remembrance/memories.

Your place to talk about your Bootle memories
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booty45
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:31 am
Location: hayling island

Most if not all members of this site will have in their thoughts and hearts family members,especially servicemen and women,who have died in a number of world wars,un actions,policing the break up of a now largely gone empire.These people should indeed be remembered,but most of them would never think of themselves as heroes.For some it was a duty gladly shouldered,especially the volunteers who flocked to join the WW1 Pals and Town /County battalions.There was still a sense of duty inculled in the younger generation at the start of WW2,tempered by the knowledge of what had happened in the war to end all wars,the mostly pointless slaughter of of thousands of ,for want of a better word, innocents.Today,it seems everyone who wears or indeed has worn uniform is almost universally lauded as a hero,the people we are rembering would laugh at that concept.My heart goes out to mums and dads and wider families of service people killed and maimed doing their duty,but Im pretty certain those casualties also wouldnt count themselves as heroes,heroes get gallantry medals.
brenr
Posts: 42
Joined: Wed Aug 25, 2010 10:55 am

My Granddad was a hero in my eyes, he served with the 8th army and was wounded at El Alamein and went onto fight at Monte Cassino, likewise my wife's family, one uncle aged just 18 stormed ashore at D-day and was subsequently wounded in Caen and of course her late Father who was on the Malta convoys, dive bombed by Stukas and then torpedoed, they never considered themselves as heroic always fortunate to have survived and us fortunate to have known and loved them. I note your point over anyone wearing uniform today being considered a hero, though to me anyone who has served should be revered and I think Afghanistan and Iraq has brought home conflict more so than Northern Ireland and the South Atlantic albeit the casualties of both were horrific. I believe the recent conflicts played out on TV screens awakened the public conscious and of course we are much better informed about the personal tragedies/effects of war. Whether some people consider service personnel to be heroic irrespective of heroic deeds and gallantry medals is not an issue for me its more about people attending remembrance day services to commemorate the fallen from all conflict which is important. I always use the word hero when talking about my Granddad and recall him taking me to Kings gardens in 1959 on remembrance day and I still stand in awe of that monument now 57 years later. I myself have served the colours and never did anything heroic apart from eating hard tack. :D :D
booty45
Posts: 22
Joined: Wed Feb 17, 2010 10:31 am
Location: hayling island

Hi brenr,Iwasnt belittling what service people did and do,my dad made it through the war.like him his 4 brothers joined the rn,his younger brother killed at 18when hms barham was torpedoed ,rank Boy 1st class.On mums side ,her cousin was lost when his xcraft mini sub lost its tow on its way to attack the Tirpitz.I did 12 yrs rm.in "a series of small colonial wars",nowt heroic.the point I meant to make was the media led dilution of the word undermines the original meaning of the word, Kids need to know what happened to their family members in the past and be taught to respect the struggles and sacrifices they made.
Bootlelass-expat
Posts: 216
Joined: Mon Nov 20, 2006 12:42 am
Location: Rhode Island USA

Booty45. I think I understand what you were saying.

My Dad served in the RAF during WWII. Received medals. His grandsons wanted to know why he didn't wear his medals and march on Rememberance Sunday. He wrote a response "Why I don't wear my medals". He gave a great description of his service and countries he travelled to etc. He said there were many thousands of women and men who did heroic deeds on the home front and weren't recognised for their sacrifices and dedication.

Did I understand what you were saying. Sorry if I did't get your post correctly.

I treasure the paper written by my father.

Doreen
Paul McCabe
Posts: 293
Joined: Thu Aug 14, 2008 12:00 pm
Location: Bootle, Merseyside

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This is Pte Stanley George Clark (b1894 - d1947) #24832/5310 & his medals from WW1 & WW2.

They include his "Wound Badge" to be worn on his civilian clothes to show he had been discharged as wounded in WW1 (to prevent people giving him white feathers.)

He served at the Somme (!!) in The Liverpool Pals red'g (17th First City Battalion) in WW1 & in the Merchant Navy in WW2.

He died in 1947, aged just 53yrs old from "War related sickness".

RIP George.

We will remember them.

https://livesofthefirstworldwar.iwm.org ... ry/7091047
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Dan
Posts: 4730
Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm

Armistice Day November 11 1920.

"The idea to bury an unknown soldier in a place usually reserved for Royalty and notables came from a chaplain on the frontlines, the Reverend David Railton. In 1916, Revd. Railton noticed a grave in a garden at Armentières, which was marked with the words "An Unknown British Soldier". In August 1920, he wrote to the Dean of Westminster, Herbert Ryle, to ask whether it might be possible to bury an unknown soldier in the Abbey to represent those who could not be put to rest by their families."

The Choosing of the Soldier

"On 7th November 1920, four bodies covered in a union jack were brought into the chapel at St Pol from four different battle areas – the Aisne, the Somme, Arras and Ypres. The commander of British troops in France and Flanders, Brigadier General L Wyatt, chose the warrior and the remaining three were reburied in St Pol. The Unknown Warrior then made its way to London, where crowds lined the streets in silence as the coffin was pulled by horse and carriage."



"It was decided that the unveiling of the Cenotaph would be part of the funeral of the Unknown Warrior. When the funeral procession reached Whitehall, King George V laid a wreath atop the Unknown Warrior's coffin before proceeding to unveil the Cenotaph."

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King George V Reflects on the day

"I with the three boys received the body at the Cenotaph, which had been brought from France yesterday; the funeral procession came from Victoria station. At 11.0. I unveiled the Cenotaph & then followed two minutes silence throughout the whole Empire. The whole ceremony was most moving & impressive. I then followed the gun carriage on foot to Westminster Abbey where the burial took place, the grave was filled in with soil brought from France. The Service was beautiful & conducted by the Dean."


The coffin of The Unknown Warrior at Westminster Abbey.

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Bonesy
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Keith
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Dan
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Joined: Sat Jul 07, 2018 6:24 pm

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