Remembrance Day

[Aardvark]

Sorry Val, do they not hold the Rememberance Services on the 11th ?? Would like to go there myself one year ! Sorry if off Topic Mods.

[trubrit]

Sorry Val, do they not hold the Remembrance Services on the 11th ?? Would like to go there myself one year ! Sorry if off Topic Mods.

Although Remembrance day is always 11/11 at 11.00am. It has become a tradition , certainly in the UK, to hold the service on the nearest Sunday to it . Generally referred to as Remembrance Sunday.I am not sure about the American Veterans Day though . Of course although many of our Commonwealth friends do attend our date they actually have their main celebration In Kanchanaburi on Anzac Day, actually held on the old tracks in Hell Fire pass at sunrise . A very moving experience and a worthy remembrance of those that sacrificed themselves that we might all be free .

[Laan Yaa Mo]

In Canada the ceremonies are only held on 11 November no matter the day of the week, thus this year it will be the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month of 2011. Nice.

[Aardvark]

Thanks Val. Yes LYM there are a lot of People getting Married here in Oz at that very time as it is considered Lucky. Don't understand why though

[Laan Yaa Mo]

It has to do with all of those 11's popping up in unison.

[Aardvark]

Justin used to have a Service and BBQ every year, but of course is there no longer. Anyone know of some place putting on a Service this Year ??

[papaguido]

Nov 11th is Veterans Day ceremony to be held at St. Mary's Cemetery at 10 am.

[Khun Paul]

taking part in a gathering of like minded individuals is always a moving experience on Remembrance day, whether in Uniform or civvies, however since coming here I normally pause for thought at the right time in a quiet polace often my garden and remember my colleagues long since passed away for their country.
it is for many a personal thing and here with all the noise etc, it does not have quite that same feel as in the UK.

These are my personal thoughts others may wish to partake in a gathering, but for me it is the act of remembering that is most important a quiet time for reflection as it were.

[mak]

Rememberance Day.

[Laan Yaa Mo]

Most Canadians remember the poem, 'In Flanders Fields', that was written in the First World War:

Canada in the First World War and the Road to Vimy RidgeIn Flanders Fields
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.

- John McCrae
http://www.veterans.gc.ca/eng/history/f ... imy/vimy1a

Here is a little information on McCrae:

"In Flanders Fields" is a war poem in the form of a rondeau, written during the First World War by Canadian physician and Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae. He was inspired to write it on May 3, 1915, after presiding over the funeral of friend and fellow soldier Alexis Helmer, who died in the Second Battle of Ypres. According to legend, fellow soldiers retrieved the poem after McCrae, initially unsatisfied with his work, discarded it. "In Flanders Fields" was first published on December 8 of that year in the London-based magazine Punch.

It is one of the most popular and most quoted poems from the war. As a result of its immediate popularity, parts of the poem were used in propaganda efforts and appeals to recruit soldiers and raise money selling war bonds. Its references to the red poppies that grew over the graves of fallen soldiers resulted in the remembrance poppy becoming one of the world's most recognized memorial symbols for soldiers who have died in conflict. The poem and poppy are prominent Remembrance Day symbols throughout the Commonwealth of Nations, particularly in Canada, where "In Flanders Fields" is one of the nation's best known literary works.

Background
Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae was a soldier, physician and poet.John McCrae was a poet and physician from Guelph, Ontario. He developed an interest in poetry at a young age and wrote throughout his life.[1] His earliest works were published in the mid 1890s in Canadian magazines and newspapers.[2] McCrae's poetry often focused on death and the peace that followed.[3]

At the age of 41, McCrae enrolled with the Canadian Expeditionary Force following the outbreak of the First World War. He had the option of joining the medical corps due to his training and age, but volunteered instead to join a fighting unit as a gunner and medical officer.[4] It was his second tour of duty in the Canadian military. He previously fought with a volunteer force in the Second Boer War.[5] He considered himself a soldier first; his father was a military leader in Guelph and McCrae grew up believing in the duty of fighting for his country and empire.[6]

McCrae fought in the second battle of Ypres in the Flanders region of Belgium where the German army launched one of the first chemical attacks in the history of war. They attacked the Canadian position with chlorine gas on April 22, 1915, but were unable to break through the Canadian line which held for over two weeks. In a letter written to his mother, McCrae described the battle as a "nightmare": "For seventeen days and seventeen nights none of us have had our clothes off, nor our boots even, except occasionally. In all that time while I was awake, gunfire and rifle fire never ceased for sixty seconds ..... And behind it all was the constant background of the sights of the dead, the wounded, the maimed, and a terrible anxiety lest the line should give way."[7] Alexis Helmer, a close friend, was killed during the battle on May 2. McCrae performed the burial service himself, at which time he noted how poppies quickly grew around the graves of those who died at Ypres. The next day, he composed the poem while sitting in the back of an ambulance.[8]

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/In_Flanders_Fields

[dingdong]

That time of year again to remember those millions who went to war and also peace missions to give us what we have today
Thank you
Ding

[wazza]

Remembrance Day 1100 hrs - 11/11/2013

" They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old;
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them. "

We will remember them

[downunder]

Remembrance Day

Monday 11 November 2013

Remembrance Day (11 November) marks the anniversary of the armistice which ended the First World War (1914–18). Each year Australians observe one minute silence at 11 am on 11 November, in memory of those who died or suffered in all wars and armed conflicts.

This year is not only the 95th anniversary of the armistice on 11 November which ended the First World War, but also the 20th anniversary of the reinterment of the Unknown Australian Soldier in the Australian War Memorial’s Hall of Memory. To mark the significant occasion, this year’s Remembrance Day Commemorative Address will be delivered by former Australian Prime Minister, the Hon Paul Keating, who delivered the poignant eulogy of the Unknown Australian Soldier in 1993.

There will also be a small ceremony to mark the 20th anniversary of the reinterment of the Unknown Australian Soldier in the Hall of Memory; this video explains what is being done and why.

unknown soldier and the 102,000 names listed on the Roll of Honour.

Experience Remembrance Day this year at the Memorial and remember all those who have served and sacrificed for Australia.

[maaka]

Here's to all those who trudged to hell and back, and to those who never returned.

[Aardvark]

To all those Men and Women who gave so much, RIP ....

[papaguido]

To those who made the ultimate sacrifice, may you never be forgotten...RIP

[sgt]

Here's to all our fallen brothers and sisters from all countries. I remember today (USMC B-Day) especially for my fallen friends, the gods know how much I miss you. Tomorrow I will drink the toast by the Mekong as has become my habit, damned if in '66/67 I thought that would be possible.

RIP my comrades from all nations.

If there is a hell, there is a special place there for those chickenhawks that start wars, damn them all.

[Drunk Monkey]

RIP .....total and unrelenting gratidude for those who gave their lives for the following generations of which i am one .

dm/pm

[Bonanza]

Let us remember the words from the 'Kohima' memorial, as they apply equally elsewhere.
'When you go home, tell them of us and say, "For your tomorrows, we gave our today."

[downunder]

It is just past 11a,m, in Melbourne, Australia, and as I sit here I cannot start to realize what those Brave Men and Women who gave there lives, would like to see the World today, You would think lessons would have been learnt
May the Souls of the faithful departed "REST IN PEACE".