Remembrance Day 2015

[B and B]

Lest we Forget.


IN FLANDERS FIELDS
The World’s Most Famous WAR MEMORIAL POEM
By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae
Guelph, Ontario


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.

[tenttotrailer]

What a beautiful but sombre poem. We had a nice ceremony and parade here in Barrie, little cool and drizzle, nice to see lots of kids out to see what it is all about.

Kevin

[B and B]

Exactly Kevin,
In addition to many other tasks at my job at a College I manage a full power FM Broadcast Station. Proud of the second year radio broadcasting class and there special program. They are all at an age when they could have very well been at war.
My father and uncles were in the service. None from my generation were. We must not forget.

Brian

[tenttotrailer]

At the ceremony today the emcee made an interesting point, he said look around, as the crowd lining the street was probably five deep or more, look around he said again. After a bit of a pregnant pause he said one in ten soldiers in the first war were killed and one in four were wounded, so the people standing around you right now were either killed or wounded...with making that poignant remark more people broke down in tears as the reality of attrition and war was described. I guess this many years after the Great War ended, this is what todays society understands when put in real terms.

Kevin

[irishtom29]

My Grandfather, a Catholic from Armagh, was an Old Contempible; 1st Batt. Royal Irish Fusiliers. He first fought on the retreat from Mons. Suffered three gunshot wounds from 1914-17 and spent about a year in hospitals. Was mustered out in 1919 with a disability and emigrated to Chicago.

His battalion, which numbered about 900 in August 1914, suffered over 1500 killed and 4000 wounded during the war. Over 35,000 Irishmen were killed in the war, not counting Irish born who lived in England, Canada and Australia.

[amblt]

My grandfather was in the Loyal Edmonton Regiment and survived the First World War. My father was a Radar Tech in 418 City of Edmonton Sqn, and my mother was an HFDF op in the RCN in WWII. Numerous unles served in both the army and navy. I served 11 years in the reserves - Infantry- Royal Regiment of Canada. It was very moving to see the huge crowds in Ottawa today, paying their respects.

We must never forget.