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Will there be Rememberance Days after 11th November 2018?


Larry Hayward

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With all the things that are going on in the UK today, from being told we should 'move on from the past' and a loathing of anything military by the youth of today (outside our hobby) I often wonder if there will be any Rememberance Days after 11th November 2018? And if not 2018 then I suspect they will not continue after 11th November 2045.

 

It's not that I agree they should stop - its just that I cannot see that future generations will care that there great great grandfather or uncle etc died in a war that to them will be as remote in historical terms as the Crimean War is to me.

 

As for the 'small wars' and anti terrorist actions since 1945 with much lower losses, who will remember them in the mid 21st Century?

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Often thought about this myself. My theory, misguided or otherwise, is that when the last WW2 veteran is gone, the event will start to be downsized.

 

I suspect that in the pc society we live in today it would be brushed under the carpet tomorrow if the powers that be thought they could get away with it. Heaven forbid we should upset our EU "partners" pah.

 

I'll stop now before I write something that could get me into trouble :whistle:

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I suppose if one were to get really picky, Rememberance days are as the name suggests to remember those who gave their lives fighting for freedom, initally WWI. But as those who remember the fallen pass on, it would cease to be a 'remberance' day. However there should be no reason for the up coming generations not to stop and think of what those soldiers did for us.

 

It seems to me that there would be no reason not (sorry typo) to carry on as present, I'm sure the current serving men and women will see to that.

 

Perhaps not as a specific rememberance but of a more general commemerance of all who have died fighting for the country.

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Just thinking about this, there are no Rememberance days for events prior to WW1. The Boar War, Napoleonic Wars, Crimean War for example. Will WW1 and WW2 go the way of all past wars and be remembered only every 50 or 100 years?

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I'm guessing the vast majority of the population will still take no notice................. :dunno: Its happening now,.................look around you, esp on the 11/11th, a fair few WILL stop what they are doing,............but a lot will not.

 

Freedom of Choice, I guess,.............but also look at the hassle certain branches of RBL have had when requesting roads be closed so a service/march to war memorial can be held.

 

Andy

 

(who WILL continue to wear a poppy with pride/due reverance, and attend said service.)

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Even though ours is only a small enterprise we always stop work 11/11 . Working in Colchester town centre a few years back we stood out in the street and heard those of an older generation than ours walking by and saying "listen to that , what are they doing letting fireworks off at this time of day ?".

I have always looked upon Remembrance day as just that - in memory of those who fell in ALL conflicts.

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remberance day is for me a day to remember all old members of the forces serving and no longer around :cry:

i will always stand in line in my beret along side older members from the same corps to remember a friend who went out instead of me and did not come back

and when older the younger members will then stand with me

i will always remember those who have died in various conflicts and will wear my poppy with pride

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I will also stand there every year on rememberance day with my beret on proudly. I did not go on any tours due to an injury I picked up on a training exercise it made me angry that I could train and when my friends went to war I had to stay here and wait to here if they were ok.

 

Rememberance day is not only for WW1 and WW2 it is for all conflicts past and present it is a day to honour those that have fallen while serving this country proudly only to have the current government to turn their backs on the widows of said fallen soldiers.

 

Sorry this subject angers me seeing that I now work for the gas board and I get more money than a lance jack.

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I will certainly not forget Rememberance Day, as long as I live, as I lost two Uncles in WW2- one in the Army and the other just a teenager. My two Grandfathers both served in WW1 and still suffered from their wounds for the rest of their lives. One joined in 1909 and was at Mons, so I hope to march to Mons in 2014 with my son, in honour of my maternal Grandfather.

 

 

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The Netherlands weren't involved in WW1 so we don't remember at that date..

Still, I know several WW2 veterans (English and Welsh) and wear the poppy here with pride and respect.

People don't know the Poppy here so if anyone asks I explain the significance.

 

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Last time we pretended succesfully to have won a war in Italy was at the end of WW1. With WW1 we also finally added to our country the last missing pieces (unfortunately we also added afew troublesome Austrians but this is another history...).

WW 2 for us ended...oh well... a bit titsup. First we lost the war. Secondarily we had our nation splitted in two with a part of it pretending to fight together with the allied forces...

 

... to cut a long story short we now celebrate the armistice (for us at noon November 4th 1918) as a national day of the armed forces and National Unity and we'l keep on this.

 

Andrea

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I think some of the impetus may go after 2018 but not while the RBL and groups like the WFA keep going honouring our people. I agree - 11/11 is for all wars. I think we should recaall all our people going back as far as you like. Remembrance is personal. 11/11 for me means my grandfather, my great uncle, my uncle and even my own father, who did not die until 1992 but was wrecked by the war. I remember the young people who have died for us since. 11/11 is for them all. For us all. But we live in a fast changing country where demographics and progressive media blitzes are changing everything. I don't believe a great many people will stop to think of 11/11, let alone wear a poppy. Old Men Forget And All Shall Be Forgot..said Shakespeare - but then he added But We Few Shall Be Remembered, We Few, We Happy Few - We Band of Brothers. He was right. The light will never go out completely.

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I think some of the impetus may go after 2018 but not while the RBL and groups like the WFA keep going honouring our people. I agree - 11/11 is for all wars. I think we should recaall all our people going back as far as you like. Remembrance is personal. 11/11 for me means my grandfather, my great uncle, my uncle and even my own father, who did not die until 1992 but was wrecked by the war. I remember the young people who have died for us since. 11/11 is for them all. For us all. But we live in a fast changing country where demographics and progressive media blitzes are changing everything. I don't believe a great many people will stop to think of 11/11, let alone wear a poppy. Old Men Forget And All Shall Be Forgot..said Shakespeare - but then he added But We Few Shall Be Remembered, We Few, We Happy Few - We Band of Brothers. He was right. The light will never go out completely.

 

 

:tup: Well said, Mate.

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I thought, in part, the point of Remembrance Day was to remind people - rulers as well as populace - of the TRUE cost of war. contrary to the politicians concepts it's not measured in cold currency but in very real human lives. And as such should only be engaged in when forced to by evil powers.

As long as we keep remembering this then the likelihood of another World War is slim.

The day we stop is when the chances of another World War, not localised conflicts like Iraq and Afghanistan, start growing rapidly.

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Remembrance day, the only time of year where our leaders have to turn up together at the Cenotaph and face the realisation of the consequences of their decision process, historical and the present, in front of the armed forces.

 

Given that most politicians now have no military experience, anything that promotes self humility has to be important.

 

To "dumb down" remembrance day because it offends some minority groups sensitivities is ridiculous, they might as well re-write the history books, and we all know where that leads...

 

Im ex-services and there are few things that really infuriate me more than the fluffy touchy feely brigade trying to make it a bad thing to remember!

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