American Reacts to Tower of London Poppies to Commemorate the First World War
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- Опубліковано 12 лис 2022
- In this video I react to the Tower of London poppies. This was such a beautiful artistic expression to remember the 888,246 lives that were lost in World War 1. Each ceramic red poppy represents one life. Seeing all the poppies in one place is a powerful visual reminder of just how many gave up everything for the freedoms we are blessed with today.
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Literally made me cry seeing those poppies again, half the shitbags today don't even know their born, Rest In Peace HEROES, you live on in the rest of us ❤️
Absolutely bang on mate..
Name every single person that died in WWI to prove you are not one of these so called shitbags. I will wait.
Shitbag here.... 2 tours of Afghan, one of Iraq. Me and my wife have the boxed porcelain poppies that we put in place at the tower. Don't pit generations against each other. I thought of my grandfather who lost his hearing and legs in North Africa against Rommel in WW2. I know people think that comments on UA-cam don't matter. But your comment is a piece of shit move. Where did you serve... ? I'll gladly tell you and my grandfathers service medals.
And Mr Trump had imaginary bone spurs to avoid military service... fat cowardly bastard.
Eric Bogle's song "No Man's Land" sums it up.
The poppy was chosen as the symbol of remembrance because it was the first flower to grow back from the devastation of the trenches in Flanders.
Poppy seeds can lay dormant in the ground for years, growth being paticularly triggered when the ground is disturbed........the ground doesn't get much more disturbed than by the artillery bombardments of WW1. When the battle fronts moved and there was the opportunity for plants to grow again, the poppy fields were especially spectacular marking where so many had perished.......field after field of blood red flowers marking where so many had fallen......could there be a more appropriate flower to remember them ? 😭
They were also the only flowers found on the battlefield and we're also sent home to loved ones with letters
They are also blood red...
Interesting that it's different in France. The Bleuet de France is the French flower of Remembrance.
Let's not forget those who came back, often physically or mentally broken. I still remember my great uncle Charlie. My family were simple country folk, from a tiny rural community. When he came back, he was shy, rarely spoke, and kept himself to himself on the farm, What haunts me to this day was his eyes. They were the eyes of broken innocence, of a boy who'd seen things no one should see, even when he was an old man. I can still clearly see his face in my memory more than 50 years after his death, I shall never forget.
My heart always cries when I hear the news about our lovely boys and they bless them were just boys ,my dad was in ww2 he never spoke about the war ,it's about time our world should be at peace Shirley h Darlington 😘✌️🌹☮️
My grandfather was gassed in first world war, {Age 18} he was a Gunner, he survived, although his quality of life was very poor.
My mum was only saying the other day that she now realised her father must’ve had PTSD from his time in the trenches…her mum would tell the duds to leave their dad alone sometimes as he was ‘thinking’
@@sarahbowen7721 The pain and horror of untreated PTSD (often known as 'shell shock') after WW1 & WW2 must have ripped so many families apart further still, just as they felt they had the chance to 'get back on with their lives' and the sheer relief of having their husband, daddy, or brother home again.
A nation unable to deal with the inevitable fall-out, just left to get on with it and consider themselves grateful their loved-ones had survived... 😔
That is so sad. PTSD wasn’t recognised until comparatively recently. I always wear a poppy plus the purple one in remembrance of the animals killed in the line of duty.
The poppy is … red for the blood, the black center for mourning the fallen, the green stem for a new beginning. And the leaf points to the 11th hour on the 11th day on the 11th month.
Well said Will,❤
@@Irene-xs9pc Purple now for the animals we lost.
@@granmut wtf 😳 you on about??
This Spring for the very first time since 1973 when we bought this house has dozens of Poppues growin in the front garden, and i didn't plant them so they must be a "gift from the birds"
@@Irene-xs9pc all the horses that suffered and died horribly,the dogs,and the carrier pigeons.
Poppies are a serious thing here, now you know how serious . Be proud of your British heritage
Oh ABSOLUTELY 💯 👌 🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧, God bless them all 🙏🙏 ❤, was there aswell.. I live on the corner of Tower Bridge, was over there to watching them putting it altogether ❤ and god bless my dad who was in W11, he actually got rescued by HMS BELFAST(when in service) when his ship got missiled! HMS BELFAST is now a Floating Museum. 🇬🇧🇬🇧
yeah and the reason why poppies are the symbol is because when people went back to the trenches after the war, the fields where covered in poppies
@itsme Emma and we don't want you back
@itsme Emma I can't see the comment where anyone asked and on that note, shut up you silly cunt glad you left
@itsme Emma It's your choice....
