Humbling to think about isn’t it?

Yup, nan was telling me yesterday about her uncles having their heads blown off 🙁

My granddad was mine clearer. Went in on the first day and spent months clearing the beaches and countryside with a bayonet and a useless metal detector. I cannot comprehend the things he saw. Never talked much but im now starting to imagine what went on

Recently read (the very long) WW2 book all hell broke loose by max hastings, a real eye opener as written from the perspective of those who actually took part, recommended

I can’t begin to image how they must have felt, loaded up and waiting to leave landing craft.
Incredibly brave, every one of them. Beyond my comprehension what they went through.

Many of these men were half my age. I get stressed at work in my desk job by tight deadlines for producing sets of numbers on a spreadsheet. People get stressed about queues in supermarkets and their internet connection being a bit slow.

I think a healthy dose of perspective may be in order.

Add a truck load of gratitude and respect and you’re probably half way there.

Amazing what that generation did for us, and our country.

They must look down on us and all our petty forum spats and wonder why they bothered some days, let alone what they must think of those who don’t think it is worth voting after they gave their lives to preserve that right for us to so casually dismiss.

Neither of my grandfathers were front line in the war – one was an ARP and the other was merchant navy, supposedly on two ships that were sunk.

Did meet a D-Day veteran last year who was blinded by a grenade a couple of days after as they tried to push on from the beaches. He said he remembered the bang, then waking up in the dark, putting his hand up to his face and finding his eyeball hanging there, before his CO said “I wouldn’t mess around with that, old chap!” He was a marvellous old gentleman, lived in a home provided by St Dunstans, very under-rated charity.

Great pictures and as already said, humbling.

We need to make sure they are never forgotten.
I’m going to educate my kids in the sacrifice those brave men and women made for us.

What dannyh said..
I’ve just read about both ends of the invasion campaign – Pegasus Bridge and Arnhem. Very brave men and women. I can’t comprehend the thoughts they must’ve had tonight.

Day of Days- respect.

Due to the intricacies of double summer time… The battle for Pegasus bridge would be in full swing right about now 😯

I am standing on top of a lovely hill in Calderdale (part of my job) and I was thinking how beautiful the view is, watching people on their way to work as the day warms up.

70 years ago at this time I’d probably be either dead on a beach in France or inland wondering if I’d ever see views like I can see now again.

We can never say it enough, and there’s not many left to say it to now, but thanks so much.

MrsCat’s Grandad went in with the 51st Highlanders, he had a busy war – D-Day, North Africa, Italy, Berlin then they shipped him off to Palestine. He was a top bloke, pleased he lived long enough so he could see his grandchildren being born.
My Dad was in Africa when this happened shooting things with his plane.

Amazing things done by ordinary people, keep sparing a thought for how it must have been for the French civilians.

Yup, I can only fleetingly imagine for a teeeny moment how any one of those brave lads and lasses felt on this day.

It’s pittyfull my single moment of rememberance.

My thought’s go with all.

My colleague has just phoned his 95 year old grandfather to remind him to watch it on telly this morning. His grandad went on Sword beach on D Day+2.

My great uncle was there, and at El Alamein. His best mate was blown up driving a truck off the beach.

Still, I have to object to this comment:

Today’s 18 year olds would perhaps need more convincing of the rightness of the war (they are, on average, better educated), but once convinced? I don’t doubt they would be just as brave as previous generations.

My Uncle Lol fought in Burma, captured by the Japanese and spent 2 years as a POW, the pics of him during training and when he came home could be of a different person. However, I have never met a happier man, always the joker, loved amusing kids – my aunt once said to me that if he had stopped being the family comedian he would remember, and that would break him.

All of the above but also, a couple of thoughts.

This is likely to be the last full flag ceremony. I heard a veteran on the radio saying that despite that, “We’ll always be back”. Presumably until there’s no veterans left to go back. A slow, gradual fade into the history books.

Also, we know that soldiers who return from conflict suffer from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder. Imagine the cultural depth and extent of the WW2 PTSD suffered, given the immensity of the horror, and how that must have been a part of shaping the nation after the war had ended and we were trying to move forward.

+1. I was listening to this on the drive in this morning and to be honest, the drive just turned into a sub-concious activity while I listened to the radio.
Quite hard to drive with a constant lump in my throat and tear in my eye……!

I’ve said for years that I’d like to visit Normandy and see the beaches for myself. I think that this will spur me into action. Need to plans in place for next yr.

My parents are both 70 this month and next, they’re the youngest of the family with older siblings involved in the war and my grandfathers working for ROF making tanks and artillery. I saw my dad’s elder brother for most of my younger years and he once told me how was stood on the deck of a battleship as all hell rained down on D-Day. Only at his funeral did we hear from one of his Legion mates that he actually landed on that day, not sure why as always believed he was Navy, and they had to crawl in tank tracks to avoid incoming fire whilst those around sadly suffered horrific injuries or died. I always well-up thinking about it and watching/ listening to programmes about it.

There’s a comment above about today’s generation, at the 2012 Remembrance parade, a young lad (around 20) was stood in only a burgundy t-shirt of his parachute regiment, he spoke, struggling to hold it together about his two mates that had only recently been killed. If it came to it the modern generation would do it I’m sure. Lets hope we never have to because we have very brave men and women who do it daily for us.

Never forget