Fleur Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 I KNEW it was going to happen. I have builders in the office next door to mine at the mo at work. Not a peep out of them from 10.30 til 11. Bang on 11am the boogers start drilling the dividing wall. I felt like going and yelling at them 'can you ignorant git's not just give 2 minutes of your time to think about the scarifices made by your ancestors??' but I think my protestations would probably fall on deaf, ignorant ears. Fleur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
john w. Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Fleur I have had the reverse..... was interviewed by BBC Essex this morning at 8.50 about our local village war memorial, given time off work to do it! Went into my teaching room put the TV on bang on the stroke of 11 and all my year 12/13 students stopped and were silent for the whole two minutes... they paused for reflection John Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Graham-McAdam Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 My whole school now stands in silence (and it seems total from the whole lot) then a student plays the Last Post. All very effective, I think. If only we were closer to Dover! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted 11 November , 2003 Author Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Shame the electricians working next door to me couldn't take a leave from your students books. Nice to know that the younger generation (OMG!! How old does THAT make me feel!) understand and appreciate the tradition. Fleur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSeptember1918 Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Well...it's not 200 yrs on , but I like Sassoon's idea's on rememberance . Whats that got to do with uncaring electrician's ?..Nothing I guess, but because of my job I've had to work through a 2 minutes silence plenty of times , but I hope the old boys look at me kindly as I remember them every day . Phil ( with a lot of help from Siegfried ) Two Hundred Years After TRUDGING by Corbie Ridge one winter’s night, (Unless old hearsay memories tricked his sight) Along the pallid edge of the quiet sky He watched a nosing lorry grinding on, And straggling files of men; when these were gone, 5 A double limber and six mules went by, Hauling the rations up through ruts and mud To trench-lines digged two hundred years ago. Then darkness hid them with a rainy scud, And soon he saw the village lights below. 10 But when he’d told his tale, an old man said That he’d seen soldiers pass along that hill; ‘Poor silent things, they were the English dead Who came to fight in France and got their fill.’ Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Glenn Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Sadly, not everyone is born with a sense of respect, or understands what they do. Just heard of the desecration of the Cambridge War memorial with six stencilled monkeys sprayed onto it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted 11 November , 2003 Author Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Sadly, not everyone is born with a sense of respect, or understands what they do. Just heard of the desecration of the Cambridge War memorial with six stencilled monkeys sprayed onto it! OMG!!! That is just awful! Fleur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Greenwoodman Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 As I walked towards our local war memorial this morning, I passed by one of the local primary school classes, and their teacher was briefing them - "Any fidgeting or talking.........". Good on her!! The two minutes silence from them was perfect. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gem22 Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 I was at our local war memorial with 40 -50 others. Sadly people drove by even though the memorial is in a residential area outside the village church. But I still live in hope that one day we will have a truly 'silent' two minutes. Garth Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HERITAGE PLUS Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 My office was - as usual - completely quiet for the silence and a little while after as my staff seemed to sense the occasion. There are 30 'phones in the office and magically none rang. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted 11 November , 2003 Author Share Posted 11 November , 2003 We had a note come round this morning from our head admin guy asking that the 2 mins be observed - obviously the instruction didn't get to all quarters in our building - ho hum! Going to settle down for an afternoon with J M Barrie now. Fleur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 At our local war memorial (which is located at the bottom end of the high street, which in Leamington Spa is called The Parade) on Sunday, people walked past and through the assembled 11am crowd to go shopping further up the road. At least they were quiet, though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BlackSeptember1918 Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Call me an eternal optimist ....but maybe amongst those people walking past , or driving past your respective ceremony's thought ....hmmm...I should go to that next year ....or even better , maybe a few young kids saw you guy's and asked their parents " what are they doing "......who knows ? , perhaps a few of the next generations of military historian's/enthusiasts were born today by seeing your ceremony's from a distance ?. Phil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Ian Bowbrick Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Today our office observed the two minutes silence for the first time ever. In the past our Directors have been against the idea when I and another ex-service colleague raised it This year they tried to stick the boot in again. But our new CEO had other ideas - I wonder if his being a Falklands veteran had something to do with it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
