgian and Portugese Armies.
It got more complicated in the re-play between 1939-1945 when UK had GMT, Summer Time and Double Summer Time.
BST was introduced as a wartime measure in 1916 from 21 May - 1st Oct (that year). The Royal Navy (operating around the World) maintained GMT as its standard time for signal purposes. The Army in France operated in French Time which was also the normal Time Zone for the Belgian and Portugese Armies.
It got more complicated in the re-play between 1939-1945 when UK had GMT, Summer Time and Double Summer Time.
Red On, Green On
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BST is not really relevant to this as the UK was back on GMT on 11.11 anyway. This discussion suggests that France was on GMT at the time, while Germany was on CET, so the Germans stopped at noon. It's the French who will be out of step now, as a result, if the posts made on that discussion are correct.
As an aside, the father of a friend spent 48 months at the Front from 1914-1918. He told his son that on the 11th after they received the signal confirming the Armistice, his troops not surprisingly kept their heads firmly in their bunkers, while a German Spandau gunner blatted away. At 11.00 GMT he stopped, stood up, took off his helmet, bowed towards the British lines, turned, and walked back to his batallion HQ.
As an aside, the father of a friend spent 48 months at the Front from 1914-1918. He told his son that on the 11th after they received the signal confirming the Armistice, his troops not surprisingly kept their heads firmly in their bunkers, while a German Spandau gunner blatted away. At 11.00 GMT he stopped, stood up, took off his helmet, bowed towards the British lines, turned, and walked back to his batallion HQ.
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Why are they selling poppies mother, selling poppies in town today?
The poppies child are flowers of love for the men who marched away.
But why have they chosen a poppy mother, why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died in fields where the poppies grow.
But why are the poppies so red mother, why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child, the blood that our soldiers shed.
The heart of the poppy is black mother, why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief, for the men who never came back
But why, mother dear, are you crying so? Your tears are like winter rain.
My tears are for you, my child, for the world is forgetting again.
The poppies child are flowers of love for the men who marched away.
But why have they chosen a poppy mother, why not a beautiful rose?
Because my child, men fought and died in fields where the poppies grow.
But why are the poppies so red mother, why are the poppies so red?
Red is the colour of blood, my child, the blood that our soldiers shed.
The heart of the poppy is black mother, why does it have to be black?
Black, my child, is the symbol of grief, for the men who never came back
But why, mother dear, are you crying so? Your tears are like winter rain.
My tears are for you, my child, for the world is forgetting again.
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Thank You Brian.
I watched the service on the BBC, aside from some extraneuos (sp) commentary it was truly awesome. The last three survivors assisted by three current serving heroes, all of them modest, humble and professional.
I had to be at work on sunday but I made sure that the production line stopped for two minutes.
Lest we forget - not on my watch.
I am preparing a large whisky for tonight when the sun dips below the yardarm.
I watched the service on the BBC, aside from some extraneuos (sp) commentary it was truly awesome. The last three survivors assisted by three current serving heroes, all of them modest, humble and professional.
I had to be at work on sunday but I made sure that the production line stopped for two minutes.
Lest we forget - not on my watch.
I am preparing a large whisky for tonight when the sun dips below the yardarm.
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French commemoration
I was watching the French remembrance, this year at Verdun - which annoyed the German Chancellor, Angela Merkel, so much that she decided, yesterday, not to come - and I'm mystified as to the timing. I had expected the ceremony to take place at the 11th hour, French time..but President Sarkozy didn't even turn up until about ten past eleven. Seemed strange to me. Gave up and went back to the BBC to see it done properly.
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I watched the service on the BBC, aside from some extraneuos (sp) commentary it was truly awesome. The last three survivors assisted by three current serving heroes, all of them modest, humble and professional.
* I haven't given his name as I'm not sure I would get it right and I have no intention of mis-spelling it as would likely be the case.
Last edited by DX Wombat; 11th Nov 2008 at 22:23. Reason: to correct errors and omissions - I was called away before I had had time to check my post as thoroughly as I should have liked.
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I agree with your comments about these three last heroes of WW1 at Cenotaph this AM - most moving.
Recently re-read, for umpteenth time, CS Lewis book Sagittarius Rising. he describes in detail flying over the battlefield. i had a shock when i looked at a map and found he was flying over the trenches where my great-uncle was killed in 1916. It was quite sobering when one realised that his descriptions were of REAL people dying in war.
Recently re-read, for umpteenth time, CS Lewis book Sagittarius Rising. he describes in detail flying over the battlefield. i had a shock when i looked at a map and found he was flying over the trenches where my great-uncle was killed in 1916. It was quite sobering when one realised that his descriptions were of REAL people dying in war.
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I was on Whitehall today for the ceremony.
Bloody awesome. It was a gorgeous day, quite breezy, bit nippy. The vets were on top form, particularly Harry Patch, he's a bright button.
I fear, though, that's the last time we'll see them. I hope the ceremony did them proud.
Bloody awesome. It was a gorgeous day, quite breezy, bit nippy. The vets were on top form, particularly Harry Patch, he's a bright button.
I fear, though, that's the last time we'll see them. I hope the ceremony did them proud.
Cool Mod
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I don't know what cockles of the heart are! But........whatever they are mine were well and truly warmed today. The way Henry Allingham tried to lay the wreath himself was wonderful.
This has to be one of the better Remembrance's, over the past few days, that I have ever seen.
I suspect Beatriz is right, and this may be the last time we see the vets. But then I bet they said that last year...........and the year before that!
This has to be one of the better Remembrance's, over the past few days, that I have ever seen.
I suspect Beatriz is right, and this may be the last time we see the vets. But then I bet they said that last year...........and the year before that!
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AA
Perhaps you could consult the IWM regarding Time Zones - probably easier for you than me.
UK is normally 1 hr different from mainland Europe and there were (apart from the French) Belgian, Italian, Portugese, British and American Forces (as well as elements from Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia) engaged in hostilities. In addition, the Armistice would have included Naval forces worldwide including Naval surface Raiders and U-Boats.
The interesting thing is that the specification "French Hour" was included; suggesting that this had been a problem in the past. What time zone were the German Forces operating in?
Perhaps you could consult the IWM regarding Time Zones - probably easier for you than me.
UK is normally 1 hr different from mainland Europe and there were (apart from the French) Belgian, Italian, Portugese, British and American Forces (as well as elements from Russia, Poland and Czechoslovakia) engaged in hostilities. In addition, the Armistice would have included Naval forces worldwide including Naval surface Raiders and U-Boats.
The interesting thing is that the specification "French Hour" was included; suggesting that this had been a problem in the past. What time zone were the German Forces operating in?
Avoid imitations
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Westerham War memorial, Kent, just after sunset, 11th November 2008.
Churchill's statue keeps watch close by.
Churchill's statue keeps watch close by.
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Some of you might remember the heinous crime commited here in Jannertown (plymouth) by that thieving pikey toerag who damaged the war memorial by stealing the plaques. Todays plymouth herald says the accused has absconded proir to trial. Volunteers requested for a pikey hunt....
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C-S
Without in any way condoning the defacing of a War Memorial - the contents of your 1st and 3rd sentences (if generally shared in Plymouth) might explain his abscondance. Innocent until proven guilty?
Without in any way condoning the defacing of a War Memorial - the contents of your 1st and 3rd sentences (if generally shared in Plymouth) might explain his abscondance. Innocent until proven guilty?