Armistice 100/ Victory 100
 

What are folk going to be doing on THE DAY please?
For my part, I shall be on the end of a bell rope doing the celebratory ring; the band to which I belong is performing immediately after the Church Service, approx. 1115.
Also, we are holding two exhibitions, one of which is specifically RAF 100 ........ with mandatory tea and cakes .

Above all, my take is that we should, as a nation, be celebrating a costly victory by armed forces that had perforce become overwhelmingly civilians led by senior officers who had just sufficient wit and flexibility to learn and apply the science of evolving warfare.

A worthy Day to Remember, and that I shall do. However, after being in Flanders a couple of years ago for Great Uncles 100th anniversary demise at Thiepval, this year will be private.

RIP

I would highly recommend you spend some time listening to these for a raw brutal telling that leaves one with a remorseful reflection of what those brave people endured for us all.

"Blueprint for Armageddon"

https://www.dancarlin.com/hardcore-history-series/

Forgot to add, they are free

A bunch of us Brits are honoured to have been invited for the first time to take an official part in the parade and Act of Remembrance at Place Verdun in Fontenay le Comte, in the southern Vendee, where a poppy wreath and an Air Forces wreath from Yorkshire Air Museum (which has a link with French heavy bomber squadrons which flew from there) will be laid. The day before there is a centenary commemorative event in Vasles, about an hour away

It's personal for lots of people. For us we will attend a local war memrorial bearing the name of Wifes Grandfather having recently attended his grave in Ypres on the 100th Anniverary of his death. A late twist to our knowledge meant we were also in position of the grid reference where he was recovered in September 1919, some 200m from the start line that morning.
Using the exhumation records from the battlefield cleanup im also plotting the locations of other 120 or so who fell that morning, which i plan to include in a small booklet about that particular incident, along with trenchmaps and current pictures. Work in progress of course!

The personal bit I did 4 years ago when, with daughters and grand-daughters, we walked the field at Le Cateau on 26 August 2014, the centenary of the holding battle fought there during the retreat from Mons exactly 100 years before. My maternal grandfather, recalled to the colours in his last Reserve year, died in the 'confused' circumstances of 1st Gordons delayed withdrawal that night. He is one of some 3700 men from the first weeks of the war, and with no known graves, who are commemorated at the Monument in La Ferté-sous-Jouarre, about 50 miles east of Paris.

But on 11 November, with probably about 80 others of at least 3 generations, I should be by a Yorkshire roadside at the entrance to the WW2 RAF Melbourne, now a working farm, where there has been a 10 Squadron Memorial since 1985. All being well, both Squadron and Association standards will be paraded for a short Remembrance Service, as in past years. And we may well once again get a Chipmunk flyover, courtesy of a chap who keeps one at another ex-WW2 airfield in the area. We then pretty much take over the pub in a nearby village for lunch!

Along with many of what Mrs. Martian likes to call my Plastic Pals I shall be attending IPMS(UK)' national event, ScaleModelWorld, at Telford where there will be a ceremony and two minutes' silence at the appropriate time. Both of the 100 year anniversaries are being heavily promoted throughout the weekend.

My display is 1: 200 ................ get a lot on a standard table!

Marching past the Cenotaph, remembering my grandmother's cousin who died in the First War and my grandfather who died in the Second War

I may be in Cologne working is there any Brits to remember the day with.

Mole Man

Good on you, Mole Man,:ok:
My partner, Rita (a Flanders Lady) and I will be in Ypres/Iepr for the day.
alt

Like November4, I will be marching past the Cenotaph.I will be remembering my Great Uncle whom died a month before the Amistice. I will remember Baz Barwood, fellow SNCO killed on active service in Basrah less than 800 yards from where I was laying after seeing the visiting C-17 crew to met for their out brief. I will remember the others that died in the service of this country. I will not be celebrating Victory Langley Bastion. But I have been a serviceman.

Uhuh.

Presentation of Bleuet de France 8th May, 2007, Mas-Grenier, Tarne et Garonne Midi-Pyrénées.

Invited/hosted by Marie, no medals or any such nonsense, just smart and paying respects.

Unexpected, excellent déjeuner de midi, followed by one of those epic booze ups where the hosts will not let you go until your legless. Yam Sing!

Taxi bleu clair-back to San Sardos.So I was told.

Great times, Vive la Republic!

I will not be celebrating Victory Langley
The thought occurs that, were there no costly victories in 1918 and 1945, we might be corresponding in German.

The Mayor will be present at the war memorial at 11:00 for the two minutes' silence, but our local parade has been moved to 18:30 so that a beacon can be lit. Can't help feeling that something's not right about that...

My family was lucky: no deaths, although Uncle Frank went to France in early 1918 and was back by the summer without a leg. Other uncles served in the Second World War (one pre-war Coldstreamer, apparently at Dunkirk and El Alamein, another was in tanks) and came through apparently unscathed.

mole man (your #11),

"I may be in Cologne working..."

Do you know what happened to the Volkspark ? At the end of the war the Control Commission built an estate of posh houses for themselves on it. Later it was handed over to the RAF (and other services ?) as a village of OMQs - we had everything there to hand. Lived there a few months at end of 1960, then got a quarter at Geilenkirkchen.

Does "Grossrotterveg" or "Hitzler Strasse" help ?

Danny42C

I'm not marching to remember any victories or anything like that. Whilst marching past the Cenotaph, I will be remembering my grandfather who I never knew (killed 13 Dec 44),my grandmother's cousin died 27 Feb 1917,my father's uncle killed in action 17 Jun 1944 and those fellow Movers who died whilst on duty as well as those no longer with us. But most of all, I will be remembering that I am still able to march and remember those those no longer with us.

I think it was very much the luck of the draw. On my paternal side my oldest uncle signed up but was under age. My grandfather got him out. Later he joined the RAF. Of 7 great uncles not one had a child of the right age to fight.

On the maternal side my grandfather was a regular In the Indian Army, I know his three brothers were also In the Army and all survived intact. In the 2nd I lost an uncle missing presumed killed when his night fighter disappeared - there was no action that night.

In the 2nd, only my father was in action in the merchant navy.