trenchwalker Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 the cenataph this morning was brilliant. nearley missed it due to a faulty train on the victoria line. had to run from embankment to whitehall in about 30seconds also the ozzy memorial opening was good saw the queen and richard holmes Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest lemon trench Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Everything went on as normal where I work - managed to take myself off somewhere quiet and observe the silence. The Town Hall cannon was fired at the start and the end and could be heard all over the city (Manchester). Working on getting this sorted for next year so that the silence will be observed. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Tim Birch Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 See my post under "11th November in a village". Sorry, was a mispost - should have been under this title! Tim Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Will O'Brien Posted 11 November , 2003 Share Posted 11 November , 2003 Not such a good show from my company. Although the opportunity was given to observe the 2 minutes silence, the manner in which this offer was made left something to be desired. ........At 11.00am without prior notification the tannoy screeched and I quote 'It is now time for the 2 minutes Armistice day silence, you can observe it if you want'. The dead pan tone in which the annoncement was made would not have been out of place in a supermarket 'Telephone call for Sharon in Wines & Spirits' People in mid telephone call trying frantically to end conversations as quickly as possible.........another 20 seconds before a hush decends on the office...........3 & a half minutes later another screech from the tannoy 'The 2 minutes is now over' Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ralph J. Whitehead Posted 12 November , 2003 Share Posted 12 November , 2003 2 minutes, we had a total of 10 seconds after a screeching intercom message from Mr. Friendly, head of Human Resources, at 10.12am. Why this time was chosen I do not know. It is now called Veteran's Day and is used to close all offices and opena all stores for sales. Not much of a rememberance. At least my wife and children knew and understood the meaning of the day. Ralph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Andrew P Posted 12 November , 2003 Share Posted 12 November , 2003 Most people at my work were pretty respectful during the day, but nothing official was done at work, so a few of us went to the memorial service at Fremantle's Monument Hill. It was quite hot, standing in near 40 degree celcius heat while the service went on. It was the hottest November day here since 1913, but I was glad to see the veterans and school children sticking to it despite this heat. At the main memorial service in Kings Park in Perth, 104 year old British veteran Jonas Hart was guest of honour, plus there were around 100 Canadian sailors from a frigate that is undertaking war excercises off the WA coast with the Australian & Kiwi navies. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sue Light Posted 12 November , 2003 Share Posted 12 November , 2003 As I wasn't working yesterday, I drove up on to the South Downs and sat in complete silence [except wind and birds] for some time, contemplating the wooded ridge opposite, and being grateful that it did not conceal evidence of some tragedy nearly ninety years ago. Feeling inspired, I drove back down a very hilly and narrow road, only to find a young[ish] heifer escaped from a field, and being panicked by impatient cars, and worried people doing nothing. Now what I know about cows would fill a very small piece of paper, but thinking 'I am a woman of the Empire' I mangaged eventually to get behind it and with a lot of 'Gerra-long there's' [well..... it worked!]....drove it back down the hill and into the field, while the dozen other people held the gate open! Maybe next year I'd better observed the silence in M&S! Sue Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Fleur Posted 12 November , 2003 Author Share Posted 12 November , 2003 Wow Sue! You had an exciting day by the sounds of things. Aren't some people just useless in a crisis?? Loosing their heads and all that (or just doing sweet FA!) I am sure that the Heffer was very appreciative of your efforts It's nice to be nice. Fleur Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John_Hartley Posted 12 November , 2003 Share Posted 12 November , 2003 I mangaged eventually to get behind it and with a lot of 'Gerra-long there's' [well..... it worked!]....drove it back down the hill and into the field, Maybe next year I'd better observed the silence in M&S! I continue to be amazed at the range of talents of members of this Forum! I have to confess that, yesterday morning, I had lost track of time. In consequence, I am in Focus - weighing up the relative merits of own brand paint brushes as opposed to the expensive stuff. There is a mumbled tannoy which I cannot make out but which sounded like it was a customer service code 11 for checkout 2. Moments later, I decided to stick with the own brand brush and make my way to the check out. Only then do I realise that the tannoy was announcing it was 11oclock and the store will observe the 2 minutes. Stands stock still feeling slightly sheepish for about 1.5 minutes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Johnsonm Posted 12 November , 2003 Share Posted 12 November , 2003 Hello Fleur , Regarding the younger generation there was a party of local primary school children at the Cenotaph yesterday and it was good to see them there . They had made their own wreaths , were impeccably behaved and I was very proud of them . Like Paul at Ypres we had a very large crowd at both the Cenotaph and in the Guards Chapel . Can we hope for better things in respect of our national remembrance . I would like to think so , Maurice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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