WW1 Rememberance Day.....

[joette]

AS I wear my Poppy- My Grandpa Scott will be birling in his grave-he wouldnt have Earl Haig's name mentioned or a Poppy in the house, I am thinking of all the tales I have heard of the horrors of War.
Back in my Nursing days we had a lovely gentleman who had fought in WW1.He had been a Sergeant in one of the Scottish Regiments.He told me very matter of factly of how his men had shot their CO in the back because he was " a tut! tut! fool & had been the death of many poor boys"
"Went down as a death from a sniper"No friendly fire there then.
I have pictures of my Grandpa Scott in the trenches with his two Brothers
Andrew & William & what may be a cousin.William was killed in 1917.
Grandpas discharge papers tell a bonny tale of an unconforming soldier who was reduced in the ranks twice for" failing to follow procedure" & unbecoming language"-now I know where swearing like a Trooper comes from.Yet when my Dad was having a miserable time as aNational Serviceman it was his Fathers old CO who took him under his wing & made him his Batman & Dad no longer ended up AWOL.
My Great-Uncles Tommy & Davie cut down in their prime.What a waste.
Not forgetting the next generation & WW2. My Gran's cousin was the first female to be KIA in WW2 she was manning an-anti aircraft gun.I dont know her name & with Granny not always strictly accurate???
Anyway lets remember all the Scottish Soldiers & Servicemen & Women this month & pray that Man will learn to be Brothers but not the fighting variety.

[Bertha]

It wasn't until I started researching my maternal grandfather's line that I discovered he had 2 brothers who died in the Great War. Grandand never spoke of them, preferring instead to talk of his 3 younger sibling who were taken off to Canada by Quarriers. It must have been a very fraught time for him as with his father dead too, this left him the man of the house at 15.
One, Robert died along with the best part of the 16th Royal Scots on 1st July 1916, his name is now interred along with the Hearts, Hibs and other Scots who died that day in the Hearts Cairn at Contalmaison in France. Jack Alexander, the author of the book on the events of that day and the part Heart of Midlothian played in it came and spoke to my mother about the uncle she hadn't known existed until a few months before his visit, Jack made a myth seem like a real person and made us feel very proud as a family. The other brother James died in May 1915 and lies buried in France. My mother's maternal grandfather and my father's maternal grandfather both died in that war too, they too are interred in France, someday I hope to take my parents to visit the various graves/memorials. These events made me determined to find out about these men and their families. I wear my poppy with pride now knowing my families part in it all.
Another anecdote - during WW2, my father-in-law was in a trench in El Alamein when the chap next to him introduced himself and told dad which regiment he was in, dad asked him if he new Jock his brother who was serving in the same regiment, he said "Aye- he's along there". Right enough only a few yards away was Uncle Jock. There, right on the front line, with guns and bombs going off around them the two brothers had a great reuniion and both lived to tell the tale!
Bertha

[DavidWW]

It wasn't until I started researching my maternal grandfather's line that I discovered he had 2 brothers who died in the Great War. .....snipped.........One, Robert died along with the best part of the 16th Royal Scots on 1st July 1916, his name is now interred along with the Hearts, Hibs and other Scots who died that day in the Hearts Cairn at Contalmaison in France. Jack Alexander, the author of the book on the events of that day and the part Heart of Midlothian played in it came and spoke to my mother about the uncle she hadn't known existed until a few months before his visit, Jack made a myth seem like a real person and made us feel very proud as a family. ..............snipped........Bertha

You may already know that the 16th Bn The Royal Scots were known as McCrae's Battalion; and there was recently a book published ... see http://www.laurahird.com/newreview/mccr ... alion.html

Bertha's reference to the Heart of Midlothian Football Club derives from the fact that the majority of the team joined up in this battalion.

David

m

[Ina]

While here in Greenock on a visit I went to visit my dad's cousin. I was thrilled when she handed me my grandfathers discharge papers from the Great War. It is a beautiful document and in perfect conditiion. I feel honoured to now be the keeper of such a lovely document.

Ina

[Bertha]

Hi David
Its McCraes Battalion I'm talking about, couldn't remember the name at the time of posting. Jack Alexander the author contacted as many living relatives of the battalion members as he could. Another gr uncle who survived WW1 only do die defending Edinburgh from the bombers in WW2 gets a mention.
I haven't managed to read the book yet but going to see if mum will let me borrow her signed copy - probably not - so as no one thought to buy it for me I will go and buy myself a copy and have a good read and probably a good greet!
Bertha

[Davie]

Hi, all
Continuing on Joette's post
http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/fmhaig.ht
I am never quite sure of my own feelings when reading about George Haig regarding his actions in WW1.
Cannot stop thinking of BBC's last Blackadder series
However, I will be wearing my poppy this weekend.
Was with three of our lads at the weekend, fortunately, they had finished their stint in Iraq.
Not one of them thought that it was a smart move for any Brit troops to be there in the first place, and think they will be back in Iraq in the future.
Another Vietnam is how they describe it
Not one of them is over twenty four

m

[DavidWW]

Given my military interests I've read extensively about WWI and have frequently come across the quote, - whoever first made it, I'm unsure, - "Lions led by donkeys, - in relation to the Western Front.

However, I'm less than sure that this comment was fair, given the many constraints on the commanders of the day, which are difficult to understand without a detailed appreciation of the situation.

David


With Remembrance Day fast approaching .............

grand-nephew of Sjt Joseph Young WEBSTER DCM, 5th Black Watch, kia Aubers Ridge 1915.

Nephew of Flt Sgt William JACK, Transport Command, kia off the SW English coast, 1st March 1944

Second cousin of Victor George SMITH, stoker, RN, presumed kia in the Danish prize ship "Lily", last seen leaving Scapa Flow 25th Apr 1940.

Second cousin of Major Alexander Frederick Douglas SMITH, 5th Bn Royal Berks, died of wounds received in the attempt to reach and relieve Arnhem in connection with operation "Market Garden".

(My mother lost a brother and two cousins in WWII.)



May their names live forever.



For Our Tomorrows They Gave Their Todays



Prayer for Remembrance Day

For those who were killed in battle,
For those who gave up their lives to save others
For those who fought because they were forced to,
For those who died standing up for a just cause
For those who said war was wrong,
For those who tried to make the peace
For those who prayed when others had no time to pray
For those creatures who needlessly die
For those trees that needlessly are slaughtered
For all of mankind

let us quietly pray:

[joette]

Just perfect.The tears are dripping all over my keyboard.
My goal next year is to visit & place a piece of home on my G-Uncles Tommy & William's graves.Both died within months of each other,one unmarried & one leaving three wee girls & a boy on the way.
Yes as we learn more of WW1 maybe there were less "donkeys" than we think & we should be blaming the people who elected the Government-think no woman voted for them!

[AnneM]

Hi Joette

Don't think we can be too self righteous. Plenty of women have voted for governments which have taken their countries to war, not to mention our present one, the present US administration, and Mrs T in 1982. I'm not saying they were necessarily wrong. Will keep my own counsel on that one. Only that women voted for them.

Anne

Duplicate post deleted - TSAG

[LesleyB]

In memory of my great uncle James Percival McNicol, 1897-1918, Lieutenant, 4th Battalion, Argyll and Southern Highlanders, later 10th Battalion, killed near Doullens, Somme

and Sapper Edwin Forbes Dick, 1896-1916, Royal Engineers Unit, 1st/1st Edinburgh Field Coy, killed near Les Beoufs, Somme.