My two great uncles were represented by two of those poppies. Robert Hook was 20 Percy Hook was 18 RIP ❤️
❤❤RIP Robert and Percy. Still remembered.
I purchased one of these ceramic poppies. I'm a Brit living in California and I wasn't sure if the poppy could be shipped abroad. Every year on Remembrance Day, I bring out my ceramic poppy and remember the incredible sacrifice that these young men made so long ago.
Men and women.
I purchased a couple too. One for me and another for my wife.
@@davebilson i am so glad to have found another person who felt this cause was so worthy to give our support to. Such a long time ago, but fir family and loved ones impacted by the loss, it happened as if it was yesterday.
When I was a child red paper poppies were hand made and sold by the VFW to support their Vet programs...they cost 25 cents and everyone wore one.
People do not comment enough on how Brits have a such a strong visual sense. This installation is stunning.
We're strange. We have few classically acclaimed composers but have had some of the best popular music artists. For every Turner or Constable there are 10s of celebrated Dutch, Italian, French painters, but we have produced some of the best architects, sculptors and conceptual artists.
@@gingerfreak01 For early _visual_ artists. I always understood that to be a blend of socio-economic factors, geography, and climate. Sorry, long but hopefully useful answer below - I got a bit carried away! 😆🎨
As soon as art becomes more well-funded and democratised, it almost self-generates - spreading rapidly. eg the Dutch Golden Age of art is linked to it also being the golden era of the Duchy of Burgundy, the trickle-down prosperity in Netherlands' cities - the urban upper class discovered that paintings were a symbol of power, and objects to be collected avidly. The level of professional expertise demanded by the Burgundian court kept standards competitive and high. Their royalty was _interested_ in art, they commissioned it, they paid handsomely for it, they valued and paid for the _training_ of artists, and art became a thing - even farmers selling tulips to afford their art collections.
Meanwhile, we had a series of rather dullard royalty who didn't really care for art, thanks to Henry VIII we were far too busy going through the philosophical and religious conflicts of the Reformation instead of building up and spending great fortunes on new palaces that needed outfitting. In fact the Protestant Reformations of England and Scotland we actively _destroyed_ existing religious art, and the production of new work virtually ceased. We became more focused on literature and poetry than the paintings associated with Renaissance high art, and it's not until the c17th that English visual art _slowly_ began to flourish in the same way as it already had across Europe.
Thank goodness for 'Mad' King George III, who eventually founded The Royal Academy in 1768, with Turner later attending as a 14yo boy.
Geography: Back to Holland - it was also the Mecca of trade due to its huge ports and rich networks of canals - paintings became _merchandise._ By contrast, eg Switzerland's harsh environment and impassable mountain landscapes = little spread. How many Swiss artists have you heard of? I can't name any!
Climate: Before the mass production of glass in the c18th century, along with effective artificial lighting, British paintings were a rather niche product in a country where it rains at least ⅓ of the year, and it's dark by 4pm in Winter! As you can't see to paint indoors, or appreciate the work, we amused ourselves in er... other ways.
@@gingerfreak01John Dunstable, Thomas Tallis, William Byrd, Orlando Gibbons, Henry Purcell, Arthur Sullivan, Edward Elgar, Ralph Vaughan Williams, Frederick Delius, Gustav Holst, Michael Tippett, William Walton, Benjamin Britten.
Also Arnold Bax, Edmund Rubbra, Arthur Bliss, Ivor Gurney, Herbert Howells, Hubert Parry, Malcolm Arnold, Gerald Finzi, John Ireland, Peter Warlock.
There were lean times in the 18th and 19th centuries but I don't think we have done badly since then: the German-speaking territories had rich patrons and Italy too to account for their runaway success.
@@221b-Maker-Street Nice, thanks! Definitely makes a lot of sense.
@@gingerfreak01 My pleasure. 🤍
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
😢
Thank you, Angus.
Amen.
Lest We Forget
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
And that is just 888.000 British and Colonials, don't forget the other countries. The total number of deaths includes from 9 to 11 million military personnel. But with disease and missing presumed dead the total number of military and civilian casualties in World War I was about 40 million:
The casualty rate for the empire was I believe one million, one hundred and fourteen thousand dead.
We don’t forget: any of them 🙏.
other countries in this would include America...
Well said!
@@clarewilliams5907 And Russia.
