Remembrance Day

[Tonington]

Tonington - that was a rough read - I had never seen it before but I had chills getting through it...

I was reminded of watching film of the landings at Normandie where the barges unloaded their precious cargo - many of whom drowned under the weight of their gear they were carrying as soon as they hit the water.... many others who followed walked on their backs to reach the shoreline...some were part of the landing on the beaches - in death.

Yes it is quite rough on the edges, as I'm sure those trenches must have been. Owen was a teacher before the war, he served in the trenches and was caught in a explosion, diagnosed with shellshock and sent home in 1917, a year later he was back in France, two months later he was awarded the Military Cross, and one month after that he was killed by German machine gun fire.

 

[Curiosity]

OH god Tonington

No doubt there were millions of horror stories too terrible to write about.... locked into minds that wished for insanity so they could forget....

 

[shadowshiv]

I would just like to say that this is an amazing thread, as it shows how much in common people really have. To have gone through the nightmares that they did, I cannot imagine. I can only thank them from the bottom of my heart for the sacrifices that they have made.

Thank you for creating it, Locutus.

 

[Locutus]

To me it is that one day, we all (should) stop, unite and give thanx to those that selflessly put themselves in harms way, to defend what we hold most dear.

Yes, many, including myself and soon my sons. It has been a tradition in my family since before Canada was born. We have all served her, in one way or another, with her uniform on our backs.


Nothing to forgive...beautifully put.

My inspiration was my Grand Father and my Father. I was raised by my Grand Father an Onondaga Brave and MWO In the Canadian Army. As a Medic, he served on the frontlines in the European theater and in the after math of the fall of Japan, he served aboard the hospital ships that brought home the POW's. He again served on the frontlines in Korea. He never talked about it much, but as a Medic, he brought home alot of baggage that never sat well with him.

My Father served in the Canadian Army, he was stationed in Germany for a single tour, he felt he could better serve his nation by policing the community he was born from and at that time all reservations fell under Federal juricdiction, so he joined the RCMP.

He never made the impact or difference he wanted to, but he faced the FLQ during Black October and served in the Narcotics Bureau before retiring.

I'm also reminded of the service and sacrifice, my community has made over the years...

Removing the Mask

Great stories Bear, thanks for that. The idea of stopping in silence for 2 minutes is very important.

I forgot about 1970. My dad also shipped out with 'most' of Camp Borden to go guard all the various politicians and dignitaries in Ottawa then. I was only about 12 but I knew something was up when dad had all his kit, his rifle and helmets. I was scared as to what was going on. He also pulled honour guard during the queen's coronation. Not that that is honour-worthy but hey, not everyone got to go over there and represent us.:smile:

 

[Locutus]

Besides a few nephews still serving in the gulf on tanker ships and one about to retire that served as a peace keeper in Palestine, I have a now deceased brother-in-law that was a sniper stationed in Italy in WWII.
I still remember one story he told us when I was still a youth about the time he was in a tree and a German patrol decided to stop under that tree and have little campfire lunch....too many to shoot he said and the smoke was killing him.....just when he was ready to go for it, they decided to move along.......the only story he ever told us.

Years later....a good drinking buddy of his was a German prisoner of war that decided to remain in Canada.

Sometimes old enemies make the best of friends.........

Amazing how things work out sometimes. Then the friendship with a so-called enemy. Ironic what happens when we get to know someone we want to shoot. Thanks for sharing with us. :smile:

 

[Locutus]

Merc, thanks so much for that contribution. What a whack of history there, first hand no less. Just amazing. I really wish I had known my grandfather to hear even one story. It's just that I may have hear something that I didn't like.

Like Tonington's poem. Grandfather took a dose of mustard gas in the first war at Vimy Ridge I believe. He had to return to England to recover in hospital before being sent back home. He died a few years later.

Curio and shadowshiv: Thanks for your support and interest in the stories posted here. They are what make the thread work. They and the love for those who's experiences are recounted by descendants of these truly brave people. None of us are really that different eh?

