D Day 6/6/04 - NSC Remembers

[Uncle Spielberg]

60th anniversary of D Day on 6/6/04. 10000 allies died on the beaches that day to fight for our freedom and made the ultimate sacrifice.

Shot down in a sea of bullets at the age of 17, some not even getting off the landing craft.

I salute you, we will never forget the sacrifices made.

 

[SK1NT]

 

[Marshy]

Gone but never forgotten.

 

[Gazwag]

People moan about the country we live in now but lose sight of what it could have been but for those heros

 

[Hungry Joe.]

Well said.

Recently visited the WWI cemeteries in Flanders and watched the Last Post at the Menen Gate. Incredibly moving and a fitting tribute to another war of incredible slaughter that we must never forget. Seeing the lists of names of around 75000 young men killed whose remains we never found is a humbling experience. Many were from our own (now disbanded) Royal Sussex Regiment who would have sang Sussex By The Sea before they were cut down.

Remember the past and learn from it for the future.

 

[chips and gravy]

I visited the beaches at Easter. It was a terribly moving visit and made you realise what was at stake and how frightening the experience must have been.

My Grandad, who died yesterday, was on the other side as cannon fodder for the Germans. He was only 17 when he fought in Normandy and was lucky to make it through the fighting since most of his batallion were killed. It's a sobering thought

 

[Sea]

Well said.

Recently visited the WWI cemeteries in Flanders and watched the Last Post at the Menen Gate. Incredibly moving and a fitting tribute to another war of incredible slaughter that we must never forget. Seeing the lists of names of around 75000 young men killed whose remains we never found is a humbling experience. Many were from our own (now disbanded) Royal Sussex Regiment who would have sang Sussex By The Sea before they were cut down.

Remember the past and learn from it for the future.

i went years ago to the cemeteries as part of a college trip and the sight of hundreds upon hundreds of white grave stones everywhere you look was very moving and that number wasnt even the true figure of the amount of men that died, it was just unbelievable. the worst thing was seeing the grave of a 16 year old boy that had lied about his age in order to fight in the war, it really was shocking

 

[Staly]

Whilst D Day was in progress the Royal Sussex (including my Uncle) were slogging their way through Italy- a hard and bloody campaign often overlooked in comparison to D Day.

 

[Staly]

By the way- did you know that in the 18th Century the Regiment which was to become the Royal Sussex was known as the Otways- after their Colonel Charlie Otway...

 

[Uncle Spielberg]

When we moan about Albions midfield we need to remember this day.

 

[Hungry Joe.]

and that number wasnt even the true figure of the amount of men that died, it was just unbelievable.

Indeed. Over 9 million killed (a conservative estimate considering the number that are now coming out of the prviously secret Russian archives). Over 1 million horses slaughtered as they charged Waterloo style cavalry into machine guns and heavy artillery.

I saw one very new grave with the "A Soldier of the Great War....Known Unto God" inscription. Every year when the farmers plough the fields they uncover more remains......nearly a century on.

 

[BUTTERBALL]

A timely thread and one of great importance. Lest we forget.

 

[SM BHAFC]

Ultimate sacrifice never forget them, amazing that so many people from all over the world of differant culture's, countries and races can come together to defeat a common foe. Respect

 

[Simster]

 

[Hungry Joe.]

Ultimate sacrifice never forget them, amazing that so many people from all over the world of differant culture's, countries and races can come together to defeat a common foe. Respect

Good point, we often overlook soldiers who fought for the Allies from the far corners of our old Empire. Interesting bit of trivia on that point; the term Blighty comes from an abbreviated and bastardised version of an Indian word meaning 'a far away place'.

 

[Grizz]

Blue Skies.............

 

[Northstander]

HEROES!!

 

[CAFC Matt]

They will never be forgotten for what they done. Heroes everyone that was involved not just in D-Day but in the whole of WW2 and even WW2

 

[Lord Bracknell]

"NSC remembers"?

No we don't. We commemorate it.

Our generations didn't experience D-Day, but we seem to have taken over responsibility for "remembering" it.

Am I alone in feeling uncomfortable about how we are doing this?

My parents were "in the war". I guess for most NSC members, it was their grandparents. As a child, I had many conversations with my father about the action that he saw. It was all exciting stuff that a child would find fascinating. But he never dwelt on issues like "heroism" or "sacrifice". He kept any thoughts of such things private. And he had no time at all for the sort of municipal remembrance day ceremonies that are commonplace these days.

Only long after he died did I discover the details of some horrendous incidents that he had been involved in, such as the torpedoing of his ship off Malta.

There are other family stories that fall into this category of "stuff we didn't talk about" - the persistent bombing of the block of flats where my grandparents lived in Rotherhithe being another example.

It is this private stuff that is now being pushed into the public domain by people who weren't "in the war". And we are now being expected to adopt attitudes that I know from my own experience I was not expected to hold when I was younger.

It was different twenty years ago. When the fortieth anniversary of D-Day was commemorated in 1984, I was on a family holiday in Weymouth. The tone of the commemoration was set by a recreation on Weymouth beach of a Normandy-style landing. Loads of bangs, loads of old landing craft, a parade of historic vehicles. Fun and games for all the family.

The point is that those celebrations were in the control of genuine veterans of the action. Like my dad, they kept the private stuff to themselves.

These days, it's all become a bit too maudlin.

Or am I being unreasonable?

 

[Dandyman]

Whilst D Day was in progress the Royal Sussex (including my Uncle) were slogging their way through Italy- a hard and bloody campaign often overlooked in comparison to D Day.

Well said. Despite being labelled " D Day Dodgers" by idiots like Lady Astor it should be remembered that Rome was liberated at the same time as D Day was taking place and that the Royal Sussex played a notable part in the battle of Monte Cassino among other engagements.