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Remembrance Day


katie_sane

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Well said, Katie . One can forget in another country , as they don't note it here .

In Flanders Fields

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In Flanders Fields

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses, row on row

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

The name of John McCrae (1872-1918) may seem out of place in the distinguished company of World War I poets, but he is remembered for what is probably the single best-known and popular poem from the war, "In Flanders Fields." He was a Canadian physician and fought on the Western Front in 1914, but was then transferred to the medical corps and assigned to a hospital in France. He died of pneumonia while on active duty in 1918. His volume of poetry, In Flanders Fields and Other Poems, was published in 1919.

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'In Flanders Fields' is one of the saddest poems, but the imagery it evokes is quite beautiful.

There is a song called 'And The Band Played Waltzing Matilda' by Eric Bogle. Its about the men who fought in World War One and what life was like when they returned. I can't listen to it without crying.

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poppies2ab.gif

I've always thought the poppy and the story behind it was a touching tribute to those who lost their lives in battle.

Here in the United States it is called Veterans Day, but the sentiment is the same. Thanks to all who have served and given their lives for their countries.

"As we express our gratitude, we must never forget that the highest appreciation is not to utter words, but to live by them."

~John Fitzgerald Kennedy

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The Pogues did a wonderful version of that on "Rum , Sodomy and the Lash " ... Shane McGowan's rough voice really adds some pathos to it . Check it out !

"... for to hang tents and pegs ,

a man needs two legs.

No more Waltzing Matilda , for me ."

:) Do you know what 'Waltzing Matilda' means?

'Matilda' is slang for swag, the bed roll that people carry around. So, waltzing Matilda means roaming around the country with a swag on your back!

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