....About the poppy.
The symbol of our forefathers gone. A name concurrent with my own is on the Menin gate.
About generations sacrificed to the mad ambitions of others.....
About the people who were forever changed, melted in the crucible of war, hardened by the austerities that followed, and tempered by experience....
Yes, the poppy worn on remembrance day should be red as blood, with a black spot of mourning at it's centre......
Anyone who wears a white poppy on Remembrance day might as well be wearing a white feather......
Anyone breaking the two minutes silence with profanity or insult is a coward and unworthy of civilised company.......
Anyone who stands silent is keeping faith with those who died so that future generations might have the right to praise them.......
The red poppy gives thanks for peace, and the almost vain hope that we will not make the same mistakes again.......
The red poppy is a symbol of thanks for family and friends who return safely from harms way.......
Wearing the red poppy declares brotherhood with those gone before.....
Buying a red poppy raises funds for those wounded in the service of others......
Now silence, head bowed, and a prayer for your forefathers, no matter what their god or yours. We are their beneficiaries and should show proper gratitude.... It is their due, and our tithe.
Lest we forget.
Getting grounded
2 days ago
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If you're ever in Canberra do go to the War Memorial and look through the museum section for Will Longstaff's paintings. I think you'll appreciate Menin Gate at Midnight (decent size jpg here, though not a patch on seeing the real thing). The story goes that on a night time walk near the Menin Gate and after seeing its unveiling ceremony he felt as if he could see the ghosts of soldiers in tin hats and webbing all around him. It's the kind of painting that really doesn't need much commentary.
I visited the Menin Gate in 2003. Seeing a family name (A Great-Uncle, or so I was told) up there was a bit of a shock to the system. The acres of tombstones across Normandy and Flanders make you stop and think.
Everything using that entry to Ypres stops for the evening 'Last post' ceremony. Sobering.
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