Today 11 November is Remembrance Day, also known as Poppy Day and Armistice Day. On this day we remember the sacrifices made by service men and women. The date was chosen because the First World War was formally ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month.
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
— Lt.-Col. John McCrae (1872 - 1918)To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
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My grandfather fought in WWII. I think I'll ask my Dad to tell me all about it tonight.
ReplyDeleteIt seems like war is eternal. Somewhere on some soil, lives continue to be lost. Wouldn't it be wonderful if that did not happen? That we would just be honoring our war heroes of the past and that there would not be any in the future?
ReplyDeleteMy Dad served during WW2 he ended up being part of the occupational forces in Japan at the end of the war.
ReplyDeleteMy father was in WWII, too. He did talk about his experiences to some extent (he died a few years ago) but I wish I'd paid more attention, and asked more questions.
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