We will remember them

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Smug in Boots

Smug in Boots

Well-Known Member
Jan 27, 2011
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Upper Largo Scotland
I've had a series of messages about Remembrance Day and wanted to post a few on here but couldn't see an appropriate thread, hence this.
I'm certainly not being 'holier than thou', just thought it would be a convenient place for any posts, thoughts, memories that people might want to share.

I've had a few lads ask me to join them in a pause at 11am which I'm happy to do, some are doing that on their doorsteps which seems a decent thing to do.

For my part I'll observe the silence, as usual, then play Nimrod, as usual ...

... I usually manage to keep it together every Remembrance Sunday, until those cymbals clash.

I'll be thinking about you, Dad, taken from a pit village and dropped in Sicily to be blown up, sent home to be patched up then sent off to Egypt to be blown up again. Survived all that then died from pit lung ...

... what fettle Tommy

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I feel its important that the men and women who risk their lives in all conflicts so that we could live our lives as we see fit are remembered - not just today but all days. I hope that in days to come, the younger generation carry on with this day of remembrance.

Today I'll mostly be remembering my grandad who was fatally wounded when they bombed Horden pit. I never met him but my mam always told me that he was up one of the towers and if he had a big stick, he could touched the plane. Whilst he was there a piece of shrapnel hit him and he died a few days later. Remembering my grandad George Hales and all other servicemen and innocents who gave their lives.

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I’ll be going to the remembrance at the memorial in Joondalup which is being held on 11th November. If I can’t give up an hour of my time once a year for this there’s something wrong. ANZAC Day dawn service is the bigger one over here. I always get a shiver when I hear the Last Post no matter how many times I’ve heard it previously.
 
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To all who served their country to allow us the freedom that we enjoy today I give you the utmost respect. To those who question the reasons why we have a rememberance, shame on you all. We have the freedoms that we have on the back of lives given in service to this, and many other countries freedom of speech and freedom of life came at a mighty price - lest we all forget
 
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King Kareoke said:
Lovely touch in Whickham today - girl two two doors down went out and played the Last Post on the Trumpet at 11 - very nice touch
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Brilliant and wonderful a girl that age sees the significance.

The Sunderland lad, in Exeter, said their silence was ended by the Queen Mary and two other ships sounding their horns.
 
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Watched the service on BBC and very surreal this year without the veterans there. My Great Grandfather died in world war 1 in France, been to see his grave in a small village called Bois-Grenier and am pleased to say it was immaculate. His son, my granda, served in world war 2 in the Royal Signals in Mina, Egypt and thankfully returned home after the war. Both in my mind today long with the million+ others who gave their lives.
 
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Evil Jimmy Krankie said:
I’ll be going to the remembrance at the memorial in Joondalup which is being held on 11th November. If I can’t give up an hour of my time once a year for this there’s something wrong. ANZAC Day dawn service is the bigger one over here. I always get a shiver when I hear the Last Post no matter how many times I’ve heard it previously.
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Such a beautiful and poignant sound but I can't bear to hear it these days.

My office, whilst in the RAF and based at Lyneham was directly opposite where the repatriation ceremonies took place on the C17 aircraft. Hearing it nigh on every week for several years and witnessing the families heartbreak has truly broken my emotional attachment to the song. It kills me every time I hear it if I'm honest.

I was also part of the mobile squadron beforehand and constantly out in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding area's so have also seen my fair share of **** out there as well, just shy of 4 years in total I spent in the desert. As part of my job we had to set up airfields for the Hercs to land so although not on the front line, I was never far behind and I was deployed to pretty much every hub in both countries where an aircraft can land. I loved my job, but I'm thankful I no longer have to do it and 13 years service was enough to earn a few medals (some of which I could have been awarded several times over) which my Mother now has because I don't like to have them. I know what I've achieved in my head and I'm proud of that, my Mother is proud of me and the medals so she is welcome to them.

I have a military sleeve tattoo with 3 poppies on it which starts at the top of my arm in the air and works down to my wrist with the boots on the ground. I absolutely love it and to make it even better, it was done by a former RAF colleague who is now a tattooist so he also put his heart and soul in to it :emoticon-0100-smile
 
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Gatesy said:
Such a beautiful and poignant sound but I can't bear to hear it these days.

My office, whilst in the RAF and based at Lyneham was directly opposite where the repatriation ceremonies took place on the C17 aircraft. Hearing it nigh on every week for several years and witnessing the families heartbreak has truly broken my emotional attachment to the song. It kills me every time I hear it if I'm honest.

I was also part of the mobile squadron beforehand and constantly out in Iraq, Afghanistan and surrounding area's so have also seen my fair share of **** out there as well, just shy of 4 years in total I spent in the desert. As part of my job we had to set up airfields for the Hercs to land so although not on the front line, I was never far behind and I was deployed to pretty much every hub in both countries where an aircraft can land. I loved my job, but I'm thankful I no longer have to do it and 13 years service was enough to earn a few medals (some of which I could have been awarded several times over) which my Mother now has because I don't like to have them. I know what I've achieved in my head and I'm proud of that, my Mother is proud of me and the medals so she is welcome to them.

I have a military sleeve tattoo with 3 poppies on it which starts at the top of my arm in the air and works down to my wrist with the boots on the ground. I absolutely love it and to make it even better, it was done by a former RAF colleague who is now a tattooist so he also put his heart and soul in to it :emoticon-0100-smile
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Aye, like you I’ve heard it once or twice. I did 11 years in the army and earned the sum total of one medal (GSM - NI) which my dad has now. Every Remembrance Sunday I never did see as a chore and it’s something that I instilled into my son who’s currently serving in the RAN.
I never did the gulf wars - first time the battalion I was with were scheduled for a six month tour of Fermanagh and the second one I was in the process of getting out. My brother in law has done a few Afghanistan and Iraq tours but he did his full 22 years.
 
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Glencoe said:
Watched the service on BBC and very surreal this year without the veterans there. My Great Grandfather died in world war 1 in France, been to see his grave in a small village called Bois-Grenier and am pleased to say it was immaculate. His son, my granda, served in world war 2 in the Royal Signals in Mina, Egypt and thankfully returned home after the war. Both in my mind today long with the million+ others who gave their lives.
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The war graves are amazing mate, glad you found the same.

Me and Mrs Smug were on holiday, in the heel of Italy, when a relative in Chopwell contacted us to say she'd found the grave of my great uncle in a cemetery near Venice, a town called Tezze. He died in 1918, a fortnight before the end.

We detoured and eventually found the place.

Despite us being enemies, in WW2, the cemetery was totally respected and immaculate ...

... there was a little niche in the wall with a very old book of remembrance to leave a message.

The book, and the pen, were both in place and unsullied.
 
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