Lest we forget

🕚
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn

At the going down of the sun...

And in the morning...

We will remember them

www.britishlegion.org.uk

1914-1918

Wearing the poppy

Poppies at Woodhorn Colliery museum in Northumberland in 2015
 

I Am Not A Badge Of Honour

Paul Hunter ♦ Benton, Newcastle upon Tyne ♦ 2014

I am not a badge of honour,

I am not a racist smear,

I am not a fashion statement,

To be worn but once a year,

I am not glorification
Of conflict or of war.
I am not a paper ornament
A token,
I am more.

I am a loving memory,
Of a father or a son,
A permanent reminder
Of each and every one.

I'm paper or enamel
I'm old or shining new,
I'm a way of saying thank you,
To every one of you.

I am a simple poppy
A Reminder to you all,
That courage faith and honour,
Will stand where heroes fall.

Royal British Legion Website - Facebook - Twitter

The awkward truth about the Christmas truce

THE CENTENARY of the Christmas truce in World War One has been rightly marked with a series of events and commemorations over the festive period.

It was, after all, an extraordinary event. Just think for a moment about the incredible bravery of soldiers on both the allied and German sides as they tentatively clambered out of their trenches to sing carols, exchange gifts and even play a little football. 

Of course, there can be no doubt that this actually happened. Thankfully, some first-hand accounts and photographs of meetings with the Germans have managed to survive the passage of time.

Nevertheless, an organised football match most probably did not occur. Instead, there would have been just a few small-scale kickabouts without anyone keeping score.

Yes, one of the little myths is that the Christmas truce was in some way a mass participation event.

The reality is that there were instead a scattered series of small-scale ceasefires with fighting carrying on as normal in many other areas of the Western Front. Indeed, at least 80 soldiers still died on Christmas Day itself.

Still, is it wrong that even these small-scale truces and their undoubted symbolism should be commemorated by professional bodies such as the Football Association?

Well, of course not. Even critics of the controversial Sainsbury's Christmas advert - with the supermarket accused of profiteering and disrespect - would at least admit it was a well-produced piece of cinema which has also raised funds for the Royal British Legion.

But the real problem with the Christmas truce as it is now being remembered by Sainsbury's and others is the saccharine context in which it is being presented.

Put bluntly, those same soldiers who had swapped gifts with the Germans on Christmas Day were more than likely shooting at them over the next few days - or perhaps they were the ones being shot at and killed.

Added to that, the war - which was originally meant to be over by Christmas - had of course barely begun. The literally entrenched positions following the Race to Sea had seen to that.

And so, with war clearly the order of the day, much of High Command was furious that the truces had taken place at all, fearing that fraternising with the enemy would lead to mutiny and surrender.

In fact, they would never happen again - and, when one soldier attempted to reprise a truce in 1915, he ended up being found guilty by a court martial.

Knowing this, it is understandable why the Christmas truce of 1914 has been so fondly remembered, and even romanticised.

But, while it is good that it has been remembered in its own right, the fact that the truces were the last recognisably great acts of humanity for the next four years is nothing really to celebrate.

For, while the truce represented the principle of goodwill to all men, the resumption of gunfire where it had ceased simply confirmed the worst outcome of 1914.

That the last chance for peace had indeed been lost and the lamps had already long gone out over Europe.

Lest we forget

AN EXCERPT from An Utterly Impartial History of Britain (or 2000 Years of Upper Class Idiots in Charge) by John O'Farrell.

The excerpt begins with a fictionalised conversation between an officer and his general:

'Message from reconnaissance, sir. The Germans are digging a trench.'
'A what?'
'A trench. You know, like a long hole in the ground, big enough for them all to take cover. Oh, and they've put a machine gun on the top.'
'OK. Well, why don't we dig one of those, and then we'll just take it from there.'

The Germans had made the discovery that became the key to the First World War: that the combination of trench and machine gun created a barrier that was even harder to get past than a GP's receptionist. The solution was simple; just go round the side. 
But then they build another trench. When the Germans attempted a counter-attack, the British and French built trenches too and then tried to bypass the Germans and thus occurred the so-called "race to the sea", during which each side repeatedly attempted to outflank the other until there was a line of trenches all the way from Switzerland to the English Channel.

'So now what do we do?'
'Er, hang on, let me read the orders from HQ... ah, here we are: we are all to "sit here for three-and-a-half years firing shells at each other until millions of people have died".'
'Well thank God our commanders know what they're doing.'

It is really quite difficult to extract any sort of humour from a conflict which would go on to kill 16 million people - but O'Farrell does well in these few paragraphs to highlight the sheer ridiculousness of the First World War.

By November 1914, 100 years ago, the early German offensive had failed and the Race to the Sea had finished. Trenches did indeed stretch from Switzerland to the North Sea across 400 miles of land, and casualties were already in their hundreds of thousands.

There was nowhere to go and the war should have ended there and then as a horrible idea, with questions asked as to whether it should have even started at all.

