A toast!

[KevM]

Tonight I shall drink a generous toast to my grandfathers, and all who served.

I was too young to understand where they'd been and what they'd done, and they were too kind to tell me.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.

They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam

Lest we forget

We will remember them.

 

[smoggy49]

Thanks KevM, Fine words and a fine poem everybody should spare some thoughts for the guys that fought in both wars.
Chas

 

[Benchwayze]

Hear, hear! Lest we forget. ccasion5:

 

[Grahamshed]

Thank you Kev.

 

[Eric The Viking]

Hear Hear.

E.

 

[John15]

Thanks for the thoughts Kev.
My father was in active service in The Royal Navy from '39 to '45 in The Atlantic and Mediteranean campaigns . He was one of the lucky ones to come home. He rarely spoke of his experiences, and then it would only be about comradeship etc, never about the blood and gore. He died last year aged 100, taking his thoughts of the horrors of war to his grave.

John

 

[Glynne]

Good post.
My Dad wasn't at D Day but was in the tanks in North Africa and Italy and I think in Alder Hey Hospital (Liverpool) on 6/6/1944 recovering from major battle injuries. I remember him being proud that I was siting my O Levels on the 25th anniversary of the day which is frightening as we are now 45 years later.
Just watched Great British Menu and some of the veterans and I'm still humbled that not one of them thinks they were a hero.

 

[Cheshirechappie]

Hear, hear.

The price of defending freedom was terrible, but the cost of failing would have been much worse.

To all those who served, including the ones who didn't come home - thank you.

 

[JimB]

Thanks Kev. It needs saying over and over.

 

[dexter]

+1
My mate was in the first wave ashore with the Royal Marine Commandos. He was 18 years old.
I don't know of any films that have been made that really depict just how young so many of those involved were and what they had to do especially when, as happened to my mate, they came face to face with the enemy and it was then a matter of kill or be killed.
We owe them all a huge debt of gratitude

Dex

 

[Baldhead]

+1

About 11years ago we had a weeks holiday in Normandy, we found a war graves cemetery in a small village, the entry was an archway, there was a little door built in which contained a book listing every grave, I had a lump in my throat then, and I do now, I remember saying to my wife, "if this was back home the book would have be taken, the door probably ripped off and graffiti would have been sprayed everywhere". It was earily silent and beautifully kept, I felt honoured to be there, I walked away from the wife and kids, reading several grave stones I realised some of young men buried here were actually younger than our eldest daughter.

We will never forget them.

Baldhead

 

[Peter Sefton]

Our grandfathers were of a fantastic generation and the women that supported them. I hold very fond memories of mine sadly now all passed away.
A completely different time from now but we have the same sacrifices being given by our brave young troops today.

Peter

 

[hanser]

Yes, a sincere thank you to all who served. Its all to easy to forget the contribution of all those combatant and non combatant folk who did their bit. I find it difficult to grasp the enormity of the landings and I raise my hat to all those who were involved.
My late father was a 'D Day dodger' a term apparently ascribed to the Eighth army in Italy by Lady Astor. Dad fought in North Africa, then up through Italy and lost a lot of his comrades en route. There is a poignant song http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=O4hny_XRaw4

 

[AES]

+1

Thanks for the post Kev (and everyone else). It's good to remember them and not allow ourselves to forget.

My old man was too old for WWII (he was helping build the first jet engines then) but he was in the trenches in WWI. He said VERY little about it all and since he's gone (long time ago now) I really regret that I never "pushed/encouraged" him to say a bit more.

Can we also please remember the many service people kiilled and wounded siince WWI and WWII - whatever the rights or wrongs of the various wars and "campaigns" fought since then, all these people have stepped up to be counted. Thanks to them all.

I'm ex military myself and although I was never called on to face enemy action even once (thank goodness!) I suppose I would have done my bit if ordered, just like all the rest - but I very much doubt if I'd have had the courage to act as so many of those people did.

Thanks tto you all (a hardly adequate word I feel).

