For those who are interested ... a Special Service is being televised from Westminster Abbey tonight to commemorate the centennial of the outbreak of World War One!
100 Years Since The Great War Was Declared
For those who are interested ... a Special Service is being televised from Westminster Abbey tonight to commemorate the centennial of the outbreak of World War One!
I will be watching, just need to get a candle to light at 10pm.Originally Posted by Arthur Little
Fantastic - good to see we never forget. I will have to turn my lights on then off again!
Doubt if there will be many lights off in some parts of Yorkshire or some parts of Birmingham and London. Those guys and gals who lost their lives for this country would be turning in their graves if they could see it now. The country has lost its identity that's for sure. God rest them all.
Well said and how so sadly true, they won't give a .... about the relevance of the very freedom it has given them now
Thanks for the heads-up Arthur.
Both of my Grandfathers fought in WW1, and both were fortunate enough to come home, my dad's dad albeit with part of his lower jaw shot off.
My mum's dad went on to fight all through WW2 as well ! 35 years service going from Private to Major.
He finished up running the Army Recruitment Office in Pontefract, which is why my mother came to be there and able to meet my dad.
I too have family that died in the Great War, my thoughts are with them, seeing the conditions on newsreel footage is very humbling.
I would not volunteer for war.
Mick.
I most definitely wouldI would not volunteer for war.
Maybe you would though Mick if it was happening at the time, you would want to protect your Family and stand up for your Country
In principle yes, but so many of the deaths were pointless.I most definitely would
Maybe you would though Mick if it was happening at the time,you would want to protect your Family and stand up for your Country
I would not trust our politicians decisions now.
Fight for Cameron NO.
Mick.
No, look at it in context of a world war. I don't think deaths are pointless, just tragic. At the time, doing a certain action like a raid on a heavily defensive position had to be done - even knowing there would be loss of life. If we're talking about modern conflicts like Afghanistan, I would agree.
The problem with "modern conflicts" like Afghanistan is that many deaths are pointless - because of spineless politicians our forces are having to fight with one hand tied behind their backs and the rule book in the other hand. Taliban scum hiding behind human shields in mosques and dwellings then being released to fight another day, soldiers up in court for killing them etc etc. Unlike the Israeli forces who have the full backing of their leaders.
Before anyone starts about the deaths of civilians - read this :-
In the early months of World War I, the German military employed their airships, which were capable of traveling 85 miles per hour and hauling two tons of explosives, on bombing raids on the cities of Liege, Antwerp and Paris. On January 19, 1915, the Zeppelins struck Great Britain for the first time, dropping bombs on the seaside towns of Great Yarmouth and King’s Lynn. With the targeting of civilian populations from the air, modern warfare had arrived. “Nowadays there is no such animal as a non-combatant,” justified German Zeppelin Corps Commander Peter Strasser, “modern warfare is total warfare.”
We were lucky enough to be able to attend some really good events in Folkestone yesterday.
Prince Harry hosted the military parade.
Pity the weather turned wet but some very good events and exhibitions
I used to like Folkestone when it was a ferry port - remember aged 10 going with my Mum & Dad on a day trip to Boulogne - the train station was right alongside the ferryWe were lucky enough to be able to attend some really good events in Folkestone yesterday.
Prince Harry hosted the military parade.
Pity the weather turned wet but some very good events and exhibitions
Looks very tired these days, but some fascinating connections to WW1
We decided to stay on for a few days and explore the area
BTW those railway tracks are still there.
Bless them all,
My father was an Army man, served in World War 2, my grandfather World War 1. Another - not sure - would be my great grandfather? Boer War, were rifflemen. Another one was a Major, but without refreshing my memory on my family tree, I'm not exactly sure which or how many greats my great grandfather was in the Boer War,
Seems all my family tree down the male side were army men.
