Today is Armistice Day

karenjoy

Just wanted to post about it being Armistice Day, as I was in a School today at 11am, they rang a bell and the entire school observed the two minutes, it was very moving.

I knew two WWI veterans personally, one of who fought at what he knew as "Wipers" but we call "Ypres" He was mentioned in dispatches and remained imensley proud of that fact until his death in his nineties. I grew up in a tiny village, it has less than ten houses even now and a couple of farms. I married in the little church last year, in the window next to the alter are engraved the names of the fallen from this tiny place. More than the number of houses. Three from one family, two from another. They paid their price and mine too I think, an entire generation gone in the mud of France.

My Mum lost an Uncle on (or about) his 21st Birthday in the battle of Loos. The Battle of Loos was one of the major British offensives mounted on the Western Front in 1915 Total Allied Losses 250,000 Ground Gained 0 Yards

Also among the dead on the British side were Fergus Bowes-Lyon, brother to Elizabeth Bowes-Lyon (later Queen Consort, of George VI and "Queen Mother"), author and poet Rudyard Kipling's son, John.

Awards
Angus Falconer Douglas-Hamilton, commanding officer of the 6th Battalion, Queen's Own Cameron Highlanders was awarded a posthumous Victoria Cross for leading the remnants of his men against a German machine gun post and was killed at their head
Arthur Frederick Saunders, of the Suffolk Regiment was awarded the Victoria Cross for supporting the Cameron Highlanders with machine guns despite his own injuries.
George Stanley Peachment, of the 2nd Battalion of the King's Royal Rifle Corps was awarded the Victoria Cross for attempting with no regard to his own safety to provide first aid to his company commander who was lying wounded in the open. He died on 25 September 1915 near Hulluch.
The 1st Battalion London Irish Rifles distinguished themselves when storming across No-Man's Land to capture the enemy trenches, Sgt. Frank Edwards, the Captain of the football team, kicked a football along in front of the troops. This earned the LIR their second Battle Honour - "Loos, 1915" and the football is still preserved in the Regimental Museum. To this day, the memory of Sgt. Edwards is commemorated on Loos Sunday.
Daniel Laidlaw, a Scottish piper received the Victoria Cross as a reward for rousing his unit to a charge.
Subedar-Major Jagindar Singh Saini, a Sikh officer from Sappers, received Indian Order of Merit and Order of British India for 'conspicuous bravery' and 'striking leadership'

The Loos Memorial commemorates over 20,000 officers and men who fell in the battle and have no known grave.

Lest we forget.

BigGail

I was at work and they always sound the fire alarm at both ends of the two minute silence. Can't believe how many people choose to ignore it - so disrespectful!