Remembrance

Dear Blog, I am writing just a little extra piece today, as it is Remembrance Day (or Armistice day), when the whole country comes together on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month, because this is the exact time the First World War (or the Great War) ended  in 1918.

These days, this anniversary is used to remember all the people that have died in wars since the First World Way.  This includes World War Two, The Falklands War, The Gulf War, conflicts in Bosnia, Rwanda and Kosova, and now, of course, the war that is going on right now in Afghanistan.

Millions of people are expected to observe the two minute silence at 11 a.m. today in honour of all those brave men and women who were killed during those connflicts and the red poppy will be worn with pride.

So my extra blog today is in honour of all the fallen.

Retro things

Dear Blog, Well, here we are at the start of another week and I thought I would talk about Retro items.  Have you noticed that Retro is everywhere these days, lots of it going back to the 1959s, and I love it!  All those lovely, sugared-almond colours of vanilla, pale pink, pale green and pale lemon.

I particularly like retro kitchen items, and whilst thinking about writing this blog, my mind went back to the kitchen of my mum and dad's flat (apartment) where I was born.  I clearly remember that there was a single white bulb hanging from the ceiling, with the bulb being covered by a bakelite lampshade (before plastic!).  We had a painted cupboard in that kitchen, a small refrigerator, an enamel stove and a square, formica-topped table with wooden legs, which would be covered with a vinyl tablecloth at mealtimes.

All this seems a world away from the kitchen that I now have in my own house.



When I was ten, in 1957, my mum and dad bought their own house, and the kitchen there seemed really modern to us at that time, with worktops with cupboards and wall units.

Quote for Today : A Life without Friends, is like a Garden without Flowers."

Repatriation

Dear Blog, A lady who helped change military history in Great Britain after her son was killed on duty, has died recently.  Edna Wallace and her late husband Jack, fought to see their son's body brought back from Aden after he died there in 1965.

I had never heard of this lady, until I heard a piece on the radio a couple of days ago, and thought she was certainly worthy of a mention on my Blog.  Edna's second-born son, Eddie, was just 17 years old when he died whilst on duty with the Royal Anglian Regiment - just three days after being posted to Aden in Yemen.

Edna was cooking the evening meal when she received a telegram saying that her son had been killed.  They were told to ring the War Office between 10 a.m. and 4 p.m. Monday to Friday if they wanted any further news.  How callous is that?!

The couple were told that the funeral would be held within hours, and it was made clear that they were not expected to attend.  Edna and Jack, however, knew they had to be there, and scraped together £500 (a lot of money at that time) and secured a flight with the help of the British Red Cross. 

On their return home, they started a campaign to change the way the war dead and their families were treated.  They wrote literally thousands of letters and appealed directly to the Queen.  In 1967 it was announced in the House of Commons that, in future, news of a soldier's death would be broken to families by a senior officer from their Regiment and that soldiers' bodies would be brought home.

British soldiers are now repatriated to RAF Brize Norton before they make the final journey to their home towns

I thought this story was especially poignant now, when we see all the soldiers who have been killed whilst on duty in Afghanistan being repatriated to their home towns.



After arriving at RAF Brize Norton, the soldiers' bodies are driven through the small market town of Wooton Bassett, where the people turn out each and every time in honour of the brave men.  So far, this exceeds over 300 times.

And all this, thanks to Edna Wallace.