FOR THE FALLEN
 
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 their 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.

Laurence Binyon 1914

Hey Choco, hope all is well with you.

R.I.P. brave souls

Try to read histories of WW I & have to set them aside - A grinder on a scale never seen before

I recently read a book by Edward Lengel called "To Conquer Hell", about the Meuse-Argonne offensive in 1918. It was hard to read. I can't imagine having to endure such a nightmare. My grandfather was a veteran of WW1 and was wounded in action. Like many veterans, he never talked about his experiences.  But I remember one time when I was a kid, he'd watched an adaptation of "All Quiet on the Western Front" and couldn't sleep for days. God bless our veterans of EVERY war.

Doing good thanks Rory - sorry I haven't been around for a while. I agree with Rex that's a brilliant song you posted. I'm wearing my poppy with pride today and thinking of all those who have gone and those still fighting. Hugs

On a day like today it's just something about Bagpipe's that brings a tear to my eye...........

Bagpipes, Amazing Grace AND those iconic pictures - I definitely needed the tissues Dragon

The pipes always make me want to kick someone's a' - or at least the big, battle pipes do

Most of my family came here via Canada & served w/ the Canucks - Heard this one awhile ago, unlke most of the beautiful people the singer was a soldier