I found this stone while looking for one of my family.

There’s the Unknown Soldier, but there’s also a myriad of forgotten soldiers except for Remembrance day.

This man died at 6:30pm on the last day of the war. I hope he was conscious enough to know it had ended before he went.

A single man with no wife and no children, there’s no-one to remember him. So at 11am on the 11th, spare a kind thought for Willie Campbell and all the other men who left nothing behind except a devastated family.

Not sure what to say about that, other than anyone who lays their life on the line for us should be in our minds tomorrow.

Amen

seconded, or is it thirded?

Hear Hear

We really have no real concept of the enormity of it all do we? Respect

Thank you Willie.

TOMMY
by Rudyard Kipling (1865-1936)

I went into a public-‘ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:
O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-‘alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.

Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.
Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.

We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;
While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.
For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

Lest we forget.

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.

I Come and Stand at Every Door

I come and stand at every door
But no one hears my silent tread
I knock and yet remain unseen
For I am dead, for I am dead.

I’m only seven although I died
In Hiroshima long ago
I’m seven now as I was then
When children die they do not grow.

My hair was scorched by swirling flame
My eyes grew dim, my eyes grew blind
Death came and turned my bones to dust
And that was scattered by the wind.

I need no fruit, I need no rice
I need no sweet, nor even bread
I ask for nothing for myself
For I am dead, for I am dead.

All that I ask is that for peace
You fight today, you fight today
So that the children of this world
May live and grow and laugh and play.

Ordinary people gave everything they had and loved

We owe them so much

I’m no supporter of war, supporter of defense, not aggression, for that reason I’ll more than happily take a measly 2mins of my day to remember all those that helped defend our country. This field doesn’t hold enough poppies IMO to cover all the forgotten ones.

+1. I visited the D-Day landing sites in July and was overwhelmed by the vast rows of headstones, and that was only in a small area of Normandy. Kids just over half my age, killed within hours or days of coming ashore. The WW1 cemeteries dwarf these i gather.

Puts it all in perspective.

Ordinary people gave everything they had

Spot on, Uplink.

We have no unknown soldier
These are not forgotten men
But cousins, uncles, neighbours
Who will never laugh again.
But they’ll not be forgotten
For the price they had to pay.
For their children’s children’s children
Will still march on Remembrance Day

Observed a 2 minute silence at 1100hrs, then called my next patient in. The man was elderly, smartly dresse in a 2 piece suit, shoes gleaming, poppy proudly worn in his lapel.

Tears were evident on his face.

Talked to him during his treatment, he served in WW2 as did his brother. His brother was killed two weeks before the end of the war.

We shook hands and embraced at the end of his visit. I found it very emotional, and thanked him and his brother.

Ivor, it was indeed a pleasure and an honour to meet you..