Remembrance – willowdot21

Holocaust Rememberance Day.

Lest we ever forget or worse still deny.

Rounded up beaten into compliance
Herded onto trains, treated worse than cattle.
Sorted to the left or the right no point to defiance.
Death or slave labour, hunger a constant battle.
Shot or beaten at a soldiers whim
Deemed subhuman because you were a Jew.
The race or religion may change but it ever was and is… nothing is new.

Lest we forget.

During the two wars they also served who stayed behind.

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

twr_crop__homeb1_iwm-q30040-shell-factory-uk-40-iwm_ipad

All images from Google Images women at war ww1 and ww2

Those Bright Young Things.

We sent them off to war,

These bright young men

We had no knowledge what they saw,

They came home, bright young men no more .

Yes though brave they were no longer whole

Those that survived had no soul.

Many died, the lucky ones, death to them was kind.

Those who returned were faded in body and in mind.

Their loved ones at first relieved

Soon found they had much cause to grieve.

Though there, in body broken,

Their fears left unspoken

Their minds were left behind.

They went out whole, these bright young things.

They returned lost, holding on by gossimar strings

They went full of pride for God and King

They ran head long into hell

On return they could not relinquish it’s spell.

So we had a nation of half men, half ghosts

Fearful, their heads still had them at their posts.

The trenches and the blasts of bombs, the smell of death

Clung to them and bled them dry, the whole in body, the blind of eye

The amputee, it was as if they had never left.

We sent them off to war,

These bright young men

We had no knowledge of what they saw,

They returned, bright young men no more.

Paintings by William Rothenstein.

The Red and the White.

Why

Argue

Both were brave

Each had their own

Principles to up

Hold. Neither less than bold.

One would carry a weapon

The other a stretcher, no gun

Both men died for their own beliefs

They were both lost and that loss brought much grief.

———

Then there is the Purple Poppy in remembrance of all the animals who died in service during conflicts and serve with us still in modern conflicts.

They pulled the gun carriages until they dropped

They carried messages and they got shot.

They search out the unexploded mines

They save lives a thousand times.

Spare a thought for the horse, pigeon, donkey, dog and many more

Remember them, they all help us in times of war

Lest We Forget.

Death, Desolation, Destruction!
Men taught hate men taught to wait til death comes to claim them
Stink, Stench Smell
Bodies sinking in the mud tell their own story.
Is this man’s best glory.
Drench, Damp Dripping
Their guns are filthy,bullets all spent. They all gave up hoping.
Boom,Bang Whistle,
They no longer hear they no longer fear the hair on their necks no longer bristle.
Dead all dead and left to rot .
This was the war to end all wars?
How soon we all forgot
Nothing has changed but the theater of war.
They still battle, on the fringes they know the score.
Shout , Scream Squeal they will still advance they have lost the ability to feel.
No longer human their souls are worn out and why are they out there? Can you answer beyond any doubt.
Fight for your sight fight freedom for all ..
As if that day will ever dawn wait to hear the cock call!
Death, Desolation, Destruction!
Men taught hate men taught to wait til death comes to claim them.

We shall never forget.

They lie not in that empty grave
Beneath the foreign sod.
They do not lie forgotten
In that cold, and desolate Land of Nod.

Soldier Boy … Solider Boy,
The trumpets blast, and blare;
And wreaths are laid at the Cenotaph,
To show … that we still care.

But … there’s a greater love than Man’s
Who knows the price you paid.
He spared you the indignity,
And lifted you from that cold, cold grave.

He created a Great Celestial Shrine,
And the moment it was done …
With a gentle hand, placed the Valiant heart,
Of each dear Mother’s son.

Soldier Boy … Solider Boy,
Under Dutch blue skies,
The gentle Breeze of Holland …
Kiss your grave … as they pass by.

Written by Earl Doucette

I could not find anything about Earl Doucette apart from the fact that he was Canadian.

~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~

This is a beautiful poem. It speaks of God, whatever name you give him/her, lifting all the dead soldiers from their cold or hot and bloodied graves all over the world and in all times past and future and even present. He takes them to Heaven ..whatever name you have for heaven. It is a comfort to us all, for the violent deaths and hurried burials that soldiers on the battle theatres of war received. It troubles us all and so we have these poems to salve our consciences and please our tender souls .

We all have Remembrance Days but this is a way of saying they got a greater remembrance. I shall say no more you have all heard my feelings on War .

Lest we forget. Rememberance Sunday 2020.

Today is the nearest Sunday to Remembrance Day here in the UK . Because of Covid 19 the Veterans will not be Marching. Also we will not forgetting all those men and women injured and killed in more recent conflicts.

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 .

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 .