There's nothing more real than these types of recollections and experiences. And they volunteered. Economics of the time and lack of widespread media aside, by the jeezus, they chose to enlist and go overseas. Grief.

 

[55Mercury]

Thank you all for your kind comments. I'm glad I had something worthy to contribute to this most honorable thread. We all have something to share pride in, our countrymen who paid the price before us, relatives or not.

There was supposed to be a footnote to Hardrock who was from Sudbury. Dad told me he always introduced himself with "I'm a hardrock miner from the hardrock country where the women are double-breasted and the men know how to handle 'em." ! That's how he got the nickname 'Hardrock'. What a card he must've been!

I'd like to thank everyone for their contributions, too. We're all enriched by them.

 

[lone wolf]

If he's like a lot of the old-timers I meet up here, Merc ...
...he still is!

Woof!

 

[55Mercury]

yeah, no doubt!

I was wondering if a historian would be interested in researching the story of the Irish fishing fleet. Were they indeed at those coordinates, TARE, OBOE, ZEBRA, EASY, FIFE, FIFE, FIFE, FIFE, and fall victim to unintentional 'friendly fire'? - might there have been survivors? I bet they'd have a tale to tell, or would take keen interest in this one, at least.. and then I wonder, might any of them have been distant relatives? My dad married an Irish Canadian girl, after all.

But what a tale of flirting with death, even if that crew never did see any real 'action'.

 

[lone wolf]

No doubt there's a few fishing stories of high-riding subs and low-flying airplanes and things that went boom in the night. Wherever that fish fleet sailed from, somebody has a great tale to tell....

Woof!

 

[Dreadful Nonsense]

the ole man was Navy..chief petty officer, medical branch...was up on court martial several times..Con man...bilked thousands outta recruits...tons of gafs...stole from the naval warehouses in London during the blitz...they scavanged a lot of medical personnal for that....He did do a few good things...he stole those red ambulance blankets with the black stripe down the side..The British woman would make what was known as a blanket coat...quite nice actually...he sold them to pub owners....food and those naval clocks....to him this was a service to the war effort....


he became legend for ripping guys off...near the end of the war people bragged how much they lost to him...

Saved a few lives..some Captain everyone hated had his thoat slashed in a hotel lobby in England ...he was nearby and saved him somehow....

He wore silk suits , had them hand made in london right down to the hat....blew thousands on prostitutes...became addicted to morphine serets he stole from the medical...lived on speed.....they had speed for the night watch crew....

was trasnfering a guy from ship to ship in the english channel ...cable broke...nearly froze to death ...saved the guy.....

was transfered to british ship to see if they could get him court martialed which they tried but he forced them to try him in a canadian court...got off...
met my uncle in the war..me mum's brother....


his navel medical records i'm told labeled him as sociopath....

ahhhh dear ole dad

 

[Dreadful Nonsense]

add on from the cage via merc

one of the cons was this.....

during the war if you had on your record that you had a veneral desease it stopped you from ever becoming an officer....thats what the ole man told me...don't know it is true today or if it was just some unwritten law......Bear and Rider could tell ya.....

So like in halifax he did some time with recruits.....

during training they got this detailed Veneral desease training....they tried to horrofy the bejeevers outta them.....

now treatment during the war before penicillin was also fun ..but penicillin came into being and that ended the blue wash up the ureatha....

so like these kids that finnaly got laid before going to war from like small towns ...would have like rashes and stuff from all the training....
inevitable they would worry bout something after viewing the VD action films....so he would put himself in the infermary on the night shift....

these guys shyly would show up and meekly describe and ask if they had something......they would show him ...and he would like have them pee on a slide and then show em it under the microscope....now back in 1942 a microscope was not as popular as today, and like a kid from sask. looking into the thing would have no idea what he is seeing...anywho he would show him proof ..."see that squiggly thing....".....


