Reply to: In memory of those who gave

[DimPrawn]

My uncle was in a prisoner of war camp in Burma building the bridge over the river Kwai. He left around 12 stones and came back under 6. Some of his stories of torture, death and general courage in adversity were truely shocking. I can't imagine what it would have been like. Today we are not real men like those guys were.

Perhaps SallyAnne should have a go at building a bridge in Burma.

[Bagpuss]

My uncle was in a prisoner of war camp in Burma building the bridge over the river Kwai. He left around 12 stones and came back under 6. Some of his stories of torture, death and general courage in adversity were truely shocking. I can't imagine what it would have been like. Today we are not real men like those guys were.

[Spacecadet]

Antwerp apparently has something going on at the moment with pictures of people who were shipped off to Auschwitz. The only city which rounded up the Jews before the Germans even arrived apparently. So I guess that's also something to remember...

I was in Antwerp quite recently... there definitely still seems to be a very large Jewish community there

[Churchill]

Surprised at you Bob.
VE and VJ days are victory celebrations and we did those earlier.

Many of the armistice day parades take place at tombs of soldiers, ours is an unknown. The naionality ofthe body is not known either. Our parade may be taking place over a Brit or a German. Nobody knows and it makes it that much more poingnant.

Armistice day is all about hoping that it never happens again.

Some of you are attaching meaning to it that does not exist either for those who take part or for those of us who observe.

Obviously our veterans are remembering their fallen comrades, but many veterans (particularly WW 1 & 2) are trying or have managed to reconcile their hatred of the enemy and have realised that the soldiers on the ground were doing their duty, possibly under duress, just as they were.

With true belief in armistice we work towards peace.

The last thing that this is about is glorifying war.

I couldn't put it better myself, and didn't.

Thanks.

[The Lone Gunman]

Surprised at you Bob.
VE and VJ days are victory celebrations and we did those earlier.

Many of the armistice day parades take place at tombs of soldiers, ours is an unknown. The naionality ofthe body is not known either. Our parade may be taking place over a Brit or a German. Nobody knows and it makes it that much more poingnant.

Armistice day is all about hoping that it never happens again.

Some of you are attaching meaning to it that does not exist either for those who take part or for those of us who observe.

Obviously our veterans are remembering their fallen comrades, but many veterans (particularly WW 1 & 2) are trying or have managed to reconcile their hatred of the enemy and have realised that the soldiers on the ground were doing their duty, possibly under duress, just as they were.

With true belief in armistice we work towards peace.

The last thing that this is about is glorifying war.

[wendigo100]

I agree. I've never witnessed anything on remembrance day that resembles a victory parade.

That's VE and VJ days.

[BoredBloke]

"I know the purpose, or the supposed purpose. It is a victory parade because only the British soldiers are remembered. It fulfils its purpose when, and only when, those on the other side are remembered as well."

Can't agree with that. The one I went to did not have any of the trappings of a victory parade. It was a sombre affair and quite moving when you see the last few of these people who defended our country. As has been mentioned by others it is a time to reflect and thank those who paid the ultimate price - under those circumstances you are hardly going to thank the opposing forces for giving them the chance to go to war and get killed.

[wendigo100]

Agreed. And the guilty. But for a quirk of genetics, nurture and culture they were innocents too.

[Churchill]

Tell you what, let's just remember the innocents that die in warfare.

Agreed.

[Diver]

Tell you what, let's just remember the innocents that die in warfare.

[TimberWolf]

Lets remember those poor men of the SS and those poor dedicated Germans who ran the concentration camps

The allies did some pretty despicable things too, not least the Russians.

[Churchill]

Of course you are completely right Churchy.

Lets remember those poor men of the SS and those poor dedicated Germans who ran the concentration camps

Come back when you've grown up. Then we'll have a discussion about people, who by accident of birth were on one side or another of a futile conflict that cost millions of lives worldwide.

Until then, keep spouting your emotional claptrap.

[Diver]

There were conscripted troops on all sides who died.

Remembrance day for me is remembering the sad loss of life during all wars.

Btw Diver, war isn't murder.

Of course you are completely right Churchy.

Lets remember those poor men of the SS and those poor dedicated Germans who ran the concentration camps

[Moscow Mule]

I know the purpose, or the supposed purpose. It is a victory parade because only the British soldiers are remembered. It fulfils its purpose when, and only when, those on the other side are remembered as well.

Point of fact:
Not only British soldiers are remembered - All of the Allied nations get to place a wreath at the Cenotaph.

The Germans don't commemorate their war dead on Nov 11th as it's the start of Karneval, but their equivalent is Volkstrauertag - you can look the rest up.

[Churchill]

It is a rememberence for those that defended us from an aggressor, those on the other side are remembered, as those that would have enslaved us had our young men not died protecting us.
If your family was murdered by some bloke and the murderer died, would you hold a memorial service every year in honor of his memory.
Get real

There were conscripted troops on all sides who died.

Remembrance day for me is remembering the sad loss of life during all wars.

Btw Diver, war isn't murder.