Difference between revisions of "Remembrance Sunday/A meditation"
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− | < | + | {{Concept |
− | <mp3 autoplay="1">NoMansLand.mp3</mp3><br/> <small>''Click to play...''</small><br/> | + | |wikipedia=https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day |
− | < | + | |start=2015-11-11 |
− | + | }} | |
− | + | {{#set:Is about=WWI | |
− | [[File: | + | |Is about=War |
− | [[File: | + | |Is about=WWII |
− | [[File: | + | |description=Some thoughts on UK remembrance day including a recording and lyrics of the Eric Bogle song "The Green Fields of France" |
− | + | }} | |
− | <poem> | + | <br/> |
− | Well how do you do, Private Willy McBride, | + | {| width="100%" style="text-align:center;" cellpadding="8" |
+ | |- | ||
+ | | width="28%" | [[File:WhitePoppy.jpg|150px]] || width="44%" |<big><big>'''No Man's Land'''</big></big><br/><br/><mp3 autoplay="1">NoMansLand.mp3</mp3><br/> <small>''Click to play...''</small><br/> || width="28%" | [[File:RedPoppy.jpg|150px]] | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | colspan="3" | | ||
+ | <big>An Eric Bogle song - ''a lyrical meditation if you will'' - that evokes the realities of war more honestly than the official ceremonies with their obfuscating leitmotif of restrained pomp and militarism - sung appropriately here in both English and German</big> | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | |- | ||
+ | | style="vertical-align:top;" | | ||
+ | [[File:RBL-poppy.jpg|300px]] | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | Royal British Legion poppy | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | ...and an aging WWII veteran dissenter writes:<br/>[[Document:I will wear a poppy for the last time|"This year, I will wear a poppy for the last time"]] | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | [[File:White-Poppy3.jpg|300px]] | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | White poppy | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | Most thinking people agree the continuing need for a nationwide act of remembrance; but many find the overt militarism of the current ceremonial inappropriate, not to say offensive, when it is the unspeakable horror of war and those who perished in it that ought properly to be its focus.<br/> | ||
+ | And since it is militarism and the pompous, catastrophic failures of leaders that are the root causes of war, sack-cloth and ashes would be rather more appropriate attire for ceremonial leaders than dress uniforms with rows of shiny medals.<br/> | ||
+ | The [http://www.ppu.org.uk/whitepoppy/index.html White Poppy Project] of the Peace Pledge Union is an attempt to promote these issues | ||
+ | <br/><br/> | ||
+ | [[File:WhitePoppyField.jpg|300px]] | ||
+ | | <div style="font-weight:bold;"><poem>Well how do you do, Private Willy McBride, | ||
Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside? | Do you mind if I sit here down by your graveside? | ||
And rest for a while in the warm summer sun, | And rest for a while in the warm summer sun, | ||
I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done. | I've been walking all day and I'm nearly done. | ||
I see by your gravestone you were only 19 | I see by your gravestone you were only 19 | ||
− | When you joined the | + | When you joined the glorious fallen in 1916, |
Well I hope you died quick, and I hope you died clean | Well I hope you died quick, and I hope you died clean | ||
Or, Willy McBride, was it slow and obscene? | Or, Willy McBride, was it slow and obscene? | ||
− | + | ---- | |
− | + | CHORUS | |
− | + | ''Did they Beat the drums slowly, Did they play the fife lowly?'' | |
− | + | ''Did they sound the death march as they lowered you down?'' | |
− | + | ''Did the bugles sound The Last Post and chorus?'' | |
+ | ''Did the pipes play the Flowers O' the Forest?'' | ||
+ | ---- | ||
And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind | And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind | ||
In some loyal heart, is your memory enshrined? | In some loyal heart, is your memory enshrined? | ||
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And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame? | And fading to yellow in a brown leather frame? | ||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | CHORUS | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
The sun's shining down on these green fields of France; | The sun's shining down on these green fields of France; | ||
The warm wind blows gently, and the red poppies dance. | The warm wind blows gently, and the red poppies dance. | ||
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and a whole generation who were butchered and damned. | and a whole generation who were butchered and damned. | ||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | CHORUS | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride, | And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride, | ||
Do all those who lie here know why they died? | Do all those who lie here know why they died? | ||
Line 49: | Line 87: | ||
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain, | The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain, | ||
For Willie McBride, it's all happened again, | For Willie McBride, it's all happened again, | ||
− | And again, and again, and again, and again. | + | And again, and again, and again, and again.</poem></div> |
− | </ | + | | style="vertical-align:top;" | [[File:WWI-4.png|300px]]<br/><br/> |
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | [[File:WWI-1.jpeg|300px]]<br/><br/> | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | [[File:WWI-gas.jpg|300px]]<br/><br/> | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | [[File:WWI-5.jpeg|300px]]<br/><br/> | ||
+ | <br/> | ||
+ | [[File:WarGraves1.jpg|300px]]<br/><br/> | ||
+ | |||
+ | ---- | ||
+ | |||
+ | <big>Relevant external links</big> | ||
+ | |||
+ | [http://noglory.org/ No Glory in War]<br/> | ||
+ | [http://www.ppu.org.uk/ Peace Pledge Union]<br/> | ||
+ | [http://www.stopwar.org.uk/ Stop the War coalition]<br/> | ||
+ | [https://www.change.org/p/royal-british-legion-please-apologise-for-cutting-the-words-of-the-poppy-appeal-song-the-original-song-condemns-the-folly-of-war Poppy song petition] | ||
+ | |} | ||
− | [[Category: | + | ---- |
+ | {{SMWDocs}} | ||
+ | [[Category:War]] | ||
+ | [[Category:WWI]] | ||
+ | [[Category:WWII]] |
Latest revision as of 20:00, 26 November 2021
Remembrance Sunday/A meditation | |
---|---|
Start | 2015-11-11 |
No Man's Land <mp3 autoplay="1">NoMansLand.mp3</mp3> Click to play... |
||
An Eric Bogle song - a lyrical meditation if you will - that evokes the realities of war more honestly than the official ceremonies with their obfuscating leitmotif of restrained pomp and militarism - sung appropriately here in both English and German
| ||
|
Well how do you do, Private Willy McBride, CHORUS And did you leave a wife or a sweetheart behind CHORUS The sun's shining down on these green fields of France; CHORUS And I can't help but wonder, no Willie McBride, |
Relevant external links No Glory in War |
Related Document
Title | Type | Publication date | Author(s) | Description |
---|---|---|---|---|
Document:Why I wear a white poppy | article | 9 November 2018 | Peter | A summary of the reasons why the author wears a white poppy during the UK Remembrance Day commemoration. |