Remembrance Sunday
 

It's that day again.

Since my dad died I take my mum to the local war memorial for the service. She was in the Wrens at Beauliu in the new forest during the war, and assisted in a small way in the organising of the Normandy landings.

My dad was on mine sweepers and after he died I found an old photo album holding photo's of him, his vessel and the rest of the crew. I wish now I had asked him more questions about what he did.

We meet up with a friend and his Grandad at the service. Amongst his grandads medals is one presented by the French quite recently. He and his tank regiment stayed behind after Dunkirk and fought a rearguard action against German tanks during which time their tank took a direct hit. The rest of the crew were killed instantly and he has described to me the scene inside the tank after they were hit in graphic detail. He suffered terrible leg injuries and now walks with the aid of sticks.

Last year my mum asked me to wear my dads medals ( On the right ) and I was very unhappy about this because I thought that others might think I was a fraud. I put them on my suit jacket under my coat.

When we went to ''The Legion'' after the service I removed my coat and jacket revealing the medals, and was horrified when my friends grandad pointed his stick at me and with an angry face said ''What are they doing there''. I went crimson and wanted the ground to open up. ''They're my dads medals''. He started banging his stick on the ground and asked me again why they were there. By now the sweat was dripping off me and I stammered the same reply to which he responded '' They're your dads medals and you should be proud to wear them where we can all see them, not hidden away like that!'' It took me ages to stop sweating!

This year I am wearing them on the outside ( With some trepidation I must admit.) And for the first time my 16 year old son will be with us which will be nice. He is thinking about joining the T.A. hopefully as a sniper and I know that he could end up in Iraq like others here.

The numbers at the Legion after the service are diminishing
each year now, and it is for me, an honour to talk to and buy a pint for those men and women who are REAL HEROES unlike the footballers etc who are idolised and called heroes today.

Is'nt it sad that we are today still asking our brave servicemen and women to face the same horrors in other parts of the world, and that they too face the same risks as another generation 60 years ago.

Yes, it's a very special day today.

Phil

[Edited on 13-11-2005 by philthy]

My dad was a test pilot in the R A F in ww2 and your right,we should never forget..........

wear them medals without anxiety chap, the world is a better place for them to have been won.

I have my grandfathers service medals in a box in the attick... think I'll go get them out and make a new home in the lounge for them.

Lest we forget.

fair play to you mate for wearing the medals. i go to my local remembrance service every year, we owe it to those who fought for our freedom...

You know chaps, I was going to put a post up about Armistice day on the 11th, then thought nah, I'll get the pis* taken. So didn't bother.

Big old background of the services in my family.
Great Uncle Sid - gased at Hooge 1915
Great Grand father WW1 The Blackwatch
Uncle Stan - Torpedo'd in the Pacific WW2 spent 48 hours in the water. Went back through the hole in the ship before it sank to get his best mate. No medals for that.
Uncle Ernie RAF WW2
Uncle Bill - RATC Burma WW2
Uncle Vernon - Ditto
My Granda Casson - Border Regt WW1
Grandma Casson's brother WW1 Pioneer Corp - Buring bodies mainly.
My Granddad Cpl Peaper- 1st/7th Mddx Regt. DOW at Dunkirk June 1940
The owd mon R N - Palestine 1947-9

We didn't find out where Granddad Peaper was buried until 1984 we started looking in 1966; and either I or my mum have gone to Ypres every year since for 11th Nov.

Any others of you reading this post, get on a Eurostar or ride over to Belgium. Ypres is 1 1/2 hours from Calais on the bike. Get there as the sun comes up and stand under the Menin Gate, you can't miss it. And try and read the names at the top of the arch. Then go straight down the road ahead until you get to Tyne Cot, there are 12,000 brits buried in there and the rest of the memorial to the missing.
I think there are 35,000 names on it
One in four of all the missing of The Great war are missing in and around Ypres and GB took 900,000 dead and nearly 2 million wounded. They are found every year and are reburied in Bedford Cemetry just outside Ypres.

At 6PM every day the traffic is stopped by the Gate and the last post is played. EVERY DAY without fail. 4 buglers play it.
It never fails to make me burst in to tears.

11th November should be a Public Holiday in the UK.

Maybe one day all the little thugs and fuggin hooligans might be dragged over there for community service and made to spend a week tending the war graves around Ypres. It might teach the little sh*ts a bit of humility.

Ains.
PS: 11 bells on the boat I was on at 11AM 11/11 too. Always have, always will. :(

Well I've just got back from the Legion with two very happy veterans.

It has been a lovely sunny day here and the biggest turnout at the service I've seen in years. Just before 11a.m. an old Douglas Dakota flew over us on its way to drop poppies over the Mersey. All eyes turned upward and I'm sure it stirred more than a few memories to many of those present.

Some of the men looked very frail compared to last year, and when you see them standing next to a young soldier it's hard to imagine them as they must have been 60 years ago.

My friends Grandad was so pleased that I had worn my Dads and father in laws medals that it made up for the telling off I got from him last year, and a couple of old boys said '' Well done lad '' ( I'm 50! )when they saw them.

Ains, I have been to the Somme and when you see those cemetaries you would have to have a heart of stone not to cry. I know I did, many times.

Phil

My Dad served in the RAF in WW2, ok, he wasn't aircrew or anything glamorous, he doesn't have any medals (that I'm aware of), he was just a fitter on Lancasters. But everyone did their bit, he helped keep the aircraft flying, we should all be proud of what the elder members of society did for us, the freedom they fought for. It saddens me the lack of respect some people show these days.
To those who fought for the freedom I enjoy today, Thankyou.
Martin

Martin

I was talking to someone who flew in Halifaxes today.

He was full of praise for the ground crews and said that they did a marvelous job repairing the planes for the next mission. ( He did 30 missions ) So your dad wasn't '' just a fitter '' he was an important part of a very large team.

Your dad would have been awarded medals I'm sure. Perhaps like my mum he didn't claim them at the time. I would encourage you to find out more from him while he is still alive. If he didn't claim them he can still get them from the m.o.d. U2U me if you wish.

Phil

To right. The link to find out how to claim for past service is as follows:

http://www.veteransagency.mod.uk/med...edals_open.htm


Ains.

Lets hope that it still continues, for a long long time to come.
I watched the festival of remembrance last night, that always shows a good selection of old and new, including the latest receiprient of the VC.

Yorkie.

I find it sad when the older members have to sell their medals to make ends meet. They fought/served for our country and have little support now.