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R is for… Remembrance

-Look Up, Look Down Challenge, Week 12

Every Thursday, I publish a post containing photos taken from above or below, and invite you to join in the challenge by posting your own photos with an up or down perspective.
This week, the beautiful vaulted ceiling in Kings Cross Station and a single red poppy, inspired my post.

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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.

                                      John Mcrae

My grandfather died in Ypres in 1917, aged just 21.  So for me,  the red poppy is a very poignant symbol of sacrifice and remembrance.

Some of the bloodiest fighting of World War One took place in the Flanders and Picardy regions of Belgium and Northern France.  In the aftermath of all that carnage, the poppy was the only thing that grew.  John McCrae, a doctor serving there with the Canadian Armed Forces, deeply moved by what he saw, wrote the now famous verses above in 1915

World War I officially ended at the eleventh hour on the eleventh day of the eleventh month of 1918 – Armistice Day, now known more commonly as Remembrance Day.  The act of a Two Minute Silence began on the anniversary of Armistice Day in 1919 and continues to this day.

In the United Kingdom, Remembrance Sunday is held on the Sunday nearest to 11 November.  It is marked by ceremonies at local war memorials in most cities, towns and villages.  Wreaths of remembrance poppies are laid on the memorials and two minutes silence is held at 11 a.m.  Church bells are usually rung “half-muffled”, creating a sombre effect.

The national ceremony is held at the Cenotaph in London and, since 2002, also at the Women’s Memorial. Wreaths are laid by the Queen Elizabeth II and other members of the Royal family, along with the Prime Minister, other dignitaries and representatives from the Royal Navy, Army, Royal Air Force, Merchant Navy, fishing fleets and the civilian services. The ceremony has been televised each year since 1946.

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The Challenge

Click here to enter the challenge

Every Thursday, I publish a post containing photos taken from above or below, and invite you to join in the challenge by posting your own photos with an up or down perspective.  Just publish your post as normal and then link it to this challenge.

Thanks go to everyone who entered last week, there were some great and innovative images, including a simple bottle and a group “selfie”.  You can see the entries from previous weeks on my Pinterest board if you are seeking inspiration, or are  just plain nosy.

So please show us what you have; share your up or down perspective with us.  Click here to enter your link and to view other entries.  And please don’t forget to go and visit the other challengers and pass on your views and encouragement.

To find out more about how to enter, click here.  The list will open each Thursday at 00:01 GMT and will be open for a week.

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Click here to enter and to view the other entries

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Also linked to Tagged RRR, Floral Friday, Today’s Flowers, ABC Wednesday and Alphabe Thursday.

 

24 replies »

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  3. Oh.

    My.

    Wow.

    I love this poem. It is so poignant to me.

    No Grandfathers lost in the war for our family, but several Uncles.

    I was up and visiting a few R links, and I’m glad yours was one.

    This was really touching.

    Thanks for linking.

    A+

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  4. Remembrance day here in Canada is one of my favorite times of the year. I no longer have anyone left alive in my family that was in the war, so it is a great time to remember them in a different way than just being family. I have fond memories of my grandfather sharing stories, not combat ones more like driving the truck and such, and teaching me songs from that era. No one around to continue the teachings now, so that day become important in my life.

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  6. This is a beautiful post and your photos are lovely, a wonderful tribute. Thank you for sharingwith Today’s Flowers, and I apologies for the problem you had with linking up. I hope you will join us again this Saturday. There shouldn’t be any difficulty this time 🙂

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  12. Hi we did the same kind of post about Remembrance Day. In the Netherlands we remember those who died in the war on 4th May, on the 5th we celebrate our liberation from the Nazis. I feel connected to the British, because they liberated the Dutch people who were prisoners in Japanese concentrations camps in Indonesia. We belonged to the latter group.
    Thank for sharing your personal story.
    Wil, ABCW TEAM.

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