so now the kid is beside himself for he doesn't want it on his record...he would tell him he knew a way to get him the pills and like not let it be known ....for this privaledge he would like take all his money his aunty and uncle and who ever gave him......he then told the kid to eat better exersise more get fit and forget all the fooling around for the more exersice the better he would be...and the pills would work better......

he did this many a time and kept records of everyone......

when eventually some kid who thought the pills would not work, by the way they were placebos....and went fop a second opinion he got busted.....he was asked if he was prescribing treatment...he wasn't a doctor....he admitted to it...told the scam and showed a list of everyone he did....
he pleaded that everyone of these kids after recieving his instruction became fitter and went on to finish there training with excellent result....all true...he said he was trying a psychological theory and it was indeed for the war effort...the money had to be paid or the kids would not believe it.....

he got off was told not to do it ever again....it was the early 40's ...not today.....

 

[IdRatherBeSkiing]

My dad was too young to serve in WWII. 4 of his older brothers served however. 3 came back. They never talked about it. Only 1 is still alive. I saw my uncle Glen's name on the book in parliment hill some years back when I was talking the tour. I believe they all served in the Air Force either as pilots or bombideers.

Haven't got my poppy yet. Will do that around the 8th or 9th. Damn things fall off too easy.

Loveley thread. Sorry I couldn't contribute more.

 

[Locutus]

My dad was too young to serve in WWII. 4 of his older brothers served however. 3 came back. They never talked about it. Only 1 is still alive. I saw my uncle Glen's name on the book in parliment hill some years back when I was talking the tour. I believe they all served in the Air Force either as pilots or bombideers.

Haven't got my poppy yet. Will do that around the 8th or 9th. Damn things fall off too easy.

Loveley thread. Sorry I couldn't contribute more.

You contributed plenty. Seems a lot of those boys didn't talk too much about the war. Maybe to save us the pain, or themselves. Thanks.

 

[Retired_Can_Soldier]

My family has served this Nation all the way back to the Boer War. As I write this my Son is doing his fourth stint in the Mid East in support of the Afghan Mission. May we remember those who served and support those who are serving.

Remembering is a small price to pay for a lifetime of freedom.

Ubique
M

 

[Locutus]

My family has served this Nation all the way back to the Boer War. As I write this my Son is doing his fourth stint in the Mid East in support of the Afghan Mission. May we remember those who served and support those who are serving.

Remembering is a small price to pay for a lifetime of freedom.

Ubique
M

That is an honourable family history friend. Respect and a safe return for your son.

Thanks for sharing.

 

[DaSleeper]

I think this song written by Mike O'Reilly, a Canadian Be Quiet When Willie Walks By says it well.

 

[CDNBear]

My family has served this Nation all the way back to the Boer War. As I write this my Son is doing his fourth stint in the Mid East in support of the Afghan Mission. May we remember those who served and support those who are serving.

Remembering is a small price to pay for a lifetime of freedom.

Ubique
M

Je Me Souviens, mon frère.

 

[CDNBear]

Oh Great Spirit,
Here my prayer.

Take care of those,
that have fought and fallen.
Let them know,
they are not forgotten.

A payment in blood,
the price demanded.
Vanquish our foes,
their inner voices commanded.

We hear a new voice now
and loud it screams.
End our wars,
peace is our dream.

No Soldier died,
nor did one bleed.
Because in his heart,
war had need.

Purge their thoughts,
of these deniers.
While you keep them warm,
by the councils fires.

Let them know,
we see their faces.
While we pass down their stories,
of these hellish places.

Stories now dying,
day by day.
as the tellers are all,
coming your way.

Hold them up
and praise their honour.
The legacy they leave,
I will not let them squander.

Oh Great Spirit,
hear my prayer.

Let them know,
That we still care.
----------
Ohkwai

 

[Locutus]

Veterans' Week vignette:

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=feature/week2007/vignette

All the Books of Remembrance:

http://www.vac-acc.gc.ca/remembers/sub.cfm?source=collections/books