For help, advice and discussion about stuff not related to aviation. Play nice: no religion, no politics and no axe grinding please.
By rogerb
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1648591
Interesting to see the Ring of Remembrance. I have on occasions wondered, especially when seeing the British, Commonwealth and USA war cemeteries, where the French, German and other countries buried their dead.
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By nallen
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#1648593
rogerb wrote:Interesting to see the Ring of Remembrance. I have on occasions wondered, especially when seeing the British, Commonwealth and USA war cemeteries, where the French, German and other countries buried their dead.


About 20 years ago, I was meandering through northern France and chanced upon the vast German WW1 cemetery of Maissemy. It holds about 30,000 dead, with around 15,000 in a mass grave in the middle. What struck me as I wandered around it, apart from the scale of that mass burial, were the individual graves bearing the Star of David to mark their occupants' faith.

http://www.webmatters.net/france/ww1_friedhof_maissemy.htm
By Bill Haddow
#1648613
OCB wrote:Only a few days to go to the 100th anniversary of the end of the First World War.


I hope it is also the end of that toe-curlingly embarrassing, cringeworthy, and mawkish R4 soap, Home Front.

I fear, however, that it is someone's pet project (all episodes are to be available on iplayer for 10 years FFS) and will whinge on.

Bill H
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By Rob P
#1648617
I've quite enjoyed dropping in and out of it, makes a change from The Archers.

The radio series that has been epically good is Jonathan Ruffle's Tommies. I hope that becomes available in usable format

Rob P
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By kanga
#1648659
nallen wrote:... What struck me as I wandered around it, apart from the scale of that mass burial, were the individual graves bearing the Star of David to mark their occupants' faith.
..


Otto Frank, father of Anne, was a Jewish Officer in the Kaiser's Army in WW1. The SS Officer who led the squad which rounded up the Frank family in their Dutch hiding place was reportedly surprised to see that their possessions were stored in a German Officer's trunk, and demanded to know from where it had been stolen. I know of Jewish families of Austrian or German origin now in UK who had cousins fighting on opposite sides.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Otto_Frank
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By OCB
#1651493
So, it seems the local schools in and around my village made an effort - and it even made it onto the national (frenchie + flemish) TV here last week.

What brings some hope to me is the French and Flemish kids being together - and talking openly about peace. Unlike the political class "adults", who do their best to exploit every francophone/flemish divide for political gain - and wilfully ignore the obvious blood soaked pig-headed political failures on their doorsteps - yet happily share a stage and mark the commemoration (when the cameras are there).

I'm happy my 2 oldest kids were there.

2 nights after the school commemoration was actually 11/11/18. The boys and me stopped in at the supermarket across from the little memorial. It was pitch dark and lashing down with rain, but my oldest (9) asked if he could go across and see the "unknown soldier" - it's not, and he now feels better that it's just a statue and not a grave.

. We spent 10 mins there, in the dark and p1ssin rain. We took turns to read out the names, age, ranks, where they'd died etc from the Cenotaph - and the little plaque at the side that said that the "Anglais" had liberated the village in Sept 1944. :roll:

We came home soaked, but for once I think my boys genuinely felt and understood why their daft old Dad keeps banging on about this "war" stuff...

https://www.facebook.com/1640.be/videos/361092401304824/
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By skydriller
FLYER Club Member  FLYER Club Member
#1651498
OCB wrote: We took turns to read out the names, age, ranks, where they'd died etc from the Cenotaph - and the little plaque at the side that said that the "Anglais" had liberated the village in Sept 1944. :roll:


:?: Sorry, but was the :roll: a mistake - I dont get it :?:
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By OCB
#1651507
skydriller wrote:
OCB wrote: We took turns to read out the names, age, ranks, where they'd died etc from the Cenotaph - and the little plaque at the side that said that the "Anglais" had liberated the village in Sept 1944. :roll:


:?: Sorry, but was the :roll: a mistake - I dont get it :?:


It's a Flemish village.

Now, it's officially one of the few "bi-lingual" communes around - but the official language is Flemish.
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By OCB
#1651620
I've not been back to the Cenotaph - but speaking to my neighbour, who is Flemish and was a kid during the occupation then the liberation (she remembers the Germans controlling who could build houses, then the Allied troops arriving from the only road to the south of our village) - apparently there is a Flemish equivalent of "les Anglais" memorial.

I have no idea where it is.

For those who might think I have an issue with "les Anglais", being a non-English member of the Commonwealth; I actually don't. I know the Frenchies say "les Anglais" for everyone who is Brit or speaks English (except the Yanks and Canadians....). It's part of their charm.....
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By Bill Haddow
#1651636
OCB wrote:
I know the Frenchies say "les Anglais" for everyone who is Brit or speaks English (except the Yanks and Canadians....). ..


Isn't "Yankee" just a corruption of the term "Anglais" which the Frogs in North America used to refer to their educated, sanitary, and generally civilised colonial rivals ?

Bill H
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By OCB
#1652039
Bill Haddow wrote:
OCB wrote:
I know the Frenchies say "les Anglais" for everyone who is Brit or speaks English (except the Yanks and Canadians....). ..


Isn't "Yankee" just a corruption of the term "Anglais" which the Frogs in North America used to refer to their educated, sanitary, and generally civilised colonial rivals ?

Bill H


Just been checking out wikipedia on the etymology. Seems the French connection isn't the only one in the running.

I don't remember right now which WWII pilot wrote that after spending time banged up in a Vichy prison in N.Africa that he dreamt of flying over France and bombing them with toilet paper and soap....