Armistice day Saturday 11th November 2023

We do work on Army veterans properties all over Scotland. This week we were down in Peebles doing some work and the old Gentleman we were working for who was 94 years old. His neighbour who was also ex military told us the old guy was the last remaining veteran of the Korean War. We went for lunch and when we got back here was this 94 year old up our ladder cleaning his own gutters out they don’t make em like that anymore.Respect
 
My mother remembered quite well the Bombers flying overhead dropping their deadly cargo while she worked for the war effort sewing uniforms for the Air Force.

Only difference to most of you is that those bombers were from the RAF and the uniforms she made for for the Luftwaffe.

Lest it were forgotten there were casualties on all sides and few people who died actually freely chose to start - and die - fighting.
 
I will be paying my respects tomorrow, not because I glorify war but because I respect and am in awe of the courage my forbears displayed against unimaginable ferocity and horror. Some were seeking adventure, some had no choice in the matter, some did it out of duty to king and country, whatever their reasons they deserve our respect.
Let us all hope that 11/11 passes peacefully with solemnity and with honour that the fallen deserve,

Lest we forget.
 
My grandad, who died when I was 8, was a Lt.Bombardier and fought through the whole of WW1. He was at Ypres and Passchendaele and miraculously unwounded throughout. But my grandma said he suffered terrible nightmares all his life and his hair turned white at 21, poor bugger.
 
Not my grandad but my brother (who is also a retired fireman) one of my uncles sadly died in Burma and was never found
 

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My granddad died in 1932 as a result of the effects of being gassed in the trenches in 1916.

If only those young men who gave their lives could see what has happened to our country now, they would all be saying "it was all for nothing lads".

I will not be observing the two minutes silence tomorrow, doing so would be disrespectful and hypocritical.
We are all guilty of allowing our country to fall.
 
My paternal grandfather served in the BA in WW2 in Europe and I have his medals...and the letter that came with them and the box they came in complete with the shiny greaseproof paper!

My late father served in the RAF Malaya in the 1950's during the uprising there and I have his campaign medal.

My maternal grandfather fought in WW1 on the Western Front in the artillery. He then spent the rest of his working life underground as a miner. Unfortunately my scallywag of a brother nicked his medals in the 1970's and flogged them to buy fags, the waster!
 
My mother remembered quite well the Bombers flying overhead dropping their deadly cargo while she worked for the war effort sewing uniforms for the Air Force.

Only difference to most of you is that those bombers were from the RAF and the uniforms she made for for the Luftwaffe.

Lest it were forgotten there were casualties on all sides and few people who died actually freely chose to start - and die - fighting.
My father felt sorry for the Italians fighting in North Africa.
He always avoided talking about the horrible things he witnessed,
but talked about lighter moments, and how sad war was.
He reckoned that most Italians wanted nothing to do with the war.
He said that when captured they were “perfect gentlemen”
One man my dad became friendly with came from Trieste in northern Italy.
They remained friends after the war, writing to each other.
My dad did not speak Italian, he used to go to a fish and chip shop were the Italian owner would translate the letters. Sadly they never met after the war, my dads friend died from cancer when I was a boy. He wanted to go to Trieste for his funeral, but found out to late of his friends death.
My dad used to hate it when people talked about the Germans and the Italians.
He would say “they were just like us scared young men trying to survive“
 
My paternal grandfather served in the BA in WW2 in Europe and I have his medals...and the letter that came with them and the box they came in complete with the shiny greaseproof paper!

My late father served in the RAF Malaya in the 1950's during the uprising there and I have his campaign medal.

My maternal grandfather fought in WW1 on the Western Front in the artillery. He then spent the rest of his working life underground as a miner. Unfortunately my scallywag of a brother nicked his medals in the 1970's and flogged them to buy fags, the waster!

There was a very moving article on the news just now about an ex soldier being reunited with his medals which were stolen in the 80's.

His friend had spotted them up for sale in a pawn shop and he got them back just in time for the armistice weekend.
 
My granddad died in 1932 as a result of the effects of being gassed in the trenches in 1916.

If only those young men who gave their lives could see what has happened to our country now, they would all be saying "it was all for nothing lads".

I will not be observing the two minutes silence tomorrow, doing so would be disrespectful and hypocritical.
We are all guilty of allowing our country to fall.

I agree with all you say apart from the last line.

The 2 minutes is respect to the men themselves and nothing to do with the b******s who have trashed the country since.
 
My granddad died in 1932 as a result of the effects of being gassed in the trenches in 1916.

If only those young men who gave their lives could see what has happened to our country now, they would all be saying "it was all for nothing lads".

I will not be observing the two minutes silence tomorrow, doing so would be disrespectful and hypocritical.
We are all guilty of allowing our country to fall.
Comments have been made over the last week in various quarters that our fathers/grandfathers/uncles/brothers and their female equivalents fought and died/were wounded in the cause of freedom [sic from the threat of tyranny]. The comments made include 'Freedom of Speech, Freedom to protest' etc and that must include freedom to make one's own decision to remember, or to choose not to, as one wishes

My own father was mentioned in despatches at the age of 19 for helping his sergeant to rescue wounded colleagues under heavy fire, and was pinned down for some hours. He was himself wounded during the rescue effort

It's not disrespectful not to remember; it's the exercise of free choice, for which our forebears fought. As for our present UK Society, it is we who make it what it is by making choices to act, or to do nothing

Steve
 
My granddad died in 1932 as a result of the effects of being gassed in the trenches in 1916.

If only those young men who gave their lives could see what has happened to our country now, they would all be saying "it was all for nothing lads".

I will not be observing the two minutes silence tomorrow, doing so would be disrespectful and hypocritical.
We are all guilty of allowing our country to fall.

And my grandfather and my father fought in order that you have the right to post as you have done. Being free to speak your mind in todays world is precious. Most humans live in fear of being persecuted for daring to question the authorities who rule over them. There are dystopian countries right now were you would be sent to a concentration camp for erring such an opinion.

I don’t think most who fought reckon that we are being disrespectful or hypocritical, they may not be content with much of what goes on in our country. But they lie in peace content in the knowledge that we have what they fought for, the right of free speech, and free thoughts, free from persecution.
Don’t take that right for granted, or underestimate its value, for in doing so you then are guilty of underestimating and undervaluing what they fought for and achieved.
 
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We do work on Army veterans properties all over Scotland. This week we were down in Peebles doing some work and the old Gentleman we were working for who was 94 years old. His neighbour who was also ex military told us the old guy was the last remaining veteran of the Korean War. We went for lunch and when we got back here was this 94 year old up our ladder cleaning his own gutters out they don’t make em like that anymore.Respect
My uncle was in the Korean War and there are still quite a few of them left. The neighbour must be mistaken. The old boy is doing well though cleaning his own gutters. (y)

 
That really brings it home @wildebus, many young men on both sides sent to fight, if the politicians fought it out instead there would be no wars.

John.
Maybe not so much with the second world war but WW1 was , imo , unnecessary and all for nothing .
People who were killed and maimed were just cannon fodder to most of our military and political leaders
 
My uncle was in the Korean War and there are still quite a few of them left. The neighbour must be mistaken. The old boy is doing well though cleaning his own gutters. (y)


I thought the same. Perhaps he meant the last of his regiment?
 
My granddad died in 1932 as a result of the effects of being gassed in the trenches in 1916.

If only those young men who gave their lives could see what has happened to our country now, they would all be saying "it was all for nothing lads".

I will not be observing the two minutes silence tomorrow, doing so would be disrespectful and hypocritical.
We are all guilty of allowing our country to fall.
But they did not.
 

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