This video and your reaction emphasises why many Brits get really angry when Americans online troll us about ‘coming to save Britain’ in World Wars. Our tiny islands gave SO MUCH to keep the world free.
Especially WWI. The American contribution to WWI was relatively tiny. Not to cast any shade on the soldiers who came over and fought, but they had very little effect on the outcome of the war at all, if America had stayed out of it it would have ended almost exactly the same.
In WWII the American contribution was definitely far more important, though still greatly exaggerated.
@@WJS774 ww1 USA joined joined 1917 ww2 1942 about time they told the truth about when it REALY began
My Dad's Aunt Kitty was born in 1876 and lived close when I was young. I used to visit her, and she said there were many young women in the UK who never married because far too many of the young men had been killed in the Great War as it was known. Even though I was very young, I've never forgotten that.
And the law and religious acceptance were changed to allow a widow to marry her dead husband's brother in recognition of that reality. My wife's grandmother was one such widow. My own grandfather was killed in France in early 1915 leaving my grandmother a widow with 6 children. One was my mother, the youngest, born late 1914, who never saw her father. Those were dreadfully hard times.
Beautiful, just beautiful - no other words. The ceramic poppies were then sold and raised £15million for the six service charities.
My son bought one for his wife!
I bought 3 - they’re beautiful.
I was lucky enough I buy of of these. They’re beautiful. ❤
I got one
My Nephew has traced my Great Grandfather and he did the Family Tree. He was buried in France, and it was the first time we knew where he is. He was in the 1914_1916 war.
My wife worked on the project. Volunteers planted the ceramic poppies, and groups called up and came together to plant poppies in the Moat at the Tower. On one day two groups arrived at the same time to plant the poppies - the first Group was from the Vietnamese embassy, and the other group from the US embassy... they worked together, alongside each other. Beautiful to see the peaceful harmony of former enemies.
The whole event was truly emotional...
It's only with hindsight that we see how stupid we have been to each other. We don't have enemies until the first shot is fired.
My grandfather died age 19 in WW1, my mother never knew him. When I went to France as a schoolgirl I visited his grave in Arras, they had several trenches left as they had been in WW1. It was so moving, graves were beautifully tended and names registered but there were some unnamed graves there as well, so terribly sad.
So he had a kid at 19 then went to war ??
@@angelaturner4376 Yes.
@@angelaturner4376 that was common. There was lots of boys at 16 & 17 year olds who were husbands and about to become fathers when they were shipped off to war. They jumped at getting married because they were fully aware that they could die and it might be their only opportunity to leave a legacy. It gave them something to fight for. It was their only ray of hope. That their child might live in a better world because of their sacrifices. And also don’t forget that they couldn’t have any bedroom fun time if they weren’t married… so they certainly didn’t want to go to war, and possibly even dying, without losing it. 😂
I have been to Arras several times as my great grandfather is buried there (Garrison Artillery). He was a 38 year old gunner and his eldest son died in the war a month before him. I hope to Christ he didn’t know before he died.
My great grandfather died age 29 in WW1 at Ypres, we only found out a couple of months ago. His wife was 5 months pregnant with my grandfather when he died. His name is listed on the Menin Gate.
Edit: for correct age.
How lovely to see our Pearly Kings and Queens , they do such a good job.❤
The thousands they talk about in the video are just the British and Commonwealth dead not the total dead
Thank you for remembering 🙏
Its hard to visualise what 888,246 actually is - until you see those poppies, then it really brings it home. We will never forget ❤
And these are not the total casualties of the war, its "merely" those from the UK and British colonies. Absolutely mindboggling.
Sad fact. It was actually a whole generation that died.
@@douglas3286 One out of four men in Britain between the ages of 16-36 died. Insane and tragic.
That 888,246 was only the British men, that doesn’t include the French, German and American soldiers etc. The total number was approximately 9.7 million.
Plus;; between World War I and World War I, over a quarter of the worlds population of men had died. LET THAT SINK IN.
Of course the guardian hated it.
In Canada, as in Britain, we wear the poppy to remember the lost warriors. We purchase a paper poppy from members of the Legion. The funds raised are used to help soldiers and others who lose limbs to purchase artificial limbs, etc.
I'm Irish I'd love to wear a poppy to commerate these brave people including my uncle Dan who died and three other uncles who were so lucky to return, but unfortunately poppy day is not commerated in the South of Ireland which seems such a shame when so many men joined up.a whole generation of Irishmen forgotten. But at least greatfully remembered in Great Britain. Thanks to all who contributed in any way.