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women_at_work_during_the_first_world_war_q28345

All images from Google Images women at war ww1 and ww2

And the Men

We sent them off to war,

These bright young men

We had no knowledge of what they saw,

They came home, bright young men no more .

Yes though brave they were no longer whole

Those that survived had no soul.

Many died,the lucky ones, death to them was kind.

Those who returned were faded in body and in mind.

Their loved ones at first relieved

Soon found they had much cause to grieve.

Though there, in body broken,

Their fears left unspoken

Their minds were left behind.

They went out whole, these bright young things.

They returned lost, holding on by gossimar strings

They went full of pride for God and King

They ran head long into hell

On return they could not relinquish it’s spell.

So we had a nation of half men, half ghosts

Fearful, their heads still had them at their posts.

The trenches and the blasts of bombs, the smell of death

Clung to them and bled them dry, the whole in body, the blind of eye

The amputee, it was as if they had never left.

We sent them off to war,

These bright young men

We had no knowledge of what they saw,

They returned, bright young men no more.

Paintings by William Rothenstein.

11/11/11

Yesterday we remembered our war dead and survivers of two world wars and all conflicts since. In the U.K. we always remember our old soldiers on the nearest Sunday to Armistice Day.

And for our more recent heroes.

Lest we forget.

Lest We Forget.

They were so brave, so very young Their journey had not yet begun. Blindly they marched into the guns To a last roll call at the setting sun. They had family and loved ones They all marched off as friends They left their homes full of hope Most would not be back again.

They pulled the gun carriages until they dropped

They carried messages and they got shot.

They searched out the unexploded mines

They saved lives a thousand times.

Spare a thought for the horse, pigeon, donkey dog and many more

Remember them, they all help us in times of war

Image from Pixabayhttps://pixabay.com/photos/flower-white-poppy-2684182/

Why
Argue
Both were brave
Each had their own
Principles to up
Hold. Neither less than bold.
One would carry a weapon
The other a stretcher, no gun
Both men died for their own held beliefs
They were both lost and that loss brought much grief.
———

From the beginning of time up until now and way in to the future war prevails. I believe we will never be free of war.

What we can do is remember those who have given their health or their lives for us to hopefully live better lives. I say Thank You.

We must never forget.

D Day 75 th Anniversary.

This week we are all saying thank you to all the soldiers who gave so much for us on the beaches of Normandy. Americans, English, French and Belgium troops. The D Day Remembrance Services.

Without Death, Bloodshed and Suffering

Without death, bloodshed and suffering wars are never won
And only hatred and grief survives when the fighting is done
And war heroes honoured in every war street parade
By war men the memories of war not allowed for to fade
The politicians the praises of the war dead do sing
Their politicising of war for sake of power not an honourable thing
For God, Flag and Country and National Pride
Far too many good young people in wars have died
one war leads to another war as the wise one did say
And millions for patriotism in wars with their lives do pay
For the sake of war the war men create us against they
And for the love of a flag the young and brave die in wars today
And on Remembrance Day the war men parade up and down
In a show of patriotism through the streets of the town.

Francis Duggan

photo credits http://www.lancs-fusiliers.co.uk/

Francis Duggan

Says.
(1946 – Present) ” I have been penning stuff since 1973 have written up to nine thousand individual pieces which can be seen on various online poetry sites, I was born and raised in Millstreet Co. Cork Ireland and I have been living in Victoria Australia for the past twenty three years “… Francis Duggan.

This modern poem is timeless it could refer to any war! It says a lot of things I agree with. The tears I have shed whilst watching the D Day 75 th year remembrance services are witness to the fact that no one wins in war. No one , no person, no country, no religion, no sect nothing and nobody wins,only the politicians and the arms makers ………….. They win hands down every time .

Politicians plot scheme and win, our young people in the armed forces are maimed and killed, sacrificed on the altar of their greed ( the politicians greed that is). Then the truth is sanitised and the politicians brush things over! We never learn, it has been this way since the beginning of mankind and I see no changes yet . willow.

photo credits http://ww2p.blogspot.co.uk/

Weekly Song Challenge, Round 15!

Time once again for Laura Venturini’s Weekly Song Challenge! Here, as always, are the rules:

Copy rules and add to your own post, pinging back to this post.

Post music videos for your answers to the musical questions.

Tag two people to participate!

Post a video of a song that makes you think of the true meaning of Memorial Day.

Well we don’t have Memorial in the UK . We have Remembrance Sunday in November. But it is celebrated for the same reasons. Here is my first video. Keep the Home Fires Burning by Emma Stevens.

Post a video of a song that has the word war in title or lyrics.

I have chosen Warchild by the Cranberries.