poppies on the hill

On a drive home between Elora and Fergus last week, I came across this arresting sight. I had to stop, and even waited for traffic to clear and backed up to get a better look. Not a recommended action, but there was a wide shoulder.

dusk was settling in fast, so I only had a few minutes to walk among the rows.

row upon row of names divided into sections for each village in Wellington County.  the blue markers are for WWII and the brown for WWI.  apparently the Korean and Afghanistan wars are included, though I didn't see any markers for them.  there are 471 markers.

a simple marker stating a name with no rank or regiment, a hometown, age and date of death, and the cemetery where buried - if known. the really poignant ones had a name and town but no other information about them. 

at least their name is remembered.

teaching the young

grave post - cenotaph

The population of Port Elgin was only 1,235 in 1911. By 1921 it had grown to 1,291. 

That was after losing 17 men in The Great War.

The only loss of life from Bruce County during the Boer War was Gordon Cummings, a native and school teacher of Port Elgin 

This monument was erected in 1903 

TaphophileTragics

days of war and separation

There will be sweet birds calling when I come back again,

Songs of deep joy awaking, after the storm and after the rain;

There will be sunlight gleaming, skies will be shining and blue

When I am by your side, dear, when I come back to you.

with permission from the publishers of Cary & Co 
13 Mortimer St London
words by Edward Lockton, music by Eileen Summers.

I haven't been able to find a video or recording of this song anywhere, but there was a small review in a New Zealand newspaper

"A delightful love ballad that has met with a very favourable reception. Its message will find an echo in many hearts in these days of war and separation." 
March 1917, Otago Times, NZ

for PostcardFriendshipFriday on this Remembrance Week

Peace

a "colourpicture" linen postcard of the Peace Tower

 Postcard Friendship Friday

as bonus, we get a Mountie in scarlet!

The Peace Tower is a bell and clock tower that sits in the Centre Block of the Parliament Buildings. 

It is also home to the Memorial Chamber directly above the porte-cochere, with stained glass windows and various other features illustrating Canada's war record such as the brass plates made from spent shell casings found on battlefields with the name of each of Canada's major conflicts during the First World War. The stone walls were originally to have been inscribed with the names of all Canada's servicemen and women who had died during the First World War but without enough space for all 66,000 names, it was later decided to place Books of Remembrance there instead.

remembrance

"People are rarely interested in events half a world away. That may well be true, but we are going to have to learn to care. The Taliban’s utter disregard for human life is at the very heart of the reason our soldiers are in Afghanistan. It is precisely because we value human life that we are waging war.
This is something a nation must only undertake in the direst of circumstances. Our children are risking and losing their lives. Just as important, our soldiers are killing other human beings at our behest. The only way such losses and such actions can be justified is if our enemies, through their actions, have completely crossed the line into immorality.
Have the Taliban reached this point? Like most Canadians, I oppose the death penalty. But I fully support the right of people to defend themselves against hideous abuse, not necessarily by war, but by war if necessary. I want my country to stand with those people, where it can.
So I would urge all [Canadians] to ask themselves two questions. The first is whether Afghan civilians are worth protecting. The second is whether the Taliban are so bad that they need to be opposed with lethal force.
The answer to the first question should be self-evident. The answer to the second requires more information. If you oppose the war or if you have not yet made up your mind, read everything you can about the mission. And when you hear about the Taliban killing dozens of civilians on the chance that they might kill a single Canadian, take a moment to reflect on what life was like for the Afghans when they were in power.
And what it would be like if they returned. Then decide if you support this war or not."

~excerpt from FOB Doc - by Ray Wiss

a Forward Operating Base doctor who served two tours in Afghanistan, this is a diary of his first tour from Nov 07 - Mar 08

You can read more excerpts here

Royalties from FOB Doc will be donated to the Military Families Fund, which was created by former chief of the defence staff General Rick Hillier to assist military families.

One of the frustrations of those serving in Afghanistan (or anywhere else, really) is the lack of understanding, or appreciation, of what is endured during those tours of duties in far off lands that most of us have not, and will never, experience. For many of us, the war in Afghanistan is a recorded tally of the number of dead soldiers - currently at 133 Canadian, 1340 foreign casualties altogether - but very little of the background information or a tally of the successes that these men and women have achieved. In this book are included dozens of photographs of the horror of the war and the beauty of the country in which it is waged. There are stories of desperation, fear, and boredom. Stories of successes and failures, and explanations of some of the difficulties the soldiers and the civilians are up against in such a harsh land.

A particularly interesting and informative read.

From someone who does not usually find war stories to be particularly interesting enough to be informative.

"Lest We Forget"

90 years on ...

Why are they selling poppies, Mummy?

Selling poppies in town today?
The poppies, child, are flowers of love.

For the men who marched away.

But why have they chosen a poppy, Mummy?

Why not a beautiful rose?

Because my child, men fought and died

In the fields where the poppies grow.

But why are the poppies so red, Mummy?

Why are the poppies so red?

Red is the colour of blood, my child.

The blood that our soldiers shed.

The heart of the poppy is black, Mummy.

Why does it have to be black?

Black, my child, is the symbol of grief.

For the men who never came back.

But why, Mummy are you crying so?

Your tears are giving you pain.

My tears are my fears for you my child.

For the world is forgetting again.

The Mind of an Inquisitive Child ~ author unknown