My grandfather was in the Iniskilling Fusiliers WW l one son in the Irish Gd's one in the Scots Gd's and two nephews in the Scots Gds both nephews KIA in N. Africa in 1941 both early 20's and one son in the Irish Gd's K I A in Holland WW I I he was 23in 1944 the other was my father he was knocked out by a German shell was shot twice on sperate occasions a POW for 10 months before he escaped but he survived he was 23 in 1945 when the war ended.
So beautiful, yet at the same time so heart wrenching. Canada lost 66,000.🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇨🇦🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧🇬🇧
I remember visiting my family in Mississauga ,and after a trip to a local licensed premises,well it was very hot , especially for us Scot’s. I stumbled across a war memorial. Where the Canadian Solder was Kilted. It took my breath away. Such a touching memorial for the 66,000 who traveled so far away to a stupid war in Central Europe thank you Canada.
What a genuine, humble, likeable man you are. I hope you get to visit some time.
He's suprised at 860,000 people dying, but that was just from the british empire. Nearly 8,500,000 died in total in WW1. Rest in peace.
Yep around 600,000 ppl just disappear in USA every year.
But I think more ppl died of the Spanish Flu which apparently came from an American pig farmer.
So an American was probably responsible for more deaths during WW1 than the Germans.
I love my country for all these reasons❤my heart goes out for all the soldiers and family’s around the world,absolutely heartbreaking.
Peace and love
I have one of those poppies. It is my honour to keep it safe, and it is one of my most treasured possessions.
When I visited the Shot at Dawn memorial at the National Memorial Arboretum (please visit if you can- it is a heart breaking, uplifting and beautiful place), I found a broken nameplate on the ground. I held it in my hand until I could give it to someone who could take care of it. Knowing that my poppy represented a soldier who died, I connected the name I carried to the poppy at home. William Hunter is always a guest at my table now. I don't know what he looked like or where he was from, just that he was 19 years old. A terrified kid, traumatised from the horrors he'd seen, executed for 'desertion'.
William never made it home to his family, and I doubt any of his family who knew him are still alive more than 100 years later. Hopefully his living relatives remember him, as do we in his adopted family.
Harsh times indeed. But I guess that the military authorities of the day were driven to those measures
by the fear of the behaviour being "catching" and causing loss of manpower that was already being
severely depleted by the casualties suffered. The tragedy was that the time served in combat was
probably not taken into account for its effect on the individual. .
@Nicky L Thank you so much for that. It makes me very happy to know that there are people who know and tell his story. It elevates him from the abstract of randomly attaching his name to a bit of ceramic to a real young man whose incredibly hard life was cut short.
This will mean little to you, no doubt, but most of the year he sits in the sunlight among my house plants, and when the Christmas decorations come out, he moves to the dining table where the hundreds of lights dance on his shiny petals.
I know some others keep their poppy outside, and I suppose it was designed to be outdoors, but I figured he'd endured enough cold, wet weather in life, he can at least stay warm and dry now.
Bloody heart breaking the way the way PTSDs
were treated. The histories of the Vets,medical staff are.
it’s a bloody wonder any body could mentally
survive the WW one trebches
@Nicky L I'm sorry to hear about your poppy. I must be lucky that mine is so solid. Have you thought about mounting just the flower head in a box frame?
@Nicky L I was born within 100 yards of Sunderland boys industrial school, it always looked like a grim place.
To everyone who gave their lives in every war….. WE THANK YOU ❤️🌺🌺
I know what you mean, and agree, but I think the more appropriate words would be "We are grateful to you".
Thank you for your honest and genuine reaction to the awesome tribute to our fallen soldiers. It does take your breath away.
I get a poppy every year, I think most brits do really... it is *important* that we remember these sacrifices, that they don't just become statistics one can look at and just say "oh that was pretty bad", no it must say "this is true horror, every single life that's lost, someone's world ended".
Every one of those fatalities meant the entire world to someone, could've been the world to others they never got to meet because of war, wives never met, children never born, heroes not welcomed home with open arms.
I keep 2 poppies in my cab every day.
I'm spending a lot of time in tears watching your videos.😔 The Wars, first and second, are still very much part of the fabric of British life, especially to the older generations. Thank you.
