Sunday 9 November - Remembrance Day

[Piglet]

Well done everyone.  This is our first year in a new building at work and I wondered how they would manage a silence, we had an email this morning saying there would be a long'ish blast of the fire alarm to signify the start and a shorter blast to signify the end.

It was lovely, the building was silent...except for the lady near to me who clearly hadn't read the email and kept remarking how quiet it was...doesn't take rocket science to work it out even if you haven't read the email but anyway...

We also had a two minute silence at Brands on Sunday, wonderfully orchestrated by Brian Jones who has just the voice for it. 

[Bob U]

Same here. I don't know if it is because it is the 90th anniversary and people see it as more important but everyone here stood and bowed their heads for the 2 minutes. The radio was playing in the background and did remind the listeners but this is the first time this has happened here en-masse since the week after 9/11. It made me feel quite proud.

[mike(liverpool boys)]

I was very impressed today aswell as i was working in a large leisure centre and when the annouced the start of the 2 minute silence the whole place fell quiet which i didnt expect 

[mgmark]

Good turn out again at the Cenotaph today, with what seemed to be most of those serving in MOD Main Builidng out in the sunshine in uniform with the populace for the ceremony, with the final 3 surviving WW1 veterans living in the UK rightly taking centre stage.  Henry Allingham, the oldest, was determined to try and stand but was not able to do so, and Harry Patch, the only "Tommy" left who actually served in the trenches of Passchendaele, was accompanied by Jonathan Beharry VC (gained in Iraq) which was a moving sight.

For our part in the light blue, the meeting that I was in today started at 1100 on the dot by observing the two minute silence, before moving through updates on current happenings in fields afar, to the future size, shape and nature of what we might become under a grateful Government's "Public Value Programme" (aka further big efficiency savings = big cuts on the way).  Something of a counterpoint to the day and rather ironic.

The 65th anniversary of D-Day in northern France should be good next year and, if you can't get out there as TOATB suggests, then take the Pompey Caen night crossing and wake up to the view that they saw as they approached the shore.  Failing that, here's the iconic footage of the ramp going down and disembarking http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=k3azRAPPlbs&feature=related

MG Mark

 

[Nordic]

While picking up my daughters from browies last night at a local village hall, I saw hanging on the wall a gift from the 2 Canadian Battilion who had a HQ nearby.

It was a map that showed the route the troops took up through france (Close to Le mans and Rouen) then the low countries then Germany.

I had never seen it before and was strangely moved by it.

There was also a piece on the local news last night about another local village hall in Balcombe. The walls are covered with a fresco painted by Neville Lytton that depicts the tragic and heroic troops of the frist world war. While it is very close to my home, I never knew it was there.

http://www.balcombevillage.co.uk/VictoryHall.htm