The Last Tommy

[Biscuit]

It makes y'wanna go out and give some old German a good slapping, don't it?

Ordinary people, with lives of their own, families.. war is such a waste of life. I think we should have had Hitler and Geobals Vs Churchill and a cronie of his choice to go for a tag team match. It's never the politicians that go to the front line.

 

[portlock seagull]

Always been interested in this period and always been respectful to my elders as a consequence. Becomes less relevant each year to younger generations because of the passage of time. Soon it will pass into history for ever. I still talk to my Auntie Annie who's 97 about her memories - one her most vivid tales I remember were the large number of her friends who remained spinsters all their lives because an entire generation of men were wiped out. Anyone who's visited Verdun in France will have been shocked by the fields and fields of white crosses pn a mooner landscape that stretches for miles. Made the Somme look like a skirmish.

That said rememberance day is about all generations. Sadly I now remember a good friend who died aged 30 in Iraq. Captain Phil Guy, Royal Marines, top bloke and sadly missed. RIP friend.

 

[eastlondonseagull]

Always been interested in this period and always been respectful to my elders as a consequence. Becomes less relevant each year to younger generations because of the passage of time. Soon it will pass into history for ever. I still talk to my Auntie Annie who's 97 about her memories - one her most vivid tales I remember were the large number of her friends who remained spinsters all their lives because an entire generation of men were wiped out. Anyone who's visited Verdun in France will have been shocked by the fields and fields of white crosses pn a mooner landscape that stretches for miles. Made the Somme look like a skirmish.

That said rememberance day is about all generations. Sadly I now remember a good friend who died aged 30 in Iraq. Captain Phil Guy, Royal Marines, top bloke and sadly missed. RIP friend.

 

[portslade seagull]

you just can't imagine what they went through
truly very patriotic brave men

 

[Gully]

Some amazing stories of incredibly selfeless acts performed in the name of their country.

The bloke who had gone to live in Australia, the one who was more interested in feeding the birds than talking about his war experiences, what a diamond geezer.

 

[Shropshire Seagull]

I saw the programme too, and ended up without dry-eyes.
Total Respect - end of ...

 

[NMH]

Politicians are usually so out of touch with humanity as if that's a requirement in order to become one. Yet they manipulate the puppet strings.
I heard that in 'Desert Storm' between 300,000 and 600,000 Iraqi menfolk were wiped out by techologically advanced 'smart bombs', 'bats' that cover shrapnel/ball bearings every 6 inches of ground for a square mile or two. The Iraqi men could not do anything - stuck in open desert as targets to be turned into... meat. Fathers, sons, brothers, uncles.
They couldn't turn back because they'd be killed by their own men, under orders. The Garden of Eden killing fields.

I'm not sure who is to blame - Saddam? George Bush or the people who arranged Saddam to be put there? (we are culpable there I believe). What about Saddam who was the USA's 'allie' and customer in a war against Iran until he ran out of money and felt he needed to invade Kuwait to survive?

The killing goes on, one belief vs another; both flying the flag of 'freedom', fueled by the need to make wealth survive and prosper? ("Making the World safe for capitolism" sang Billy Bragg).

Humans possess the most sophisticated language and communication, and societies. Yet we cannot talk anything through, we have to kill each other.

 

[SK1NT]

they are proper heroes. still well with it too.

 

[RexCathedra]

...2 minutes silence on the 11th will be observed by us all.

In the US, because we got in late, and lost relatively little, the importance of the Great War is lost on most folks -- WWII looms much larger. But that was only the Great War, release 2.0...

On the school day nearest the 11th, -- at least in my classes we have the 2 minutes silence. I do a reading of Wilfred Owen's Memento Mori and play my mp3 of Eric Bogle singing his 'And the Band Played Waltzing Matilda':

But the band plays "Waltzing Matilda,"
And the old men still answer the call,
But as year follows year, more old men disappear
Someday, no one will march there at all.

Waltzing Matilda, waltzing Matilda.
Who'll come a-waltzing Matilda with me?
And their ghosts may be heard as they march by the billabong,
Who'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me?

May their memories be for us a blessing...

 

[Juan Albion]

I want to know who the men in the shadows are
I want to hear somebody asking them why
They can be counted on to tell us who our enemies are
But they're never the ones to fight or to die
And there are lives in the balance
There are people under fire
There are children at the cannons
And there is blood on the wire

 

[Yorkie]

When I was in the WRNS in the 60's my ex served with Lieutenant Ted Briggs. He was one of only 4 survivors of HMS Hood where 1400 men died instantly when she was sunk.
My Dad died 8 years ago aged 78 so even the Second World war veterans are passing away now.

We will remember them.

 

[Brovion]

.... My Dad died 8 years ago aged 78 so even the Second World war veterans are passing away now.

We will remember them.

True. Poigniantly for me this is the first Rememberance Day since my Dad died. He was 80, born in 1925 so he didn't join up till 1943. There can't be many left of the 1940 BEF that were evacuated at Dunkirk. Going back to the programme I was amazed that one of the survivors was one of the 1914 BEF, the 'Old Contemptibles'. I'd read somewhere that they were all long gone.

PS - The 1-0 win at Selhurst was also the first Brighton v Palace match since my Palace-supporting Dad died. Typical of the old bugger to go and cark it without giving me the chance to ring up and gloat.

 

[Dover]

Due to my work, I have seen the gradual passing of the Veterans who fought in WWI, WWII, and who volunteered for duty in both. Truly wonderful people.

Lest we forget.

 

[magoo]

I saw the second one last night and have to say i was moved and humbled.

We owe these men everything.

 

[Bwian]

I saw the second one last night and have to say i was moved and humbled.

We owe these men everything.

Damn-I missed it. Is it on again anywhere? Damn damn damn...

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

"When you go home, tell them of us and say
for your tomorrows, we gave our today"

IMHO the most poignant lines from WWI

 

[Cadiz Seagull]

Damn-I missed it. Is it on again anywhere? Damn damn damn...

I missed the first one but saw last night's.
There's also a book out, that's my Christmas list sorted!
In the book, one old soldier is quoted as saying his life expectancy at 92 is greater than it was when he was 19.

 

[Ex-Staffs Gull]

LC

Isn't there some amazing stat that the first 4 years of fighting moved the main trench line only a couple of miles.

Not quite true, many miles were moved back and forward, but after 4 years of fighting they were back at the original battle grounds i.e. the Somme, Pachendale (spinc) etc.

If any are interested in first hand accounts etc, try 'Forgotten Voices of the Great War', a truely good and thought provoking book.

For example, I didn't know how many soldiers actually died drowing in mud, by slipping of the paths, others just had to watch them slowly drown as they could do nothing. Apparently a significant percentages of deaths in the Somme were down to this way.

But things like 2 houses (semi-detatched) with a large wall, being occupied by British in one house and Germans next door for 10 months, and the games they played, but eventually having to kill them. Very odd.

 

[London Calling]

And now only 4 left.

I know BBC has it knockers, but the last Tommy was great. It should be on the national curriculum.

The BBC should also be for the database they are preparing on the memories of WW2 vets. A project the private sector could or would never entertain.

 

[shingle]

Heroes, nothing more to be said