Armistice Day Anniversary 2006
On the anniversary date of the ending of the First World War many people still pay a silent tribute to the victims of that and other conflicts since by observing a ‘Two Minutes Silence’. At the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month many people cease what they are doing for a couple of minutes and reflect upon the loss of friends and family in wars and conflicts that have taken place since 1918. In almost every year since the end of the Second World War there has been at least one death of a British or Commonwealth service man or woman.
On Saturday 11 November 2006, the busiest shopping day of the week, millions of people in Britain and many Commonwealth countries stopped whatever they were doing at 11.00 am and took part in the ‘Two Minutes Silence’. Many towns and villages held short formal services to coincide with the eleventh hour, including one at St Nicholas Gardens, Whitehaven, Cumbria where this photograph was taken. It shows some of the poppy wreaths laid by members of the public, young and old, veterans of the Armed Servives and those who have been civilians all their lives. In London, the Lord Mayor's Parade stopped for the Two Minutes Silence and the Queen dedicated a new Memorial for New Zealand Servicemen.
Let us remember them.
posted by ritsonvaljos at 8:00 pm
3 Comments:
We too here in Canada paused in our daily tasks to venerate the fallen as we hold remembrance day on the 11th November each year as opposed to the nearest sunday.
Here in Agassiz we met in the local High school for a service accompanied by the School band - a senior's choir and a childrens choir before marching to the cenotaph for a wreath laying ceremony then many went on to the Legion Hall for a buffet lunch and a Hot Buttered Rum which is always welcome at this time of year.
The amount of young men and women with their young children is always an eye-opener for many as they pay their respects to the fallen of too many casualties from the WW1 to the present 42 killed already in Afghanistan. From such a small population this is quite a great contribution.
...and so this day ends, the 62nd anniversary of my friend Walter Pollard's death by tripping a schu mine and taking two hours to die in agony, the last of the regiment to die before they were disbanded at Cesena 3rd december 1944.
He then joined in death our other friends at what was the Gothic Line in Northern Italy starting with Ronnie Spratt, who took a panzerfaust through his visor as co-driver in a Churchill Tank.
The list is a long 35 men killed in less than a month Major Jimmy Ingram on his way to command "B" squadron - Lt. Graham Douse- my Troop Leader -Lt. Bill Watson - Lt. Edwin Xavier all the way from the Phillipines -Sgt.Ronnie Quinn - Sgt Trevor Willams my commander who knew his son Trefor only for a long week end - Smithy - Wilkinson - Hall - Hayes - Maflin - the list goes on.......
" They knew it all,they loved -this warrior band,
Their human shape we leave in foreign land.
Dust unto dust,the way all men must go.
Their faith, their courage,these we proudly show,
Their mark on England's future all may know."
anon.
I join Tom in a salute to the fallen, who were never to enjoy the fruits of victory.
I also use this opportunity to pay tribute to my late brother Jack Goldstein and all the men of Bomber Command.
"Age shall not weary them,
Nor the Years condemn,
At the going down of the sun,
We will remember them"
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