I agree with your sentiment, we should all be grateful. My father was born in 1914, he obviously didn't serve in the First World War, but did in the second, like my mother. Do you know what really grinds my gears.... currently we, in the UK are celebrating the Suffragettes. Statues and memorials, we have forgotten the 'White feather campaign' ... apparently. When women of 'standing' handed out white feathers to working class men... and boys who weren't in uniform. To signify their cowardice... while they, themselves sipping tea and cross-stitch discussing women's sufferage. It mattered not that those men dying in Belguim and France didn't have the vote either.. to them. Lest we forget... eh?
Quite agree, shame so many of the post wars generations don't seem to know anything war entails and what these people gave to the following to be able to live the life they have today.
Thank you for being so respectful, my great grandfather went to fight in the First World War as a thirteen year old. He lied about his age and looked after the horses that pulled the cannons. As a young child I remember him and his grief at seeing his friends mown down in the trenches and the horses wounded, starving and thrashing in the mud as they were dying. I got my love of horses from him and also my hatred of war.
brave fool
13 years old? Oh dear Lord, that poor little boy... 😔
I have one of these. They were sold after Remembrance Day and came boxed with an authenticity certificate. I’ll always treasure it. Good to see you embracing our history and patriotism. 👍🏻
Thank you for showing this. Your respect is appreciated. The red poppy is such a powerful symbol for us in the UK & Commonwealth.
My great grandfather Private Horace Brackley died of wounds 23rd June 1917 we must never forget the sacrifice our ancestors made for our freedom 🙏🏻
There is an Epitaph at Kohima in India that is in rememberance of British forces that died stopping the Japanese there, an inscription reads, "When you go home tell them of us and say, FOR YOUR TOMORROW, WE GAVE OUR TODAY." Really encapsulates what those patriotic soldiers felt for their country and future generations.
WW1 was known at the time as "the war that will end all wars", because of the wholesale carnage and loss of life. Some were 14 and 15 years old, having lied about their ages to go on a great adventure with friends and following older brothers. It took just 20 years to be brushed aside and the destruction started all over again.
The thousands of under age boys known as the "Sixpence boys" who fought alongside men in the trenches but were only paid 6p (old money) a day. Many of them died and their families never received their money which became a large fund that disappeared mysteriously. over the years.
@@theoldgreymare703 In old money it's 6d, not 6p.
@@alisonhill3941 Ok my mistake.
We hardly had any choice in the matter so blame the correct people.
My Gf was 14 years but lied about his age .He survived WW1 and later fought in WW2,survived Dunkirk and went on to serve in India, returned to Britain with bad lungs from being gassed in WW2 but otherwise. uninjured until ironically he fell downstairs in 1960's and became blind.
We “British” really do love our country and do this type of things very very well🥰🥰
There was Irish in the ranks of the British Army so be proud of both roots of your Ancestry
I am so glad that I was living in London at this time. The atmosphere around the Tower of London was incredible and the view was awesome.
At 8 every evening in Belgium at the Menin Gate the last post is sounded for all the fallen who were lost, who gave their lives but were never found it’s incredibly moving. The average age was about 24 but some joined at 14 and during the latter stages they were desperate so we’re taking all ages.
Yes you must go there
My great grandfather's name is on the Menin Gate, my great grandmother was pregnant with my grandfather at the time. He was 29.
It's located in Ypres.
I went to london to see this, it truly was remarkable, haunting, beautiful, moving and awe inspiring.
I am so proud that I have one of those poppies in memory of my Great Uncle Frank Yardley, who was killed aged 21 in 1917. He gave up his tomorrows for my today. Thank you Frank.
What a touching man you can see it in his eyes thanks mate thinking of all that died god bless you
John Condon (5 October 1900 - 24 May 1915) was an Irish soldier born in Waterford. He was believed to have been the youngest Allied soldier killed during the First World War, at the age of 14 years; he lied about his age and he claimed to be 18 years old when he signed up to join the army in 1913.
😪😪 'cannon' fodder and one whole generation of men almost wiped out. Just so sad, but I thank each and every person who sacrificed their life that I am here today.
Brave lad,makes me proud to be Irish. Had never heard of him till now. I had 5 uncles who fought in the first world war All were very lucky, one lost an eye one got shot in arm, Lovely to see those who lost their lives remembered,wish we had poppy day here
What age was it back then 16
Most of us know about the 36th Division, but so many Irishmen have served, and with distinction. You only have to look at the Roll of VC's awarded to see that.
@@mikelavin7317 18. A common anecdote is that when telling the recruiting sergeant their actual underage, he would suggest they go for a walk around the block and come back "when you are 18" a few minutes later.