AES

 

[Harbo]

I was born at the end of WWII and can remember the bombed out houses and factory sites ( and rationing).
My father was in the RAF, my mother painted Fire Engines and my uncle in the Army but an air gunner on armed Merchant Ships.
The very rarely spoke about the bad times or their friends who didn't make it?
I recently came across a book belonging to my late Father in Law about the 79th Armoured Division which I assume he was in?
All my wife knows is that he was a Sargeant in the Medical Corp ( a Pharmacist) and was abroad for some time?
What ever their involvement they certainly kept it to themselves and like AES I wish I'd been more inquisitive whilst they were alive?

Rod

 

[Student]

Harbo mentions that his father-in-law may have fought with the 79th Armoured Division. If he really wants to know, he can always ask the Army records department for details of his father-in-law’s service. When researching details of my uncle’s death (he was a wireless operator on Lancasters – KIA March 1944 with no known grave), I contacted the RAF records office and was sent a copy of my uncle’s service record, including the stamps MIA and KIA.

With regard to 79th Armoured Division, of which my old TA regiment was part and was in the first wave on 6 June with flail tanks, there is a programme on BBC 4 this evening about the division – see

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27715451

Another thing we mustn’t forget is that 6 June wasn’t the be all and end all of WW 11. Whilst remembering the heroism of those who landed on D-Day and fought on that day and in the following few months, in the meantime the Russian army had started to beat back the German army at great cost in casualties. At the same time, as mentioned by Hanser, there was another war going on in Italy where Allied troops were fighting fierce battles. And don’t let us forget the Forgotten Army (the 14th) battling their way down Burma, an army that was truly “allied” with troops from all over, what was then, the British Empire. It saddens me that whilst so much is made of the 6 June anniversary, so little thought is given to those other forgotten heroes.

 

[bugbear]

Harbo mentions that his father-in-law may have fought with the 79th Armoured Division. If he really wants to know, he can always ask the Army records department for details of his father-in-law’s service. When researching details of my uncle’s death (he was a wireless operator on Lancasters – KIA March 1944 with no known grave), I contacted the RAF records office and was sent a copy of my uncle’s service record, including the stamps MIA and KIA.

With regard to 79th Armoured Division, of which my old TA regiment was part and was in the first wave on 6 June with flail tanks, there is a programme on BBC 4 this evening about the division – see

http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-27715451

Another thing we mustn’t forget is that 6 June wasn’t the be all and end all of WW 11. Whilst remembering the heroism of those who landed on D-Day and fought on that day and in the following few months, in the meantime the Russian army had started to beat back the German army at great cost in casualties. At the same time, as mentioned by Hanser, there was another war going on in Italy where Allied troops were fighting fierce battles. And don’t let us forget the Forgotten Army (the 14th) battling their way down Burma, an army that was truly “allied” with troops from all over, what was then, the British Empire. It saddens me that whilst so much is made of the 6 June anniversary, so little thought is given to those other forgotten heroes.

I have a connection with comeone who was building a railway at the time, and not enjoying it very much. His celebration came much later.

BugBear

 

[Harbo]

Thanks for that Student
The book I mentioned was published in 1945 and printed in Hamburg.
Very detailed account with lots of maps and photos covering the period from DD to the German surrender.

Still available online!

Rod

 

[riclepp]

Every year I always take time to reflect on the ultimate sacrifice that was givien; to allow me to have the freedom I have. But not only to the soldiers who gave their lives freely, and thoes that came back, but also to those who died at home. My Father servied in the Indian 2nd Airborne Division who were fighting the Japs in the far east, but they were pulled back for DDay in which he jumped into with the rest of the airborne either just prior or at the time of the invision to exspeediate the end of the war. He also took part in the resettlements in Palistine and the other things that went on. To these people I owe everything. It's a great shame that the way the world has turned out since then and for the sacrifice that was given. It is that what made me join up, but have never experienced what thoes young lads had to endure. I have been to many a military cemetry abroad and it is very humbling experience, especially the ones at Oesterbeek, and Kanchiburi (River Kwai), the ages of some of the soilders is unreal. I agree that these soilder, airmaen, airforce men and women should be honered every year and the children reminded of why they have their freedom that they may take for granted.


We shall remember them!