LEST WE FORGET
 

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.

Re: LEST WE FORGET
 

Must be a bad year for selling poppies. People rarely go out now and, if they do, they don't have any money. I usually buy three or four, as I lose them, but none this year.

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Lets hope that the people that don't go out, so are not able to buy one in the usual way, buy a "digital poppy" instead after all everything else seems to be digital or online now, :rolleyes: so why not this if people really don't want to go out.

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If you don't go out you don't need one, do you? At home there's no one to conform with.

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My fondest memory of remembrance day? This racist bigot finally getting fired!

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Definitely wasn't good that he seemed to be assuming people he saw on the street not wearing a poppy had "come here" as immigrants - how did he know this? just because they were visible minorities?. That sort of thinking enforces the undertone of white supremacy you find across Canada unfortunately. Also there was no good reason to single out immigrants who don't wear poppies, how is that any worse than Canadians who don't wear them either? Good example of how subtle systemic racism can creep in. He should have apologized.

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I've often been seen without a poppy in past years ..................... either because I've lost it since I left the house, or I forgot to change it from a jacket to a coat!

This year, we got one poppy in the mail from the Legion, with an appeal for donations. I haven't worn it but I will be donating more than I usually put in the box at the register in the coffee shop or supermarket (even when I have to buy 2 or 3 extras!).

I have not actually lost any poppies for the last 6 or more years .............. the yellow flower sold by the Cancer Society came with a little white plastic tube to slip on the end of the pin, so I kept those and transfer it to the poppy in November, or I've bent the end of the pin up if I know that I will not be changing coats.


I've had an interesting time for the last week or so ........... I discovered that 5 brothers who were descendants of a sibling of OH's direct ancestor back in the 1840s, all emigrated between about 1895 and 1910. One went to Australia and 4 came to Canada. Two of the brothers went back to the UK to fight in WW1, the one from Australia joined a UK regiment, while the one from Canada joined a Canadian regiment. Both were killed in France.

Two of the remaining brothers each had a son who joined up in WW2, one was killed aged 19 while training on Vancouver Island. The other served in France, was apparently badly injured but came back to Canada and died in 1949. He is buried in the Veteran's section in Mountain View Cemetery in Vancouver. Records are almost impossible to find for him.

The 5th brother didn't go to war, nor did any of his children, but he did serve as an MP for one term in the 1930s, and built Sunwapta Cottage Resort near Jasper.

It's amazing what you can find when doing family history, and extending the research to more than the direct line. :nod:

I have spent the days putting all this together for the grand nieces and nephews and my grandson, to add to the know facts they had that their joint great grandfather served in the Royal Navy in WW2. For my grandson, I added information on my maternal grandfather and paternal great uncle who both fought in WW1 and survived.

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I was buying two poppies today from the RSL when I remembered your post from yesterday, so I bought another one for you.

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King’s government only sent volunteers to Europe, so more soldiers served in Canada guarding camps with refugees and captured Nazis than fought during WW2. Made it harder for those who fought as Canadian units were under strength. Over 45 thousand gave their lives… Can’t be many of those who fought that are still around.

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Isn't it just a gesture of acknowledging the past sacrifices by armed forces? I don't think its about "conforming"? so surely a digital poppy would be the same gesture if your not going out and can't buy one. You would still be acknowledging and making a donation in the same way..

Although I hate most things online, but that's just my personal choice of course.

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Thank you. I can't wear it but no one will know.

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Specifically the armed forces in WW1. At a stretch the conscripted armed forces of WW2. Significant sums should no longer be required as they only need grounds keeping now.

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In Oz the money raised by selling poppies is used by veteran organisations to fund services such as mental health, housing etc. It's the same in Canada I think?

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That's right, honouring the memory of all the men and women who served and those who died in both world wars and the conflicts since. In Canada over 1 million people volunteered during WW2, out of a population of 11 million. Conscription legislation was passed in 1942, but policy dictating that conscripts couldn't be sent overseas wasn't reversed until November 1944. Inability of replacements to make up for killed and wounded in late summer of 1944 meant Prime Minister King couldn't afford to appease Quebec and parts of the west in parliament any longer, but only 2,463 conscripts made it to the front lines before the end of the war, and of those, only 79 were killed.
Draftee Vasil Zaharic training for gas in Comox during the war; I know some of the men who knew him, and they were surprised he was in the army, considering he didn't seem very patriotic, but he wasn't there by choice. The war ended before he could be sent over.

https://cimg7.ibsrv.net/gimg/british...abaa468ff6.jpg
All the eligible men and most of the women in my father's family volunteered, and those who went overseas all came back. My dad's eyesight precluded him from going over with his unit, so he stayed a reservist until the end of the war, but all four of his five brothers who were old enough (Jack was too young) went and saw combat. Bill in the infantry (I think), Norman drove a truck because he was too big to fit into a tank, Bob commanded a squadron of Sherman tanks, and Dick was on corvettes in the North Atlantic.

