Remembrance Day

[Newportnobby]

I have mentioned this before but I'm proud to have this displayed in my lounge window

https://tinyurl.com/yd77wk64

[TeeCee]

Merchant Navy Day

In 2000 the UK government declared that 3 September would be the national Merchant Navy Day each year. On Remembrance Sunday 2000, for the first time, members of the Merchant Navy participated in the formal march-past and laid a wreath with a unique design at the Cenotaph in London.

[martyn]

A service is held annually at the Harwich Merchant Navy memorial on Merchant Navy day, and I think a small service is held at Capt. Fryatt's memorial on the anniversary of his execution. There is also a general celebration of Merchant Navy day on the Thames, but this tends to be led by Trinity House, and I don't think its a memorial service: but not sure.

In Harwich, there is also a Kinder transport memorial, and unusually, a memorial to the Ww1 Minesweeping vessel casualties.

Martyn

[Train Waiting]

Although the Great War had fewer campaign medals - five - compared to some other wars, one of these was the Mercantile Marine War Medal.

During the Second World War, I believe those who crewed merchant ships which made lone voyages, without an RN escort, across the Atlantic were eligible for the Atlantic Star.

My personal view is that a 1939-1945 Mercantile Marine War Medal ought to have been awarded to all Merchant Navy personnel who sailed in a theatre of war*.  Without those supremely courageous individuals, I find it difficult to imagine how our war effort could have continued.

Dunkirk Evacuation included, of course.

With all good wishes.

John

[Bealman]

Mrs B and I attended the ceremony this morning in the centre of Wollongong:

[MinZaPint]

I always wear a 1918-2018 enamel poppy in memory of my Dad who was in the Royal Field Artillery, he would never talk about the terrible waste of life but did share one or 2 stories, one of which was about the "Bully Beef" they used to get, if he had a meal he'd enjoyed he'd say "ah Fray Bentos" apparently there were 2 contractors for the supply of this the other being "Libbys" which Dad said was only fit for laying tracks for the gun carriage. Anyway his folks recieved the commeration shown and a big shock when he walked through the door with his kit bag on his shoulder, they had let out his room! As you will have guessed I was something of an afterthought being born at the end of the 2nd conflict.

[Steven B]

My daughter has been shown this CBeebies animation every year she's been in primary school:

https://youtu.be/pv_ub7Be7oA

Watching it as a adult brings a lump to my throat.

My Dad was born in 1939 and one of his earliest memories was watching the sky turn orange following a raid on Manchester. His parents worked towards the war effort - his dad at Avro's factory in Chadderton and his mum sewing parachutes. They had a relatively easy war.

My mum's family lived through the war in the occupied Netherlands. Stories from those years were very few whilst my grandparents were alive. It was only in the last few years of his life that my grandfather told how their first family dog was given to the family by their Jewish neighbours who went on the run. My family were struggling to feed themselves but were reassured that the other family would send for the dog when they'd found a new home. Suffice to say, the family never returned to get their dog back. Even after liberation life was far from easy - despite coming from a farming background food was in very short supply.


Steven B

[Foxhound]

There is a small memorial that will be on our layout but we're busy doing some remodelling at the moment.
It matters to me to commemorate it because my Dad was in 1st Light Anti Aircraft Regiment, West Africa Army (RA) from 1940 onwards. I've recently found his Tracer Card so I've now asked for access to his military service history - he wouldn't talk about it to me, and he died when I was 16, 39 years ago. I also had 3 uncles in the European theatre and 1 on the Russian supply runs (Merchant Navy). Mum was a Land Girl from the age of 13 to 15. Plymouth was decimated during the Blitz, and I see evidence of that every day, so it's shaped who I am.

[Southerngooner]

I'm pleased to report that the Wayland Men's Shed, of which I'm a  member, did a two minutes silence at yesterday mornings meeting. It was good to see all fifty of us standing in silence, at 11am on 11/11. When we lived in France it seemed that the whole country stopped to remember at this time, not shifting it to a Sunday as we do in good old Blighty......

Dave