Yesterday Blossom Flower Girl attended a service to commemorate Remembrance Day in a pleasant and quintessentially Australian suburban setting. There wasn't a grand memorial edifice. There weren't rows of poplars or other exotic trees, just your humble old gum trees with a backdrop of suburban houses. I particularly like the third photo down. How the lads fighting and dying in mud in France during World War 1 would have dreamed of gum trees. Have a look at the Melbourne Daily Photo post here.
Of late all I ever hear from returned service men is that war is stupid and should be avoided at all costs. I think World War 1 may well have been one of the most stupid.
Lest we forget.
All war is stupid except getting rid of a megolomaniac like Hitler but even that war had its secret agenda.
ReplyDeleteOn the last day of WW1, they were still firing shells as much as possible before the 11 o'clock armistice, the High Command's orders. That's idiocy and I dare not guggle 'men killed at 10.59 on the ll/11/11 1918'
anything about WW1 just chokes me, and yes I have been to the service at dawn, and to see the books of names when my grandfather's page was displayed.
ReplyDeleteWhile we are commemorating, let me congratulate your dear Hot Highriser, on your SIXTH blogging anniversary. That is apparently traditionally a gift of WOOD.
Blimey, Stacks, even I caught that innuendo.
ReplyDelete6 years you've outlived Rh.
Hear, hear.
ReplyDeleteLest we forget.
I visited Adelaide River Cemetery in 2008 and it is a moving place. There is nothing like reading rows of the headstones to pull you up with a jolt and realise how young were many of the men.
ReplyDeleteI had a similar experience at the Vietnam Memorial in Washington DC where the sheer number of names brought me to tears; a reaction which completely surprised me.
I attended an Anzac Day Dawn Service whilst in Hong Kong around 1978 as 'duty' whilst on posting there for the Australian Government but all sense of work responsibility disappeared through the solemnity and impressiveness of the occasion.
Jahteh, I am not going to google that either. I don't want to know. I was a hideous war, yet at times there was friendliness.
ReplyDeleteEm Stacks, we, Australia, lost such a huge percentage of our male population in horrible circumstances. I do like a nice bit of wood. I thank you. Wasn't it around September I started?
Jahteh, given it was in caps, it wasn't hard. I liked the interesting and nice RH.
Jayne, I expect there is a nice ceremony in your area. You should go next year.
Victor, it took me a while to remember you going to NT, but eventually I did. Today, after I attended a funeral, I realised that there are certain words or things that trigger outbreaks of emotion.
We all went to the RSL ceremony on Sunday.
ReplyDeleteIt was good Jayne?
ReplyDelete