WORDS OF WINSTON
THE 11th HOUR OF THE 11th DAY OF THE 11th MONTH...
posted by gypsy noir at 11/06/2007
6.11.07
"SITTING IS IMPORTANT IN STANDING OUT.. OUTSTANDING SITTING WILL SIT YOU IN GOOD STANDING.. AVOID CHAIRS.. FLING YOURSELF DOWN UPON THE FLOOR IN A GRACEFULLY FLUNG POSTURE.. THERE IS NOTHING AS SMART AS A FLINGED FIGURE THAT IS GRACEFULLY FLUNG."..
posted by gypsy noir at 11/06/2007
17 Comments:
Yes, his Wisdom lives on - and, hopefully, we all will Remember...
I had family who fought in England and in Italy during WWII, and my grandma's first husband died as result of the effects of mustard gas poisoning in WWI. I am sure their are others who fought whom I know nothing about.
And, not to forget, I am distantly related to one of those on board the Enola Gay. Not something to be proud of, I'm sure, but fact, nonetheless.
War is war, and we fight for what we believe to be true, but it can become warped in many ways, as with our thinking.
It is something I cannot imagine - living in a war torn country. I admire those of you in the UK, still feeling and seeing the direct effects of the war.
Although I am separated by time and distance from it all, I have always made it a point to attend our Remembrance Day obvservation...no matter how long the service and how icy cold the weather. We owe it to those who fought and lived to tell the story, as well as to those who gave their lives in the battle to preserve our freedom.
The video is heart-wrenching and moving.
As it should be.
Ian's mum's family was living in Selby during World War Two. WHen she was 16, a New Zealand bomber crashed into her house and the houses of a couple of neighbour's houses, killing her entire family, and hurtling her through the back of the house. She woke up a couple of weeks later, unable to have children, and with no family. The church down the street still has no spire to my knowledge, after the bomber clipped it off as if careened to the ground.
Selby in England, I mean.
Really great post. Never forget...
Ah, Gypsy. Colin was looking over my shoulder while I watched that video. He's read a lot of Churchill's writings, and of course having grown up in England has a different perspective from mine. (Having Austrian parents who also suffered at the hands of the Nazis adds significantly to that too).
At the time of course, Australia went to war as a consequence of the "mother country" being at war. Very few doubted it was the right thing to do - if ever there was a war that needed to be fought, alas, this was the one.
That photo of St Pauls' amongst the flames and smoke of the blitz - such an iconic image. C. was telling me that the Germans and Churchill both used it in their propaganda - the Germans to show that London had been brought to its knees; Churchill because it symbolised survival and triumph over anything the Germans might serve up. Apparently the fire fighters - amazingly brave people - had orders to save it at all costs. Churchill knew if St Paul's fell it would take London's morale with it.
Wonderful people, the English. To realise what Londoners (and those from other devastated cities) endured without giving up and while maintaining their pride and humour is truly humbling.
ps
I was mistaken, it was an Australian bomber. Ian wrote a really lovely column for him mum... I'll post it later...
Hey there, have a good weekend!! take care xx
Hi Gypsy,
I found the video very moving.It's easy to forget that there was a real chance that the Allies could have failed, and that there was such bravery at a time when the outcome was not clear at all. I also remember how your king and queen refused to leave London, which must have given Londoners strength and resolve.
Remembrance Day is always hard for me- my dad fought on the German side, and my feelings are always rather muddled. I think soldiers are quite different from those in charge, but I also understand love of country and not always being aware of "big pictures" in the middle of conflicts. How lucky we are that we can look back in our comfortable surroundings and not have to make the decisions that the WW2 generation faced. They were incredible, weren't they?
xx
AM
It seems fitting that the day before Remembrance day I have just finished reading the diary of Ann Frank. It is incredible to read how this girl, who was little more than a child, grew into a mature, thoughtful young woman while surrounded by tension, fear and conflict. In hiding, she was denied the freedom that most young women take for granted, but even still, she managed to be optimistic and hopeful for the future, to study, to dream and even to find out about herself and her sexuality.