I'm just home from one of the remembrance services taking place all over the country today. Along with the rest of the country we stood in a churchyard at a war memorial, united in grief for the loss of men we never knew in life and who are long dead.
When you go home, tell them of us and say
For your tomorrow, we gave our today - John Maxwell Edwards
I wear a poppy every year, thankful for all those young men who died for us to live in a free country, and I wear it with pride ❤✨✨✌🏾
We must not forget the Purple poppies that represent all the animal lives lost during the war, those Horses, dogs, pigeons, taken, donated to the war effort! Over the last few years they are just more and more being remembered with the purple poppy....
Unfortunately for the owners ,most of the horse taken were requisitioned, in other words,
taken under military orders .
Even farmers who at that time relied on everything that is now mechanised, were stripped of the best and Hunters and Children`s horses were taken.
Compensation in money terms could not compensate Horsemen who valued the horses as companions and loyal workers.
Beautiful, i am English, in the UK and it never fails to move me, glad you understand also all soldiers all over the world, then and now, should be remembered,
So lovely to see a Pearly King and Queen, my parents were Londoners and this is part of an old tradition. After Remembrance Day that year the public were allowed to buy the ceramic poppies created by Paul Cummins for £25 each, eventually raising over £15million for six service charities. My Mum bought one - it is very precious, made by hand to represent one single soldier.
The poppies were ceramic and steel. I was one of thousands of volunteers who "planted" them. Each poppy had to be assembled and then hammered into the ground. It wasn't easy and we were asked to bring gardening gloves to protect our hands. After the installation finished, thousands of volunteers had to remove and wash them as everyone had been sold to raise funds for the Royal British Legion. I still feel honoured to have helped with this.
Thank you and every volunteer for doing a great job.
I remember walking under the poppy arch as you entered the tower. What brought me to tears as well was seeing and hearing a robin singing in the arch. The sound stopped people for a minute as it seemed it was the bird’s way of honouring those who gave up their lives. Still remember today how proud I was of those who never hesitated to fight against evil. We must never forget them ever in both World Wars. With out them would some of us be here today.
Such a beautiful post Steve on Such a special day, thank you 🙏. To our soldiers and veterans worldwide, we salute you.
I cry every year on Remembrance Sunday. It is still incomprehensible to me what people have had to endure. The sheer bad luck of being born during that time. The pride, determination and the tragic loss of lives must never be forgotten.
Me too Anne, My stepfather is a veteran and parades in York every remembrance Sunday, I always make a point to call him and thank him.
So true, and yet mankind repeats it time and time again.
Me too. I was in the RAF Md my parents both of them served in the RNavy.pround to be British
Hi Steve, Poppies were chosen for remembrance because the shelling in WW1 disturbed the soil so much and poppies are one of first flowers to flower as the seeds stay in the soil. So the battlefields were covered in them. Like many my own great grandfather died in WW1 (in the battle of the Somme), visiting his grave makes you realise that these are people. This installation made you realise that and just how many. Beautiful and moving.
I used to work near to Tower Bridge and walked by this every day while it was on. It was a beautiful and moving tribute. My Grandfather fought in WWI and survived it but i never knew him as he died before I was born.
It's overwhelming. And to think most of those poppies also represent wives who lost their husband, children who lost their dad, mums and dads who lost their son, brothers and sisters who lost their brother, partners who lost the man they loved. It's just heartbreaking and so hard to comprehend.
Armistice day 11/11 at 11 am Remenberance Sunday marked with a tribute at the cenotaph
We were in the UK at this time, returning to spread my father's ashes. My mother and I visited the Tower and this incredible display was truly astonishing and unforgettable. I can't imagine a more fitting tribute to those who made the ultimate sacrifice. Both of my grandfathers served in WW1, my maternal grandfather in Turkey and on the Western Front and my paternal grandfather in Palestine and my father in WW2. The 800,000 + fatalities is just the British Commonwealth. The total death toll from all combatant nations was 9.5 million, with 20 million wounded and 8 million of those permanently disabled. The figure are simply staggering.
November the 11th in Canada is Remembrance day!!! We remember US, the UK, and all our allies! We wear the poppy!!🇨🇦❤️🇬🇧
,
The way I learned to put the loss of that many young men into context was by something my great grandmother once said to me as a kid, before she passed. She remembered travelling to and from various towns and cities in the years directly after the end of WWI and the thing she noticed most, more than everyone pulling together to try and rebuild their lives... was the lack of the sound of children playing. Because almost an entire generation of would-be fathers had been lost.
