Don't forget Brothers to all have elevenses tomorrow 11 o'clock on the 11th day of the 11th month of the 11th year I am just ironing my best pink breast plates and my mackerel skin hot pants are back from the cleaners ... Bingo
Poignant day for me tomorrow, if my dad was still alive he'd have been 100 years old tomorrow, born on 11-11-1911...
Swords - Genuine question - does Remembrance Day have any resonance in Ireland? Asking because I was stunned to discover how many Irish died at the Somme in the same year as the 1916 uprising. Must be strange - these were brave Irish men fighting for what many would consider to be the enemy. Are they remembered or respected, irrespective of the 'cause'? Not just the Somme of course for Irish sacrifice....
personnally I think the meaning has been lost. it's too politicised imo. seems to be about points scoring instead of paying respect to the fallen. and in answer to your question there will be very few poppy wearers in Ireland tomoro.
Cheers Inky. I am in Sweden working at the moment wearing a poppy. Lots of questions about it and a common reaction 'this glorifies war' spent a lot of time trying to explain this is about respect for individual sacrifice, no matter how justified or stupid the cause. But no doubt it has been politicised and I can imagine in Ireland especially so.
The poppy marketeers can pat each other on the back as they made a good stink ... The only way people comment and know about the issue How about we shut down , a bank holiday or two? ... Can't because of the money... Sport shouldn't be played We are all here today in a free world because of our past and a massive loss of life and still it goes on Sometimes I wonder what would have happened if we lost ... I see youth who are ****ed for life already Revolution bring it on
That's an amazing anniversary; my dad also born on the last day of the great war would have been 93 tomorrow. My grandfather fought at the Somme but survived; he was injured and returned home. 4 of his sons joined up in the second world war. One of my uncles always felt sad that he couldn't wear the poppy here; it wouldn't have been accepted. Even now as Inky says you will hardly see anybody wearing one in the south. Maybe the next generation who knows? may accept it.
Honestly? No. You won't find anyone wearing poppies over here, it doesn't even register with the people. There is, however, a remembrance service in St Patrick's Anglican Cathedral in Dublin this Sunday. Other than that, nothing. Still, there is a Garden of remembrance for those who fell in WW1+2 which HM Queen Elizabeth made a point in visiting and laying a wreath on her fantastic visit here a few months ago. I think when the then Sinn Fein Lord Mayor of Belfast, Alex Maskey, laid a wreath at the Cenotaph in Belfast a few years ago did a lot to depoliticise remembrance Sunday for the people up there. Down here though it barely gets a mention! SB73, did you ask the Swede's if they have any memorial days for anything other than ABBA?!
It's Veterans day over here, which is similar to remembrance day, however it's much more inclusive of both serving members of the armed forces, and the families of soldiers that have given their lives in recent combat. I do think that side gets.... not forgotten, but kind of overwhelmed back home - it seems to be more focused on the lives lost during the first and second world wars. With these old soldiers fading away, I do worry that the in one or two generations time, the meaning will be watered down if not completely lost in England.
which is a bloody shame. plenty of irish died in every war the english were involved in. supposed to remember them all on the 11th should not have been allowed to be politicised in any way
my understanding is the poppy is a symbol of peace. to remind every one of what a waste of life war really is. as so many people lost the lives in ww1 every one said not again. so it seems a bit strange that it is being used the way it is at the moment. we are in two stupid wars were yet again so many people have lost there lives. i am not trying to take away any thing from any one who has died serving their country or who is now serving their country. i just hate war.
Loads of people die in war and loads will die today plus people go missing As English people sometimes nowadays he fail to see the bigger picture . We still report news about a devastating event with the comment We understand 2 British people (example number) are involved . Of course we remember the fallen in wars but a real insight from my family/ father/ grandfather about the last one ... We were lucky and I was told we were in a shambles ... Still today we are fed bull**** in Films and TV ... German soldiers can't ride motorbikes they end up in duck ponds ... Their machines are portrayed as being poor yet they now make the best in the world and we all drive them The French didn't fight at all ... Yet there are still blood oaths today in southern France . The south still dislike the Parisians Today take a deep breath and look at England : what does it all mean ? We can't make a decision anymore
11/11 should be an International Poppy Peace Day Holiday in remembrance of all the billions of people everywhere lost in usually pointless wars.
A bit much to expect the Irish to honour the poppy thing... 1916 was a significant year in Irish history. Whilst there was an entire division of Irish infantry troops in the front line (who would be fully committed that simmer on the Somme), the Easter Uprising back home sought independence from the Union - the culmination of centuries of unrest around quite oppressive British rule. Over the next few years the British kick back involved retribution via the 'Auxies' and the 'Black and Tans' (an indisciplined combination of police and troops back from the trenches) in which many innocent civilians were randomly targetted and murdered (Croke Park 1920 being a well known case in point). Unsurprisingly, this left a bad taste in the mouth for all affected for decades to come - even those for whom the King's shilling (economic rescue) had been more important than the principled battle for independence. Whilst there remains some sympathy in Ireland for poppyday-type remembrance (for their boys lost in western France), it's not hard to see the stark contradictions and it's association with abject oppression. Here endeth the lesson.
No Swords... just nosey! History belongs to all of us and it's there for all to see. Just wish we'd take it in and learn from our mistakes sometimes, eh?