Instead, incredibly, the industrial-scale carnage continued hopelessly for another four years. By the end of it, nine million soldiers and seven millions civilians had died.

The poppy soon became a symbol to represent the lives which had been lost, its red hue having somehow sprung from the blood-scorched earth in the days after the guns fell silent.

It is in this way then that, while the poppy commemorates the dead, it also acts as a symbol of the promise of life and peace prevailing.

But, sadly, as present day conflicts rumble on around the world, it is a lesson which humankind is yet to heed.

And this is why we must revisit the Armistice each year in the hope that there will eventually be an end to war.

Lest we forget what that poppy is actually for.

A field for the Fallen

THOUSANDS of little wooden crosses all lined up, each carrying a poppy and adorned with a message clearly mattering to someone.

The Field of Remembrance at Saltwell Park in Gateshead is back following its successful introduction last year.

Situated near Saltwell Towers, the grand Victorian mansion, the memorial was opened on Saturday 2 November with a service led by The Reverend James Breslin, Chaplain to the Royal British Legion in Northumbria. A two-minute silence was held at 11am.

Yesterday, of course, was Remembrance Sunday and, in keeping with tradition, the Queen was joined by thousands of veterans and civilians at the Cenotaph in London for a further two-minute silence to remember fallen service personnel.

And today, on Armistice Day itself, I paid my own respects to those who made the ultimate sacrifice for Britain with a visit to the impressive sea of crosses and poppies at Saltwell.

The Field of Remembrance only came about following a campaign by north east newspaper, the Sunday Sun, and the family of Tyneside Rifleman Mark Turner.

Aged just 21, Rifleman Turner, from Sheriff Hill in Gateshead, was killed in 2010 by an improvised explosive device as he searched for roadside bombs in Helmand Province in Afghanistan.

Ever since, his mother Anne has worked tirelessly on creating a place where loved ones could pay tribute to absent family members and friends. Plans on creating a permanent garden are still ongoing.
 
For now, visitors have until dusk on 15 November to see the temporary arrangement. 

And the sun was indeed setting on another crisp winter day as I knelt down and planted my little wooden cross into the earth.

But, before the cloak of darkness could once again fall across Tyneside, I read one last message which featured the words of Laurence Binyon from his commemorative poem, For the Fallen.

Originally published in the Times in September 1914, it included Binyon's famous Ode of Remembrance: "Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

"At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them."

• Donations to the Royal British Legion can be made on their website here.

Merry Christmas to the Military Wives

THE MILITARY Wives comfortably sealed the coveted Christmas number one spot, the Official Charts Company announced yesterday.

Victory for the wives became inevitable after their charity record 'Wherever You Are' became the fastest-selling single in six years.

Indeed, after two days of last week, it had outsold its nearest rival - 'Cannonball' by X Factor winners Little Mix - by a margin of six to one.

And, in the end, it sold 556,000 copies, which was more than the rest of the top 12 combined.

Little Mix, who were the first ever group to win the ITV competition and who were number one last week, sold 117,000 records in the run-up to Christmas Day.

But the result means for the second time in three years that the X Factor winner has failed to reach number one at Christmas after Joe McElderry finished behind Rage Against The Machine's 'Killing In The Name' in 2009.

In an unfortunate geographical coincidence, the beaten McElderry is from South Shields in Tyne & Wear, and so are two of the four members of Little Mix.

There was nothing more in it than that, though. Indeed, the Military Wives are fully deserving of their number one spot as their record struck the right note with the country at large.

Even the Treasury - at the request of Oliver Colvile, Conservative MP for Plymouth Sutton and Devonport - felt compelled to waive VAT on the sale of the record.

Announcing the decision, Chancellor George Osborne said: "Our armed forces demonstrate incredible commitment to the nation and make sacrifices for all of us.

"The Military Wives Choir is doing a great job of raising money for this hugely worthy cause."

As Mr Osborne notes, proceeds from Wherever You Are were split between two charities, the Royal British Legion and the SSAFA (Soldiers, Sailors, Airmen and Families Association).

And the fact is that the 100-strong choir had a more interesting back-story than, with respect to Little Mix, just another reality television show winner.

Their appearance on the BBC programme The Choir with Gareth Malone culminated in a performance at the Royal Albert Hall, and the lyrics of Wherever You Are were taken from love poems, written between the women and their absent husbands.

Meanwhile, the Little Mix record producers hardly help themselves, releasing 'Cannonball' a week too early with this year's number one actually announced on Christmas Day itself.

But while that at least allowed the Little Mix girls to wake up on Christmas morning in the number one slot, it will be the Military Wives who will deservedly go into the record books.

A Merry Christmas to them, and indeed to all of my readers. More from me in 2012!

11/11/11: Remembrance Day, lest we forget

THE FINAL INSPECTION

Sgt Joshua Helterbran
---

The soldier stood and faced God,

Which must always come to pass.

He hoped his shoes were shining,

Just as brightly as his brass.
*

'Step forward now, you soldier,

How shall I deal with you ?

Have you always turned the other cheek ?

