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Quote from: the_sexy_snail on November 13, 2005, 07:20:23
Its like discipline? Where has that gone to?

The_Snail

Where indeed.  It's a frightening thought when you think of some of the youth today as our adults of the future.
MM

This morning  had to pick up my car from Grandsons workshop (son drove me there) I wanted to make sure and be back in plenty of time to watch the service at the Cenotaph in London. I was sitting alone when at 10.57am there was a knock at my door. It was two gentleman who were Jehovah's witnesses. I said " Excuse me I am waiting to observe the two minutes silence!!!" They are entitled to their beliefs but how dare they or anybody else for that matter knock at my door at 10.57am on remembrance Sunday.  You may wonder why I opened the door. As a few of you know I have a really yappy dog who would have kept barking until I went to the door..I think a little bit of thought wouldn't have gone amiss.   Lorna.

Well done Ken, I'm also glad the police saw sense.  There is a time and place for everything.


Lily

Took this yesterday (with permission), didn't realise the etiquette of wearing medals, apparantly allowed even if not your own.
Those shown were his father's decorations, from the 2nd war, even tho the gentlemen photographed didn't wear his own from the Falklands and Gulf .
Does anyone know the medals, see one has a bar.?

From what I can make out, probably wrong because putting it all together doesn't quite 'fit' but from L-R ...
39-45 Campaign Star;
Special Constabulary Medal issued from 1919 on; (would like to be able to make out the lettering on the bar, if it was a campaign medal it might have a country on it).
39-45 Italy Star;
39-45 Defence Medal;
39-45 War Medal.

Lorna

Here's a good place for your daughter to start.

www.nationalarchives.gov.uk


Lily

Thank you Ken....bar reads 1st Army.
Took him copies of photoes. Local chap so might see him again, will look next year Armistice. Cheers

Or the people that are replacing mine - the children insist!!

http://www.bigburymint.com/products.php?bigburysession=2e35afaf3233d660de0b2baf9d5ac655&cat=1&sub=4

Good thinking on 1st Army - best I could get was El Adem! SCM very close to the AFRICA STAR.

Very telling photo.

Lily. Many thanks for that link. Will pass on to my daughter. I did start some research but didn't get very far. Will try your link.  I remember seeing the medal when I was at home. (Dad died 3months after I got married I was 18) I can remember the stories of him serving in India and in first world war. In fact his best friend who was his best man many years later married my Mum. They had gone through various campaigns together, I must enquire from family as to who has got all his other medals. Other than that will have to email my nephew in S Africa for dates and wording.

Good thread Ken..Something here, Tim, re El Adem

...http://splashdown2.tripod.com/handleypagehastings/id6.html

I have been much affected this year for some strange reason.  In the mood that I find myself I would have shot the sod - or something equally as violent - which would probably been a tad on the ironic side.
We had a 2 minute silence announced by tanoy in the place where I work - some folk continued to type (in so-called silence) - each click brough me nearer to thumping them! - How could they ignore the gift of freedom won by those who had so much to live for but could never take advantage of that life because they gave it for us!

I didn't experience the war (I or II) but many folk that I know and love did - some,  sadly, are no longer with us.  I get very cross when extremists (from all different factions) are pandered to by our government in order to appease them - they, the government, seem to  giving away the very thing that so many of our people died for, freedom.  To allow an extremist to win (and they are winning, bit by bit) is to render the life of another sacrificed British war hero worthless.  I say hero because I feel that all those who fought (survivors and the killed) are heros - they risked everything for me (who they didn't know), many died so that I would be able to live freely (whilst so many other people cannot experience that freedom).  Lets fight for them and for our freedom - don't squander the lives of so many - that would be criminal.

-- (climbing off the soap box)
-- Alan

Well done Ken - absolutely the right thing to do.  Glad the police saw the light.

Ken - I know I dont know you but I have just read your message and wanted to tell you that I am very proud of you.

My great uncle came to visit us when we lived abroad and I was very young - we took him to Arnhem to visit the war graves where he told me he spent 3 days in a river protecting the bridge when he eventually left he got put into another (not sure what you call them) group? division? after spending some time in hospital and presumed that at least some of the other chaps had been sent to serve else where - he knew that there had been a high mortality rate - I remember getting there and him looking at the records and breaking down - he was the last one. 

Both my grandfathers served and one granny was a land girl - one was a wireless operator? (staying in contact with planes.)

My dad was in the RAF and my partner the Navy as was his father and grandfather.

So from them I thank you.

Regarding the youth of today - i have to say my partners mum (Royal British Legion organiser) has spoken very highly of the local youth but I suppose coming from a very navy area they have been educated - I was horrified when in work last year we observed the silence and then the 22 year old PA said that she always observed the silence but then asked me why we did it! I explained it alot calmer than I felt! but when her mum came in to the office and I asked her if she knew her daughter didnt know why and she was horrified - thought she would have learnt why in school - so parents please explain why. In fact i watched a school trip of children on the 11.11 (about 7& 8 yrs old) stand silently in the street while those old enough to know better rushed into the bank and the shops - not encouraging.

Ken once again Thank you

I went to Ypres last year on the chance I might find the graves of some of my relatives. I searched all over the place but without knowing where to go exactly it was impossible. I also visited the Menin monument where the Last Post is played daily. Thousands of names are displayed on the walls. Outside in the fields there are thousands more on the outside of the monument/bridge. I'd about given up hope as to walk round all of the grounds reading the names would have taken until it got dark. I had my video camera and I zoomed it in to the Durham Light Infantry list and Brrrr! a cold shiver when I spotted my Uncle Charles' name. The feeling I had was something I've never experienced before.
My action last week at the memorial parade was for my Uncle Charlie and all the other Uncle Charlie's of what ever name.