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On the 11th Hour of the 11th Day

Di.Poppitt

Di.Poppitt

GONE BUT NOT FORGOTTEN
My mom's beloved brother George Horton, he came back just 20 when WW1 ended.

Not forgotten boys. RIP
 
:angel: LEST WE FORGET!!!

What more to say... as the death lists still grow longer each day  :'( :'( :'(
 
        R.I.P
                                                            :'(   :'(   :'(   :'(
 
We were lucky, dad survived ww1 and my two stepbrothers, dads eldest son and moms eldest son both from previous marriages survived ww2. One was in the REME and the other was in the R.Artillery. They met at Monte Cassino and were allowed a few minutes to have a quick chat before they had to go their separate ways, but like I said they both came home. They dont talk about those six years much but from what they have said over the years I know they were all heroes and we owe each and every one of them so much. I really feel that Rememberence day is not upheld enough but it is difficult now with more people showing little or no interest.I hope all those who died are happy in another place and may god help all those who came back.
 
My dad is making some room in the house and a few days ago gave me two sets of magazines I didn't know he had. One lot runs to about 20 volumes published by Hutchinson's during WW2 and the others are called Twenty Years After - 1914-1918 Battlefields then and now.

They are of course pre WW2 and as the title suggests are packed with pictures of battle sites during the war and looking at the same scenes after significant rebuilding by the late 30s.

The point of my post is that although I have of course seen plenty of photos and TV documentaries about the war, these magazines depict the total devastation which occurred throughout much of Northern France and the bravery of those involved. We can scarcely begin to imagine the horrors our lads must have faced and anyone looking at these old magazines would not forget them.

If anyone would like me to scan a few pictures of the battlefield sites I will be pleased to do so.

Bob
 
Hi Bob, I sound like a broken record now but we would love some pictures here as it always starts a conversation...........and we never know what else!
 
The photo I posted when I started this thread is of George Horton, I was researching his WW1 service records and sent two photo's of him to a WW1 website. The members were discussing the photo's, asked me to enlarge certain parts, and someone said in answer as to which of the photo's would have been the earliest 'This one look at the change in his face on the other, he's seen such a lot' He had two 'wound stripes' on his sleeve.

That says it all for me, and I never do forget.
 
Last edited:


Posted By Len with sad thoughts.

THE FINAL INSPECTION

The soldier stood and faced God,
Which must always come to pass.
He hoped his shoes were shining,
Just as brightly as his brass.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
How shall I deal with you ?
Have you always turned the other cheek ?
To My Church have you been true?'

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,
'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.
Because those of us who carry guns,
Can't always be a saint.

I've had to work most Sundays,
And at times my talk was tough.
And sometimes I've been violent,
Because the world is awfully rough.

But, I never took a penny,
That wasn't mine to keep...
Though I worked a lot of overtime,
When the bills got just too steep.

And I never passed a cry for help,
Though at times I shook with fear.
And sometimes, God, forgive me,
I've wept unmanly tears.

I know I don't deserve a place,
Among the people here.
They never wanted me around,
Except to calm their fears.

If you've a place for me here, Lord,
It needn't be so grand.
I never expected or had too much,
But if you don't, I'll understand.

There was a silence all around the throne,
Where the saints had often trod.
As the soldier waited quietly,
For the judgment of his God.

'Step forward now, you soldier,
You've borne your burdens well..
Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,
You've done your time in Hell.'

Author Unknown~
 
Len that's a great poem, not seen it before,my step-grandad was gassed in WW1 and my moms Uncle was a bomb disposal soldier who died in Cornwall, sad thoughts for us too, Thanks Sue
 
Thinking of them
Can we choose the option of where we stand
In this we think to be our own free land
Forefathers fought hard so we could have our say
Now the children of our forefathers don’t want to stay
As it been worth it for all those lost folk
When today those in power treat it as a joke
All that blood that ran in to that foreign mud
As they stood and died where they finally stood
Yes they died for the likes of me and you
And those who made back are now just a few
To all those who made the ultimate sacrifice for you and me
Buy a poppy and wear with pride for everyone to see
 
Thanks for the poem John. So well written and to the point.

Early this morning I came across a story written by a man who lived in the Acocks Green area.
He kept a diary of his family's experience during the heaviest days of the bombing by German aircraft
of Birmingham and the suburbs. It is very moving in so many ways and brings home to me, who was a babe in arms during the early l940's with my brother and mother stuffed in the pantry under the stairs most nights instead of being in our Anderson shelter due to flooding which happened to a lot of Anderson shelters due to the type of sandy soil around Birmingham, while all this bombing was going on. Yes, the bombers did come day after day and how must that have felt especially when there was a news blackout abut the severity of the bombing of Birmingham.

I lost my Uncle William in the First World War and from an early age learned to respect and remember all soldiers who gave their lives. Here is the link to Mr. Lockwood's story from the Acock's Green History site via Bill Dargue's site also. I would like to thank Mr. Lockwood's daughter for making this story available on line. Frank Lockwood was an excellent artist and drew many sketches of the Birmingham area and these can be seen online from this site. https://aghs.jimdo.com/acocks-green...the-wartime-diaries-of-frank-taylor-lockwood/
 
Alf said:
This is one of the best sites I have found for WW1 it seems to have most things ...https://www.greatwar.nl/ ...
Click to expand...

I have only just discovered this thread.

Alf, that site you pointed us to is quite excellent: perhaps the best WW1 site I've ever seen. It is beautifully illustrated and documented. The collection of colour pictures is truly remarkable.
 
Thanks for that Carolina, have signed the petition as it was an issue raised at work for us too, but thankfully we were able to wear our poppies.
Sue
 
just signed it carolina...how disgraceful..thanks for bringing it to our attention...

lyn
 
Just signed the petition. I am really tired of this happening every year somewhere.
 
i agree jenny...to be denied being able to show respect once a year to those who made the ultimate sacrifice is really not on...hope the petition does well..

lyn
 
Trouble with this sort of thing is that we now have so many causes that have their own particular "day" complete with badge, band, or ribbon that someone on staff will support that some employers will either allow all or nothing and I can't say that I'd disagree with either view. Should the remembrance poppy be special? I'm not even sure that anyone could say for sure what it means any more. The original remembrance was a pacifist thing. So many died in the great war that nobody should ever do that again. I don't think it was a fund raiser for anyone. But there were other wars and now we have "Remembrance Sunday" as well and they sell poppies as a fundraiser for those injured in the wars that the original remembrance wouldn't have wanted to happen.
 
As an 81 year old ex-serviceman (RAF) I have always worn a poppy and proud to do so and I would not remove it for anyone.I wear it not so much for the funds it provides but to show my gratitude to all the service personnel who fought in the different wars. Nobody should have the right to tell you to remove it for any reason whatsoever. Have happily signed the petition. Eric
 
I've signed. Such a pity this still happens. Some employers, like my son's, actually encourage staff to go out and sell poppies and even print tshirts for them to wear whilst doing it. Viv
 
Hi All,

I do not normally do petitions as I have no faith in them but I have signed this one as I was truly disgusted that such a thing could have happened. I was also supporting a brave teemager who appreciated the sacrifices that had been made so that she could lead a decent life. I wish her all the best for the future.

Old Bou
 
Thank you for letting us know Carolina, we should all be able to display our pride and respect to our troops - past and present! Well done to this young lass to act on her convictions!
Lest We Forget
 
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