To My Church have you been true?'
*

The soldier squared his shoulders and said,

'No, Lord, I guess I ain't.

Because those of us who carry guns,

Can't always be a saint.
*

'I've had to work most Sundays,

And at times my talk was tough.

And sometimes I've been violent,

Because the world is awfully rough.
*

'But, I never took a penny,

That wasn't mine to keep...

Though I worked a lot of overtime,

When the bills got just too steep.
*

'And I never passed a cry for help,

Though at times I shook with fear.

And sometimes, God, forgive me,

I've wept unmanly tears.
*

'I know I don't deserve a place,

Among the people here.

They never wanted me around,

Except to calm their fears.
*

'If you've a place for me here, Lord,

It needn't be so grand.

I never expected or had too much,

But if you don't, I'll understand.'
*

There was a silence all around the throne,

Where the saints had often trod.

As the soldier waited quietly,

For the judgment of his God.
*

'Step forward now, you soldier,

You've borne your burdens well.

Walk peacefully on Heaven's streets,

You've done your time in Hell.'

• Donate to the Royal British Legion (1921-2011), the charity which organises the Poppy Appeal, here.

FIFA were wrong in poppy wrangle

FIFA took their time but eventually performed a U-turn to allow England players to wear poppies on their black armbands during the friendly with Spain at Wembley on Saturday.

But the climbdown only came after Duke of Cambridge Prince William and Prime Minister David Cameron had written to FIFA president Sepp Blatter.

Earlier Mr Cameron had branded the original decision of an outright ban on poppies as "outrageous", and he added: "The idea that wearing a poppy to remember those who have given their lives for our freedom is a political act is absurd.

"Wearing a poppy is an act of huge respect and national pride."

FIFA had stated, by way of explanation, that the ban on poppies had to be enforced as "such initiatives would open the door to similar initiatives from all over the world, jeopardising the neutrality of football".

However, Blatter's organisation has failed to realise that, despite the intervention of Mr Cameron, the poppy itself is not a political or religious symbol at all. It simply serves to commemorate those who sacrificed their lives in war for their country.

Jon Snow, the Channel 4 news presenter, famously refuses to wear a poppy (or indeed any symbol which may represent his views) on screen, condemning what he calls "poppy fascism".

Mr Snow added: "In the end, there really must be more important things in life than whether a news presenter wears symbols on his lapels."

But that is not the issue here, either, as the England players were more than happy to have a poppy embroidered on their shirt.

That was certainly the case for Arsenal youngster Jack Wilshere who tweeted: "My great-grandad fought for this country in WW2 and I'm sure a lot of people's grandparents did.

"[The] England team should wear poppies on Saturday. It's the nation's tradition and it would be disrespectful not to."

Indeed, the only extremism seemed to come from FIFA, the organisation with a president dictator who has famously been reelected unopposed on the last two occasions.

Meanwhile, the Royal British Legion expressed their disappointment at the original stance. George Batt, the general secretary of the Normandy Veterans' Associated, described the decision as "disgraceful".

Mr Batt added: "I'm lost for words. I can't see any harm in wearing a poppy. It's so sad.You surely don't need rules and regulations in Fifa like this?"

It is little wonder the soldiers were bemused and upset. They know that 90 minutes of exposure from England's top footballers would do much to help a good cause which celebrated its 90th birthday this year.

Of course, the row brought the usual measured response from the right-wing press and, even in supporting the cause, the Daily Mail slipped up.

First, the newspaper inexplicably pinned the blame for the poppy ban on the Germans before making a U-turn of its own.

But it is FIFA's change of heart which is more telling as the organisation gradually realised it was on the wrong side of the argument once again.

Indeed, as row escalated, the governing body went from banning poppies altogether to allowing black armbands to allowing poppies on the black armbands.

Nevertheless, the poppies will still not be on the shirts and so it could be argued that Blatter and co have still not nearly gone far enough.

Lest we forget the Fallen

(Music: Nimrod, variation no.9 from Enigma Variations by Sir Edward Elgar)

For the Fallen

Laurence Binyon

1914

With proud thanksgiving, a mother for her children,
England mourns for her dead across the sea.
Flesh of her flesh they were, spirit of her spirit,
Fallen in the cause of the free.

Solemn the drums thrill; Death august and royal
Sings sorrow up into immortal spheres.
There is music in the midst of desolation
And a glory that shines upon our tears.

They went with songs to the battle, they were young,
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted;
They fell with their faces to the foe.

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old,
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

They mingle not with laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,
Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,
To the innermost heart of their own land they are known
As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,
Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;
As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,
To the end, to the end, they remain.

The Royal British Legion 2010: Silence is golden
As part of this year's Poppy Appeal, the Royal British Legion have released a single '2 Minute Silence' into the UK charts.

The aim is to get the silent single to the number one spot in the Official UK Chart on Remembrance Sunday 14th November.

All of the proceeds from the single will go towards furthering our work in supporting serving and ex-Service personnel and their families.

It can be ordered at http://www.silentsingle.com/ or downloaded from iTunes *here* for just £1.