Lest we Forget

[Mycernius]

I thought I will post this. Today is the 11/11, remembrance day. A time to spare a thought for all those that have died, been injured or are, even now, fighting in wars around the world, especially including Jref members.
Wear your poppy with pride

IN FLANDERS FIELDS

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.
~~by John McCrae~~

PLEASE WEAR A POPPY.
"Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade.
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned in on he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mom, so please don't cry.
"But the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire.
"Till at last, at last, the war was won -
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy! Remember - and give!
~~By Don Crawford.~~

 

[Mars Man]

It's now 11/12 my time here, and I have no poppies, but I will meditate on the reason for the day !! Thanks for bringing to my attention Mycernius !!


I don't recall such a thing from my youth. I wonder to what degree it is observed in the US of A?

 

[nice gaijin]

Last I checked it was illegal to pick a wild poppy here, but I try to remember those who died in battle so I might be free to break such a silly law.

 

[Mycernius]

In the UK and Canada they you can wear artifical ones. In the UK you get them from the British Legion by donation. At this time of year the collecting tins and poppies are in virtually every shop. I think you can also get them in New Zealand and Australia.

 

[senseiman]

I always buy one about two weeks before 11/11 but within about 3 days I've either lost it or its fallen apart.

I was reading some interviews with the last remaining World War 1 vets the other day, the youngest was 105 years old. Probably in about 5 or 6 years there won't be any left. The passing of a generation, kind of sad to see but thats the way things go.

There was an interesting article in the guardian about the wearing of the poppy:

The question: what does it mean today to wear a poppy? | The Guardian | guardian.co.uk

 

[Kinsao]

I bought a poppy a few days before Remembrance Day, I always like to wear one each year. I actually remember meeting someone who had fought in the First World War, which is quite valuable to me as a memory because, as Senseiman pointed out, there aren't many World War 1 vets still living today.

 

[Tsuyoiko]

In my last house, my next door neighbour had survived WWI. She was a Londoner whose husband was a cabinet maker. He had been conscripted to manufacture aircraft, which of course were made out of wood back then. At the end of the war she came back with him to his home town (Stoke-on-Trent). They were 21 at the time. She was still living in the same house when we moved in next door. She was 101 when she died in 1998.

 

[senseiman]

My great grandfather was wounded as a member of the Royal Canadian Horse Artillery in the battle of Vimy Ridge in 1917, which is probably the most famous battle in Canadian military history. Unfortunately he died in 1962 so I never got to know him, but of course everyone in the family knows about that.