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My friends with the government jobs and at the big banks were able to honour the fallen by getting drunk at the pub last night. They are blessed with another day off so shortly after also having a day off for reconciliation.

Alas at 11am I shall be on a client call. The civil service and bank staff will no doubt expect their holiday to be paid for.

A good way to honour the forces or more importantly the individuals who make great sacrifice at the politicians behest a charity is via https://woundedwarriors.ca/.

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Recent Netflix movie "The Forgotten Battle" was very good. Dutch produced film about Battle of the Scheldt, in which Canadian troops were heavily deployed. Horrific times.

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Well I for one wasn't getting drunk last night but I can guess that private sector workers were also out getting drunk. One has to question why non essential workers are working today if their belief's are to honour those who fought. There again I expect many of these private sector workers demand that certain Govt workers work on Christmas Day, New Years Day or other days where they are not working and provide a level of service during the hours that they would never entertain working between.

Perhaps you could speak to your Management team and educate them on what Remembrance Day is all about and is it absolutely vital that any client calls need to be taken on such a day. Now of course as you are working from home wouldn't this have been the ideal opportunity to claim that you were having problems with your service provider and therefore could not take the call? Now while I appreciate that not all Govt workers are looked upon favourably perhaps you should cut them some slack and when embarking on your non essential trip back to the UK over the festive period look at your flight return times or departures and ask yourself this question would my employer provide this service?

Next time could you bait the hook with something more tastier.

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Government and banks have provision for Remembrance Day and for Reconciliation Day but I don't think anyone else does. I was in a meeting at 11, I could have postponed it but then I would have had to explain the idea of the minute of silence to the attendees and that's really not my place. If people want to take a day off for something important in their culture that's reasonable enough but I don't know that many would give up a day's pay for either of these occasions.

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It's 2 minutes silence, do try to keep up.

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Just as well I didn't attempt it, I wouldn't have known if it should be at 11 or 11:11 anyway.

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I have no doubt whatsoever that when a government worker works on Christmas Day they get a day off in lieu.

You don't have any days off because you are on here too much :wink_smile:

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Im extremely happy that Xmas Day & Boxing Day falls on a Saturday & Sunday this year as that means we get Monday & Tuesday off as well. Now of course some of my comrades will have to work both days due to the private sector demanding that the Federally regulated border crossings be open to process travellers on these days. Those working will be compensated of course due to being Unionized and having bargained with their employers for this to occur which of course the public sector could choose to do.
I expect West Jet, Sunwing & Air Transat have already approached our Agency to ask them to provide coverage as they wish some of their charter aircrafts to land at 4am in the morning.
I sometimes wonder if I made the wrong decision by joining the Feds and should have chosen a job where I am a slave to the employer and rely on my ability to save and invest money for my future retirement rather than rely on the pittance that is called a pension:sneaky:

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Today isn't a provincial stat holiday in Ontario, Manitoba, Quebec, and Nova Scotia, so unless in a federally regulated industry in those provinces, employers don't have to give you the day off or pay you holiday pay.

It is a stat here in BC, but its just the usual closed, its not a holiday where everything basically shuts down, really only Christmas does that here, malls will adjust their hours to open at 11am as they do with most holidays, other retailers will have normal operating hours, even doctors are working today despite it being a holiday, well some doctors as my wife had an appointment today, but her pharmacy is closed, but then other pharmacies are open.

Being mostly in the airline and hotel world job wise, no day is a holiday.

I had never heard of the poppy thing before coming to Canada, today is a holiday in the US, but for a different reason and the poppy really isn't part of it, I sometimes will buy a poppy, but I mostly don't and I have never worn one.


Do federal workers in Canada working today get holiday pay? US Federal workers who don't get today off are at least paid extra, overall only about 19% of workers in US get today off as a holiday.

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We don't call it holiday pay but compensation in either pay at the agreed amount in our collective bargaining contract or taken as compensatory time rather than extra pay. Rate is usually 1.5 but in certain instances double time.

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I've seen your job on the telly. It is the best job in the world. You do it for love not money.

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Nah it's because we wear a uniform and I am told chicks dig uniforms. Granted we are not as hot as firefighters or pose in annual calendars to raise funds for worthy causes but change is on the way as internally we can purchase an annual calendar that feature our dogs in action.

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Looking at the history of the Legion in the UK, and its formation from groups such as "Comrades of the Great War" and others, groups of various political persuasions, some of the left that drifted rightward, and others that started on the right; and who was not a part of the groups to join, "The National Union of Ex-Service Men", and their political position; it can be seen that The Royal British Legion was formed to bring most veterans interests and affairs under control, led by the Earl of Haig; who commanded at the Battle of the Somme. All towards the aim of converting the anger of WW1 veterans in to something less revolutionary, less progressive, more manageable by government. It converted anger to grief, and perhaps to praise. I wish the anger of the early days after WW1 was still with us on November 11th.