On this day

[Earley Man]

Today is Armistice day when we remember all those servicemen and women, of whatever race or creed, who gave their lives for this country. However there are a group of people who will not be remembered, despite the fact that without their sacrifice none of the armed forces would have been able to fight their battles and the people of this country would have been starved into submission.

Their overall percentage casualty rate during WWII was 27%, in 1940/1941 it hit 49%, which means half of them never came back to their wives and families. They came from all parts of what was then the British Empire and not one was a conscript, they were all volunteers who still sailed their ships knowing what the odds were. The youngest casualty was 14 or 15 and the oldest 71.

Today please bow your heads and remember above all the Men of the Merchant Navy.

 

[camerassassin]

Eternal Memory !

may ALL those who perished rest in peace

 

[cambsno]

Well said, the Merchant Navy at times do get forgotten about but did a vital role.

I have 2 main connections to WW2 - my grandfather was captured at a river just before Dunkirk and served 5 years as a POW. He lived until just past 90 so had a good life but still lost 5 years of his early 20s, although I guess he could count himself very lucky.

A great Uncle was not so lucky. He was an Observer, 15 Squadron. Bristol Blenheim IV and on 12th May 1940 left Alconbury for Maastricht. Shot down at 09.25 over Beverst. One of the three crew survived and was a POW.

Never forgotten.

 

[tijuana taxi]

My late father served in the RAF for the duration of WW2 and my late mother was in the land army for the last two years. He didn't speak much about some of his roles, know he drove a crash tender putting out the fire's on crash landed fighters at Manston. It involved trying to rescue the pilots many who were badly burned as they literally sat over the fuel tank. One nicer task involved driving around the country at breakneck speed delivering valves for the new wonder weapon, Radar.
Ma was evacuated from the east end, but came back despite the blitz, wasn't exactly given a warm welcome in the valleys, both her parents were dead by 1944 though.

Can't imagine what it must have been like and we should always value their sacrifice, makes all this referendum crap seem so trivial.

Bit cheerier for me, I got married on November 11th, not at 11 o'clock though, 28 years ago today which coincidentally was also a Friday