I realized a few things at the Remembrance Day assembly today.
1. Some kids have brothers, uncles, and cousins serving in the Canadian forces. A few of these men have been deployed to Afghanistan.... Two are still there....
2. .... One of our kids has a distant relationship (in both time, naturally, and genealogy) to Colonel John McCrae....
3. I'm fucking old. My grandfather was a soldier in the British Army -- the 77th Regiment of Foot, The Duke of Cambridge's Own. His war took place in South Africa.
In 1901....
HEY: Do an old man a favour. Be kind to each other.
2 comments:
Sad that the Boer War soon got overshadowed by even bigger ones. I hope its veterans were remembered in previous commemorations.
This whole week got me thinking and remembering.
I never knew my grandfather; he died a couple of years before I was born. My father and uncles told me that granddad and his mates attended every possible regimental reunion. After World War l, Armistice day would have been a big deal for him. He retired from the army in 1911 (a year before my dad was born) and opened a green grocer shop somewhere in London. He grew roses and dahlias as a hobby... and won awards, apparently. Like nearly every other veteran, he seldom spoke about his experiences. I have his service medals, ribbons, cap badges, and regimental competition medals.
Wish I'd known the guy.
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