K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge:Rememberence.

This  is  my  entree for  : K’lee and Dale’s Cosmic Photo Challenge, this  weeks  theme  is  Remembrance.

Lest  we  forget the blood  that  was  shed  for us,  the lives  that  were  sacrificed . November  2014 the  Tower  London bled poppies, one of  the  most moving  sights  I have  ever  witnessed. We own one of  those poppies,  we are  keeping it  safe  for  our  grandson.

Rules and Pingback  here   and Here 

#CosPhoChal

Stream of Consciousness Saturday:Remember the women left back home.

This  is part of LindGHill‘s Stream of Consciousness Saturday. Linda said

“Your Friday prompt for Stream of Consciousness Saturday is: “mem.” Choose a word or words with the letters “mem” in that order and run with it. Enjoy!”

As  the  prompt  this  week   is  “mem” and  as  tomorrow  is  official  Remembrance Sunday  here in  the UK . I  thought I  would  remember  the  women  for  WW1  and  WW2 who  took over  all  the  jobs  that the  men  who  had  been  sent  off  to  war  left  empty here in what  was  known then as  Great  Britain.

Not  only  did  the  women  do  these  , sometimes  very  dangerous  jobs,but  they  looked after  the families  and  homes. Now  I  do  not  wish in  any  way  to  detract  from  the huge  sacrifice  of  all the  men  who  fought  for  our countries during  the  two  wars .

Please  forgive  any  mistakes  as it  is  SoCs  I  had  no  time  to  research  or  prepare.

Remember the women left back home.

They made the ammunition for Tommy

Dangerous work,they died too it was not funny.

Women became officers of the law

Something never heard of before.

 

Nurses, drivers  even pilots for planes

Remember  them  we  will never  know  their  names

Someone had to give  the  farmers a hand

Remember   the men  were  at war  in a  foreign  land.

 

The members  of  the ” fairer  sex ”

Drove  the  buses, trains  and  lorries

Kept  all essential job going ,however  complex

They  also  fed  the family  and kept  the Home Fires  Burning

 

During  the  wars ww1 and  ww2  women filled  in the  gaps  that  the  men  who  had  been sent  off  to  war  left. It  is  not  always  remembered  that  they, worked in  the factorys  drove  buses , trains and flew  planes and  probably  sailed  ships.  They  became  members  of  the  forces, nurses at  home  and on the  war  front  too. They  were  also  seconded into  the police  these  jobs  were almost unheard of  for  women before  the  first  world war. They  also  had  to do hard  farm labour  on  the farms to help keep  the  food  supplies  going.

Women worked in  shipyards, built  planes  and  also  made  ammunition, hard  and  dangerous  work.

It  was not just  the   fact  that the  bombs , shells or  landmines  could  explode  if  mishandled  but  the  TNT  was  dangerous  to  the  women’s  health.

” Munitions workers whose job was filling shells were prone to suffer from TNT poisoning. TNT stood for Trinitrotoluene – an explosive which turned the skin yellow of those who regularly came into contact with it. The munitions workers who were affected by this were commonly known as ‘canaries’ due to their bright yellow appearance. Although the visible effects usually wore off, some women died from working with TNT, if they were exposed to it for a prolonged period. As Ethel Dean, who worked at Woolwich Arsenal, recalled, ‘Everything that that powder touches goes yellow. All the girls’ faces were yellow, all round their mouths. They had their own canteen, in which everything was yellow that they touched… Everything they touched went yellow – chairs, tables, everything.’ (IWM SR 9439) More  imformation  here

Women did  so many  jobs that  before  the  first  world  war, those of  the middle  and  higher class would  never  even  contemplated. Many  died of  injury  and  of  disease  due  to  chemicals,  asbestos  used in  badly  ventilated  buildings.

Also  they played  their  part in  SOE   read here   and also  here  .

 

 

All images  from  Google Images  women  at  war  ww1 and  ww2

Rules  and Pingback here

 

Oneliner Wednesday : War Madness. Blackadder.

Captain Blackadder: Millions have died, but our troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping.

This  is part of one liner Wednesday
Here is the pingback
You can the rules here on LindaGHill’s page.

Journal For Poetry Challenge#7 08,01,2012

Journal For Poetry Challenge#7 08,01,2012  week 2

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/John_McCrae

The GreatWar 1914-1918

by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

Inspiration for “In Flanders Fields”

Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, 1st Brigade Canadian Field Artillery. ⁽¹⁾

During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2^nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. He was a  friend  of commander Major John McCrae .

John McCrae was a field Dr in  the same unit as his friend Alexis. For some reason the Chaplin was called away and so John was asked to take the  funeral service for his friend. It is thought that in the evening after the funeral he wrote his most famous poem. In Flanders field.

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The Poem is so sad, it speaks of how so many young men died, cruel and painful deaths on the muddy fields and squalid trenches of Ypres. He talks about the larks bravely singing, as I see it he is alluding to the fact that life just goes on as this evil war raged. “The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below.”

They died so quickly without warning, though  better that than maimed and dying slowly in agony. They were young, they had lovers, family and then they were gone so suddenly. I think they hung around for a while as ghosts trying to adjust to death.

The dead, he tells us, implore those who follow them to take up the torch and fight the enemy to the end. For if they loose or shirk the challenge the dead will never rest and forever haunt the poppy fields of Flanders.

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Just a thought crosses my mind. What would those dead  men buried under Flanders field made of the tanks and foot soldiers of the 2nd world war. The young men of the 1st world war thought they were fighting the war to end all wars…………. Sadly they were wrong.

 

Poetry Challenge #7 is to create a journal of links and your reactions to poems by established (living or dead poets.) Details are here.  Example response is here. Mr. Linky for Challenge #7 is directly below:

11/11/11 I WILL NOT FORGET

Old Soldiers

Today was a special day a date carved in my mind. Today it is time for us to remember the soldiers who died for all mankind.

Walking up to town today my poppy on show just a little reminder, my reverence to show. The high street was busy full of people to and fro and traffic rushing through as motorists on their journeys go.

Today it will be different, today is not the norm, though busy roads and people about their business go. Outside the Town Hall and in the Market Place  groups of people gather some smile and wave the older men embrace.

Now the clock hands approach the eleventh hour and through our town surges gratefulness you can feel it’s power. For every shopper stops and stands and every coffee shop and bar is silent now because the clock bell tolls the hour.

The tills in the supermarkets and every shop are silent and with stationary shoppers filled  and even the mighty traffic is in it journey is stilled. In silence I stood and watched this strangest but most merited tribute and as ever I shed a tear as the old men took a salute.

Two minutes and it was over all trace of silence gone, the shops are once more busy the stilled traffic now moves on. I meet my friend and as in to Costa we go I say a silent thank you to all those brave men and women who I do not know . They fought , some gave their lives for me so I could be free, in Flanders , Turbrook and Tripoli, on the Somme , Leningrad, Pearl Harbour and Helmand Province, Iraq and Iran and many, many other places defended by a brave woman or a man.

I make no apology I will be politically in-correct for so many have offered up their lives and my life they still effect!

Lest we forget

They fought against what ever foe that threatened our freedom to take and they often had to give the biggest sacrifice anyone  has to make.

I shall not forget them and neither should you for without them you would not be free to do most of the things you do!

So on this 11th day of this 11th month in 11th year of this millennium I stood at 11o’clock with many others to salute our soldiers, sailors and our airmen and many, many others. For they have given their all for us my sisters and my brothers.We owe them a THANK YOU.

THANK YOU