Amazulu

Back when Britain was great.....

It's the 75th anniversary of BOB Day and The Telegraph are running a great timeline article:
The Battle of Britain, as it happened on September 15, 1940 - Telegraph

It was meant to be the day when the Luftwaffe delivered the knockout blow but by the end of it they knew it was lost. A massive wave of Dorniers from Luftflotte 3 arrived over London but instead of an easy target they were met by the 60 fighters of Bader's big wing and it was all over

Because of my Grandfather's sacrifice, and that of all of his fellow allied airmen in WW2, this means a lot to me. He was a true British warrior

Per ardua ad astra

Pollyana

Per ardua ad astra

Bernieboy

Lest we forget the brave German pilots who also lost their lives.

Beoz

Its quite strange thinking about parents/grandparents, these loveable old people of ours, and what they went through during some savage wars.

My grandfather was 16, boarded a boat from Australia and fought in the mud and trenches of Belgium in World War 1. He died when I was 12 and I just remember him has the short, round, cheerful, grandad who liked a whiskey at 11am. He never spoke of the war. A few years back I was helping my folks move house and discovered a photo of him in all his army gear when he was 16. I also found all his war medals. I had it all framed and it sits on the mantle. My grandad would have experienced something quite horrible at 16 so hats off to the old boy.

northernbird

As an RAF Brat, Battle of Britain is close to my heart. Per ardua ad astra.

OzTennis

My grandfather fought at Gallipoli and in the trenches of France in WW1 and he too spoke very little about his experiences. He came back with a permanent limp and fought illness for the rest of his life due to the mustard gas. Dear Pop is long gone but my brothers and myself take it in turns to go to the dawn Anzac service at Williamstown in his memory.

I post 2 songs, one about Gallipoli/Anzac day and the other about the war in France.

They were both written Eric Bogle (migrated from Peebles, Scotland to Adelaide in 1969).


And this (#1 when recorded by the Fureys and Davey Arthur as the Green fields of France rather than Bogle's title No Man's Land)


They are both about the futility of war (and not how great war is). Thank and remember the fallen, don't glorify war.

Amazulu

There's a bit of glory in it - if you win

manekeniko

CBS News broadcast an interesting side story about a small group of Americans who fought with the RAF. At the time, it was a felony for Americans to do this, as it violated neutrality. Many of them went undercover as Canadians.

The unknown Americans who fought the Battle of Britain - CBS News

Amazulu

Top blokes. Fighter Command really was an international force of people who knew what needed to be done

Amazulu

I think it comes down to different generations and what they went through and experienced. Looking at history, and take the 100 years from 1850 to 1950, all the world knew was war - and Britain and it's allies because of empire, went through a shitload of it. People growing up in that era expected war and to have to fight it. War was part of their DNA and countries like the UK and the US became warrior nations. Since the '50s there has been little war just limited police actions, and current generations have not experienced it to the extent that the UK is no longer a warrior nation. If war ever came to the west again (and it will come as the struggle against islam intensifies) I have no doubt that the generations that will have to face it will do what their ancestors did and fight

OzTennis

Well in those days and earlier you could rule the seas with naval power. Now, the likes of North Korea could destroy the rest of the world with the press of a button. On the ground they used to fight hand to hand, trench to trench, now you can be obliterated by a humanless drone. The nature of war has completely changed.

rasen78

Our boy was just in the Festival of Music here in Adelaide last week which was to commemorate the centenary of Gallipoli. They performed the first song and then Anzac Biscuits by John Schumann (which he was commissioned to write for the Festival). Their interpretation was really good and it was incredibly moving. I struggle to keep dry eyes whenever I hear The Last Post, so I was a real soppy mess! Was great to see how engaged the kids were and to know that they are learning about these important and tragic parts of our history.

OzTennis

That's interesting to hear and yes, very moving songs. The 1st one is very poignant as he starts out a youngster 'waltzing his matilda' through the countryside then he's called up and fighting in Gallipoli next minute with a different kind of pack on his back. He gets wounded and comes back to Australia where the band is playing Waltzing Matilda on the quayside; he marches every Anzac day and as the years go on he can only watch the parade from the porch and the young people are asking 'what are they marching for'? Lest we forget indeed! Bogle lives near Adelaide too.