egbert Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 German CWGC- equivalent "Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge" (VdK)just sent their 2004 Remembrance Day package to members who donate. I was very pleased to receive the official Remembrance postcard and the depicted candle from overseas. Thought I share this "gift" with all pals who care about Remembrance Day! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 9 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 9 November , 2004 candle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Thank you for sharing those images, Egbert. You might be interested to know that I've included two German military cemeteries in my Remembrance gallery which I'm about to upload on my website. One is Breitenbach (Great War) and the other is Bergheim (Second World War), both in Haut-Rhin (Alsace). I have also included the memorial at Thankirchdorf, whose verse you translated for me. Would you mind explaining a little more about what the second picture represents, please? Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 9 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 9 November , 2004 Oh Gwyn you give me a hard time again. The text on the candle says: Life Hope Peace I will try to translate excerpts of the text in the accompanying letter from VdK which should give you a clue what is meant with this candle. Without a translation program on hand, I hope my own free translation is somehow understandeable and is not misleading nor ridiculous: We humans move through time and space as we have been born into these elements - until the time we have to die. We leave traces, which become weaker and weaker in time until they also fade away. Each human is like a light that enlightens the world, a light that leaves only darkness if it extinguishes. A human only dies forever if nobody remembers him anymore nor speaks nor writes of him, he dies forever when all traces are extinct….He also dies as a personality, if he is made indiscriminate to other humans, if he is only regarded as a historicalless element of a large mass. The attached candle is sent to you to remember humans who lost their lives in both wars and by despotism in the 20th century. Their lights have been violently extinct. Today we will light again a symbolical light=candle for all of them, to express that they are not forgotten, to remember that they were humans like you and me whose lights of life could burn much longer if they were not extinct by war and reign of terror. Please light your candle – as light of life, light of hope and peace, as a common desire of mankind all over the world for a life in hope and peace! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dragon Posted 9 November , 2004 Share Posted 9 November , 2004 not misleading nor ridiculous: It is neither. Thank you very much. That helps. I like to understand. Gwyn Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 candle Egbert. Snap!!! Do you know if this is an annual gift or a one-off, sent every so often to someone different each year? I'm asking this because I recieved my candle in October 2001 and also had another sent (a blue one , though) in about 1997. No matter what though, it's greatly appreciated. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 ...and the 2001 Remembrance post-card... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 10 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Snap!!! Do you know if this is an annual gift or a one-off, sent every so often to someone different each year? I'm asking this because I recieved my candle in October 2001 and also had another sent (a blue one , though) in about 1997. No matter what though, it's greatly appreciated. dave. Dave, last year's was YELLOW You only received it because you are either a recurrent donating member or you are in the database because you donated one time at an earlier occasion. Anyway, since GWGC budget is TOTALLY dependent on donations it is a nice "invitation" to contribute again Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Anyway, since GWGC budget is TOTALLY dependent on donations it is a nice "invitation" to contribute again Hi Egbert. I've sent an annual donation to the KgV since the early '80s yet I've only ever recieved 2 of these which is what made me wonder if it was a random thing (and no, I'm not only doing it for the "freebies"! - I donate regularly because the KgV has always been very good to me whenever I've had an enquiry and have usually gone "above and beyond the call of duty" to help me -unlike the CWGC in the past). Another thing. Any idea why everything ("Stimme&Weg", calender, Christmas card/gift tags, etc) they send me is postmarked as coming from France? Thanks, Dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 10 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Another thing. Any idea why everything ("Stimme&Weg", calender, Christmas card/gift tags, etc) they send me is postmarked as coming from France? Thanks, Dave. Dave, that's easy to answer: because they work with your precious donation they want to limit admin expenditures: postage in France is cheaper than in Germany Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CROONAERT Posted 10 November , 2004 Share Posted 10 November , 2004 Aha! That makes sense! Thanks Egbert. dave. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 10 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2004 I donate regularly because the KgV has always been very good to me whenever I've had an enquiry and have usually gone "above and beyond the call of duty" to help me -unlike the CWGC in the past). Dave, I second that; my donations flow regularly since they took care if my enquiry: Than: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
egbert Posted 10 November , 2004 Author Share Posted 10 November , 2004 and Now: Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Hederer Posted 12 November , 2004 Share Posted 12 November , 2004 The Volksbund Deutsche Kriegsgraeberfuersorge is a fantastic organization. They helped my wife find where her uncle, killed in 1945, is buried. We've never had a candle from them, but that's OK. The gift they gave us in the form of family information is worth any amount of donation. They were out on the streets of Mainz this past weekend. I can never pass without giving them something. Paul Hederer Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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