So many young men lost their lives, so many sweethearts never married, so many spinsters left. Social conditions so different than today, the lack of social welfare, so many single ladies had to live under the same roof as it would be an outrage to society if a lady lived on her own. I had 2 spinster aunts needing to share a cottage just to live they shared money and possessions and no hope of a suitable man to marry.
That figure is just for those who died fighting for Britain. The war claimed about 20 milkion lives and about another 20 million suffered life changing injuries.
No greater love hath a man than this, that a man giveth up his life for his friends.
I bought one of the poppies. The money raised went to the Royal British Legion which looks after war verterans to this day. My Grandfather was a survivor of WWI and active in the Legion. I always remember him when I look at it. He was such a sweet gentleman. I can't begin to imagine what it was like for him to go through that.
I am honored to be the owner of one of the poppies that were at the Tower of London, its a precious piece I will pass to my son.
As an injured veteran, it meant a great deal to be able to purchase one of the ceramic poppies. In my day job I support fellow veterans at their worst times so I see where the money is spent 💜
My Great Uncle Levi Sibcy served in the first world war. He died from pneumonia on 15th January 1915 aged 16. Two more of my Great Uncles served in the first world war John William Sibcy he returned to England with Malaria he lived and was discharged from the Army in 1919. Another three brothers also served in the same war. George Sibcy wounded in 1915, Samuel Sibcy 1916.
I remember going to the Tower to see this installation; what you can't see on the film, is the view of the window - where the poppies spill out from the window of the Tower - which looks like the blood of those who lost their lives. This installation moved around the country, in different forms. As you're so interested in researching ... there's something else you might be interested in from this period and that's the statue of the unknown soldier at Paddington railway station. Throughout 2014-2018 there were various projects to engage people with the horrors of WW1 and one of those was a project for the public to write a letter to the unknown soldier. Every letter was archived (in digital form) at the British Library, and a book was published of those deemed to be the most interesting. I'm an English teacher and I asked my year 9 students to write a letter, as I too did, as well as members of my family - we didn't make the book, but we're in the archives and it was a great project. Going back to the poppies - the poppy is the symbol of of that war and people wear it coming up to and including the 11th November; it's not called Poppy Day because we wear the poppy for more than one day. Poppies sprang up in the disturbed earth of the battlefields (the seeds can lay dormant for up to one hundred years) but it was the poem In Flanders Fields which sealed the poppy as the symbol. I'll put it below.
In Flanders Fields
BY JOHN MCCRAE
In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.
We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie,
In Flanders fields.
Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.
I am 74 and my dad was in the Lancashire Fusiliars in WW1 as dad was 50 when i was born i believe it is rare for people to say my dad was in WW1 usually it is someones grandad. This makes me feel i was lucky to be born though i was told dad was gassed.
Like you, I’m 74 and my father was 50 when I was born. He was with the Queen Victoria Rifles , a London Regiment and fought at Passchendale. He never spoke about his time out there, so I know little more.
My father joined the Royal Navy as a 'boy sailor' in 1912 so was already a trained signalman when WWI began. I only ever heard him speak of WWI three times. When he learned I was reading about Gallipoli at school, he told me he was there then he wept for the poor ANZAC boys. "The sea" he said, "turned red."
At the Battle of Jutland, he was transferred by breeches buoy from one ship to another and as he landed on his new ship, his old ship was sunk "with all hands". Although he was grateful to be alive he never quite got over losing all his friends and shipmates in that way - over 1,000 men were lost. Years later, I took my dad to visit one of my mother's three brothers - they had also been in WWI, two in the trenches, and all of them came home. The third brother had been in the RN and also served at Jutland but there were two admirals involved and my uncle had served with "the other one". So I took Dad to see his brother-in-law more than 50 years after the battle and they still argued over whose admiral had been right!
I am glad to know that I'm not the only one who had an older father and therefore still has a connection back to those times. I certainly wear my poppy with pride - and with gratitude that all my family members came home.
@@sallysmith7778 Hello Sally ,Nice to know you have a similar experience to myself. I was 6 when my dad died and of course he never spoke to me about the war but my older brother told me that dad had been gassed plus i have a small piece of paper from the war office giving his number ,rank, and regiment .It would have been interesting if your dad and my dad were in the same regiment where there could be a chance they met. My dad died of lung cancer and i wonder if being gassed was part of the cause.
