World War One Remembrance

[DEEJAYKEG]

The centenary of the outbreak of the First World War is being marked at the Tower of London

in a visually stunning way with 888,246 ceramic poppies planted in the fortress's moat - one for

each of the British and colonial casualties of that conflict.

 

http://metro.co.uk/2014/08/03/tower-of-london-marks-wwi-centenary-with-dramatic-art-installation-4819866

 

HRH Prince Harry is visiting our town tomorrow for the dedication of the Step Short Arch as Folkestone

was the primary embarkation point for troops going to fight in Belgium.

 

http://www.stepshort.co.uk/

 

We have a permanent reminder of the sacrifice of Canadian troops nearby, at Shorncliffe Garrison, where there

is a cemetery full of brave Canucks' graves.

 

http://www.canadiangreatwarproject.com/memorials/shorncliffe.asp

 

(The annual ceremony still takes place and local schoolchildren place flowers on each grave.)

 

WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

 

[FRENCHI]

hier dans une mairie de ma commune j es vue l ordre de convocation de tous les hommes apte a la guerre qui date de 100 an suite a la déclaration de guerre allemande a la france .. Mais pour ce qui comprenne le francais un petit documentaire qui nous explique que souvent les guerre arrive après des problèmes économique des nation... 

[Sonovabich]

Fuck all the butchering Generals sending men over the top to be massacred day after day while they stayed safe miles from the front. When i was first married i lived next door to an old couple, Charlie the old gentleman was a stretcher bearer in the trenches, he had to go out when ceasefire permitted and look for the dead bodies of our soldiers, the things he saw traumatized him for life.

Edited August 4, 2014 by Sonovabich

[Vicky]

Visited Ypres and surrounding areas a few years ago, so emotional definitely pulls on the heart strings. RIP

[john tams]

My Grandfather served in the British army during the First World War,

He was gassed, but survived the Somme massacre.

After he came out of the army, He went to work down the mines and

ended up getting crippled in an accident, which left him unable to work

for the rest of his life.

During the great influenza epidemic of the 1930s his wife (my Grandmother)

died (age 34) leaving him with 8 kids to bring up, on a pit pension of £1-7s-11d

in old money (£1-40p / or approx. $3 dollars todays money) a week.

 

When WW2 broke out his eldest son my uncle William was one of the soldiers

in the B.E.F who were eventually rescued from the Dunkirk beaches.

 

After a spot of survivors leave he went back to war and fought in the western desert

with the 8th army (desert rats) with General Montgomery.

 

He was Killed in 1942.

His name is on the El Alamein memorial as he has no known grave.

 

My uncle was one of those who....

 

"Gave their tomorrows so we could have our todays"

 

R.I.P uncle Bill.