It is an amazing testament to all those who suffered during both world wars, and it is so terribly sad that within a few months of being betrayed and arrested, she and her sister were both dead from a typhus epidemic in Bergen Belsen. If they had managed to survive one more month, they would have been liberated.
Anne Marie, a few years ago, I visited the war cemetaries in northern France, an incredibly moving experience. Nevertheless, I had to ask, where were the German cemetaries? I have always believed that the youth of Germany suffered just as much as those from the allied troops, and they deserve remembrance too. Most of them were just boys and like all enlisted soldiers, they were only there at the orders of their commanding officers. They died for their loyalty and patriotism too.
As Dale says, war is war, and whichever side you fight for, it is a terrible, awful waste of life. We are all so lucky there were so many who were prepared to sacrifice themselves on our behalf.
when all is said and done, we all believe what we do with just as much conviction, no matter what it is we believe, and bleed the same way when at war.
I think we are all equally capable of all things, no matter where we or our ancestors originated.
The only path to healing is in letting go of the grudges of our parents despite them, or sometimes, for them.
Tomorrow I will lay a wreath on behalf of the youth centre, with youth at my side, and hope they understand what it is really all about.
Amen to all.
The horrors our soldiers face and the memories those that return home carry, are unimaginable to those of us who have never faced them.
All we can do is respect them and try to make sure they are cared for and remembered for all they have given and sacrificed for our freedoms.
It's also important that we not forget those who loved the ones who were lost, from Ian's mum to the wives and children who lost their loved one(s). They are also the legacy of war.
Val, you made me curious and I went on a little net expedition. I'm in the last throes of report cards, but did find an interesting site about the completion of burying the German war dead at this site:
http://www.deathreference.com
/Ce-Da/Cemeteries-War.html
I think perhaps it is time to forget about nationalities and recognise that we basically had a lot of young, innocent men and women dying for their countries a long way from home in circumstances we can't even begin (very thankfully) to even imagine. May they all rest in peace, and thank you to all of them for their ultimate and selfless sacrifice.
Wise words, Anne Marie, Stevie and Rache..in fact from everyone xx
Well said Anne-Marie.
You're right - there are a lot of wise words here, and like others, I don't judge those who were not making the decisions. War is hell no matter which side you're on.
I think I've told the story before of how my Dad was talking to an old friend of his about the bombings of the second world war; the terror, the devastation, the deliberate targeting of civilians. Unlike my father, who was much younger, his friend had lived through it, and he was very eloquent in his descripitions of the horror. Dad said it was only later that he remembered with a jolt that his friend had lived not in London or York, but Dresden. When you're on the receiving end, the fact that the other lot feel they have the moral high ground doesn't actually matter.
Dale, the commanding pilot of the Enola Gay died recently, and I was disturbed to read that he said he had not one sleepless night as a result of that action. I neither blame nor judge him or any of the crew, but I can't believe it wouldn't affect him at all. I suppose it was the ultimate case of "end justifies the means", but ... hell.
Stevie - I'm especially sorry it was an Australian bomber. I presume it was shot down? What horrific devastation. I'll go and see if you're posted Ian's tribute yet.
You've really inspired some great posts here Gypsy.
Oh Margie, you don't have to be sorry... it was just an accident the bomber went down as it did. No fault, just tragic fate... it could have been a bomber from any country, it just happened to be from Australia. I have to get Ian's column yet, hope to tonight when I pick Scotty up from work.
Thankyou all for your wonderful input and personal accounts. That's what I miss about my Mam and her generation because although I was lucky enough to be born after it all, the survivors of it all were still around and affected, they had either taken part or had lost family/friends.
Anne Marie, it was a World War ...therefor remembrance day is for the dead, lost, wounded and survivors from all over the world..past and present.
I've always had the view that whether the soldiers from Britian/germany or any land, they were someones Son/Brother/Husband..and the countless civilians too..
The British Legion is a few steps round the corner from here. The surviving old Soldiers, and civilians march aside the Regiments of today from The Legion to the War Memorial next to the library, they fire shots to mark the begining and end of the two minute silence, then they all march back to The Legion, to the triumphant beat of the brass band..it's a scene you will find in most towns and citys across the world.
It has great significance for past and present wars..
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