At the elevent hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we
remember the brave and the fallen.
What does it mean to be brave?
My Grandmother was a midwife in England during the blitz and she is
renowned throughout her small town for dilivering babies whith bombs
falling around her. She was honoured after the war for her work, by
naming a street after her. Co-incidentally I was born in that street.
But there were no honours or medals for my Grandfather. This man was a
coal miner. Today mining is a dangerous business but when he was going
down the pit it was much more so. But every day he did it, it was his
job. A reserved occupation, miners could not be called up or even
volunteer - they were needed where they were.
Twice he came up to find his house destroyed by German bombs. The last
time Grandma was still in the wrecked house, buried alive. He found my
mother frantically digging at the rubble with her bare hands trying to
rescue her.
Still he kept going down, not knowing whether he would be eating dinner
with his family that night or burying them. Or even if he would have a
bed to sleep in that night.
That to me is bravery.
Grandma was brave as well. One day a German bomber was in dire trouble.
It was burning and rapidly losing height. The crew didn't want to crash
with a full load of bombs aboard so they released them. As the plane
descended it was flying parallel to their street. And each of the bombs
struck a house. The aircraft crashed at the end of the street and all
of the locals rushed to the wreck. Many houses were destroyed and some
villagers were injured. Grandma ran to the wreck where the villagers
had dragged out the dazed and injured crew. They were going to lynch
them. And who could blame them?
Grandma all five foot nothing of her, forced her way to the front of
the angry mob and turned to face them. "Leave them alone!" she shouted.
"I need some room to treat their wounds."
"But nurse!" One said "Look what they've done to your house" pointing
at a mess of broken walls and roof tiles.
"I'ts no worse than what my boys are doing over there!"
And with that the crowd left her to her work and the police came to
take the crew away.
I often wonder if the crew knew she saved their lives that day.
Lest we forget.
Mekon
On Nov 10, 10:52 pm, Mark & Juanita <[email protected]> wrote:
> Mekon wrote:
> > At the elevent hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we
> > remember the brave and the fallen.
>
> > What does it mean to be brave?
>
> > My Grandmother was a midwife in England during the blitz and she is
> > renowned throughout her small town for dilivering babies whith bombs
> > falling around her. She was honoured after the war for her work, by
> > naming a street after her.
> > Co-incidentally I was born in that street.
>
> You might want to re-phrase that. Either that, or it must have been quite
> a spectacle.
>
>
>
>
>
> > But there were no honours or medals for my Grandfather. This man was a
> > coal miner. Today mining is a dangerous business but when he was going
> > down the pit it was much more so. But every day he did it, it was his
> > job. A reserved occupation, miners could not be called up or even
> > volunteer - they were needed where they were.
>
> > Twice he came up to find his house destroyed by German bombs. The last
> > time Grandma was still in the wrecked house, buried alive. He found my
> > mother frantically digging at the rubble with her bare hands trying to
> > rescue her.
>
> ... snip
> > Grandma all five foot nothing of her, forced her way to the front of
> > the angry mob and turned to face them. "Leave them alone!" she shouted.
> > "I need some room to treat their wounds."
> > "But nurse!" One said "Look what they've done to your house" pointing
> > at a mess of broken walls and roof tiles.
> > "I'ts no worse than what my boys are doing over there!"
> > And with that the crowd left her to her work and the police came to
> > take the crew away.
>
> > I often wonder if the crew knew she saved their lives that day.
>
> > Lest we forget.
>
> > Mekon
>
> Most assuredly. The folks from that day were made of stern stuff. Let's
> not forget that as that generation fades into history.
>
> Let us also not forget those serving now; they are fighting a war that
> many don't understand and that will be a long time in winning -- but they
> are fighting for a free un-dhimmified future for us all. A salute to those
> from your part of the world:
> <http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/10/beccy_cole_post.html>
>
> --
> If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough
Can anyone "understand a war". The closer you get to it...the more
senless it becomes. Its only by standing far away, either by time or
distance, does it become apparently comprehensible.
Mekon wrote:
> At the elevent hour of the eleventh day of the eleventh month we
> remember the brave and the fallen.
>
> What does it mean to be brave?
>
> My Grandmother was a midwife in England during the blitz and she is
> renowned throughout her small town for dilivering babies whith bombs
> falling around her. She was honoured after the war for her work, by
> naming a street after her.
> Co-incidentally I was born in that street.
>
You might want to re-phrase that. Either that, or it must have been quite
a spectacle.
> But there were no honours or medals for my Grandfather. This man was a
> coal miner. Today mining is a dangerous business but when he was going
> down the pit it was much more so. But every day he did it, it was his
> job. A reserved occupation, miners could not be called up or even
> volunteer - they were needed where they were.
>
> Twice he came up to find his house destroyed by German bombs. The last
> time Grandma was still in the wrecked house, buried alive. He found my
> mother frantically digging at the rubble with her bare hands trying to
> rescue her.
>
... snip
> Grandma all five foot nothing of her, forced her way to the front of
> the angry mob and turned to face them. "Leave them alone!" she shouted.
> "I need some room to treat their wounds."
> "But nurse!" One said "Look what they've done to your house" pointing
> at a mess of broken walls and roof tiles.
> "I'ts no worse than what my boys are doing over there!"
> And with that the crowd left her to her work and the police came to
> take the crew away.
>
> I often wonder if the crew knew she saved their lives that day.
>
> Lest we forget.
>
> Mekon
Most assuredly. The folks from that day were made of stern stuff. Let's
not forget that as that generation fades into history.
Let us also not forget those serving now; they are fighting a war that
many don't understand and that will be a long time in winning -- but they
are fighting for a free un-dhimmified future for us all. A salute to those
from your part of the world:
<http://www.blackfive.net/main/2006/10/beccy_cole_post.html>
--
If you're going to be dumb, you better be tough
Mekon wrote:
> But there were no honours or medals for my Grandfather. This man was a
> coal miner. Today mining is a dangerous business but when he was going
> down the pit it was much more so. But every day he did it, it was his
> job. A reserved occupation, miners could not be called up or even
> volunteer - they were needed where they were.
>
I was down to the Cenotaph on Sunday. This is the main war memorial in
London, in Whitehall, near the end of Downing Street. It was built after
WWI and is the place where on the Sunday nearest Armistice Day (Veterans
Day) there is a service of remembrance. It starts with a two minutes
silence starting as Big Ben strikes 11:00, the time the armistice was
signed. After the short service poppy wreaths are laid by the Queen and
representatives of the armed services (including Prince Phillip, Prince
Charles, Prince William and Princess Anne), by the Prime Minister and
representatives of other political parties, by representatives of all
religious groups and by representatives (Ambassador or High
Commissioner) of all the Commonwealth countries that fought alongside us
in both World Wars. They all come to pay their respects. This year,
appropriately it fell on the 11th.
After this ceremony there is a march past of veterans representing the
various associations, not just the armed forces but a lot of volunteers
as well including the fire brigade and others who stayed at home for the
war effort. Amongst them the âBevin Boysâ, the miners who kept the
country going. That march past takes over an hour and each group lays
their own wreath. So your grandfather may not have been recognised at
the time but he certainly is now.
But for me the most moving part this year was the wheelchair bound
veteran who took part in the march past but who lifted himself out to
walk past the Cenotaph to salute his those who didnât return.
Andrew