9 million men passed through there on their way to WW1 battlefields, you wonder how many came backLooks very tired these days, but some fascinating connections to WW1
We decided to stay on for a few days and explore the area
BTW those railway tracks are still there.
http://www.theremembranceline.org.uk/past_harbour.htm
Such a sad time, but do we learn
Interesting programmes
Michael Portillo examines the role of the railways in World War I.
http://www.bbc.co.uk/iplayer/episode...nd-remembrance
Yes all his Railway programs have been interesting and these very good, they seem to do in depth researching.
Mick.
I've been watching them too.
I must go down to the National Railway Museum today!
It's just down the road, FREE, and I haven't been in for ages.
It seems very odd to me to be celebrating the 100th anniversary of the start of a conflict that killed so many on both sides and in some way inappropriate to be remembering the event we all know (now) was the start of such a huge loss of life and misery.
I agree that we should never forget what happened BUT it would have been far better to delay any "celebration" a further 4 years to mark the END of the conflict and suffering it caused worldwide and the tragic waste of human lives that was the result.
... and you will note I'd carefully chosen the word commemorate - as opposed to celebrate - the centenary of the so~called "War to end all wars" which, no doubt, was also the intention of the programme's producers.
I was just going to add that Arthur, that it was to commemorate, not Celebrate
...........................WILL be cause for celebration.
... assuming the combined power of these
Arab States doesn't blow us all
to 'Kingdom Come' before November 2018.
!
It matters little if I use the word commemorate or celebrate as commemorate is defined as:-
1) Recall and show respect for (someone or something) or
2) Mark or celebrate (an event or person) by doing or producing something
Still seems odd to "recall and show respect" or "Mark" the start of hostilities as the point or event being remembered nobody had actually died and the magnitude of slaughter was not then known. In remembering the war dead, we definitely would be "showing respect" by "Marking" the END of hostilities a very short 4 years after.
There obviously is a political motivation behind celebrating it now...maybe Cameron thinks he can gain support by "commemorating" now rather than wait till he is no longer in office.
Honestly, what a load of rubbish to say thatThere obviously is a political motivation behind celebrating it now...maybe Cameron thinks he can gain support by "commemorating" now rather than wait till he is no longer in office.
It's perfectly normal to commemorate something on the day it happened - Twin Towers is one, Munich air disaster another, and Hillsborough etc.
You WOULD celebrate something like the end of the war.
I can look at your statement and say you are scoring cheap shots being anti Tory so you are no better.
To me, we should mark the awful start of the War and try and imagine the scariness of it all and the terrible things our brave boys had to go through.
In the case of your examples Les, I would agree as they were events that took place on a single day. BUT, in the case of the Great War this happened over a period of 4 years and the point I am trying to get across is, that at the beginning of the war, there were NO casualties and nobody could have predicted how bad it was going to be. So it is odd commemorating an event because lives were lost after the event.Honestly, what a load of rubbish to say that
It's perfectly normal to commemorate something on the day it happened -Twin Towers is one, Munich air disaster another, and Hillsborough etc.
You WOULD celebrate something like the end of the war.
I can look at your statement and say you are scoring cheap shots being anti-Tory so you are no better.
To me, we should mark the awful start of the War and try and imagine the scariness of it all and the terrible things our brave boys had to go through.
I would describe myself as more anti-Cameron than anti-Tory, but what other reason could have motivated him to commemorate something four years too early?
Yes but it has been commemorated all over the world inc Australia,France,Belgium,New Zealand etc etc so nothing to do with Cameron.
Correct Les
Remembrance Day 11am 11/11 & Remembrance Sunday has been held every November since 1919 to remember those who gave their lives for the freedom we enjoy today
Nothing political about it whatsoever (except those vermin burning poppies a couple of years ago)
So ... you're anti-Cameron, eh? Now, who's being biased?
Well ... does he really need a reason?
There again ...... like countless others, he too, may have lost a grandparent (or great-grandparent) amidst all the horror and carnage of warfare in the 'Trenches'.
At least - unlike his opposite number - he had the good grace to actually personalise his tribute to the fallen!
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