@@carolineb3527 Hello Caroline , I am strangely pleased to know there are others with fathers in WW1 . I was too young for my dad to tell me anything about the war but i did learn about him being gassed and swimming a river to aid a crossing but that is all i know. My dad had a good sense of fun regardless and the only photo i have of him is one of him on a child's rocking horse with a big smile on his face. My brother told me that dad played cards with Arthur Askey and that Mr Askey was a bad loser.
My dad was in the second world
war.....his regiment was. the Lancashire Fusiliers....he was in
Burma....I still have.his hat and I am 73
It was a Canadian soldier who noticed the small red wild flowers growing in the war ravaged land at Ypres in the Flanders region inspiring him to write the poem Flanders Fields.....WW1 whole towns of young men,brothers,cousins,friends...all fought in same battalions and knew each other personally.
Most would be wiped out or seriously injured...all the young men of towns would never return home,especially in that dreadfull morning in the Battle of the Somme.
Yes this is true.
All the young men ?
@@kenvoysey8222 It is historical fact that some villages & towns lost entire generations of young men.
@@Phlowermom They were known as "Pals Battalions" They joined up together and were guaranteed that they would all be together throughout their service. Sadly, no one thought about the possibility of entire battalions being wiped out in one action. Some "Pals" were made up of lads from the same school, or place of work.The practice was stopped after 1916.
@@AV-fo5de I am aware of this history. I was merely attempting to enlighten Ken Voysey as to historical accuracy. You'll get it, I'm confident.
Not just people, we need to remember the animals that lost their lives too
Pte Frederick Edwards, 2nd Btn South Wales Borderers. Killed in Action 1st July 1916 Beaumont Hamel. I have his poppy, never forgotten.
These commemorate just the Commonwealth lives lost .Remember there were as many, if not more, on the allied and opposing sides in Europe and worldwide.
The deaths of all these young men affected a whole generation of ordinary people. Not just the families who were grieving for loved ones lost ,but the many young women who`s fiances died but were not then able to marry because of the scarcity of appropriately aged men.
I started work as a teenager in the early 1950s and we cruelly laughed at the numerous women ,then aged approximately 50,who seemed to us just old women ,never attractive enough to have married .Now I realise, that for many ,there were great tragedies in their lives .
We need to remember that the Great War affected so many more .
When you're able you should watch last night's Festival of Remembrance from the Royal Albert Hall. A modern and old mix of remembrance this year, also the service of the Queen. Probably/possibly one of the last times we'll see the E II R cypher on the chests of the servicemen's/trumpeters.
Hi Bear, yes I "enjoyed " last nights F of R, it felt very special.
That was a beautiful Festival of Remembrance as i'm typing this i'm watching the Veterans march past the Cenotaph but what got me in last nights Festival of Remembrance was the lone piper i had a vision of the Queen's piper piping as the coffin was lowered and him walking away
@@laceyherst2786 I got exactly the same Lone Piper feeling.
Me too….seeing the lone piper at Her Majesty’s funeral….the tears just flowed….and seeing the film clips on the F or R last night….they started again.
Still quite can’t accept that Her Majesty is “no longer here” 😥
I was going to suggest the same thing. It was beautiful wasn't it.
Never ever ever ever forget, never. 🇬🇧😢 from Glasgow 🙁
We always Remember the Bravest Men the World has ever known. My Grandfather was 14 when he signed up for WW1, he was 16 when he fought in the Somme; having survived against all odds with just a small v-shaped shrapnel wound. He survived WW1 and fought again in WW2. He lived for a couple more years after WW2, but I have never had the chance to meet him. But every year I honour him and all his comrades for their bravery and sacrifice. Many other members of my family fought in both WW1 and WW2 and other wars after. I honour them all every year, with pride to have known of them. Lest We Forget💂💂💂
Thank you for watching that film Steve, I could see you were really moved by it. Individual members of the public paid for those poppies. Often relatives of those who died in WW1, and when the installation finished, they could have their poppy back if they wanted it
Thank you for your respect Steve, I could see how moved you were. Both this installation of poppies and the poppies that fall from the ceiling at the annual Service of Remembrance in The Albert Hall (broadcast last night) always bring a lump to my throat.
A few miles away from where I live was one of the biggest equestrian depots where not only soldiers were recruited but 250,000 horses and mules passed through, they were walked to our local station, boarded onto trains and shipped across to Europe to play their part in The War. Sadly very few returned due to being killed, suffering trauma, or injury which meant they were put down or it was deemed not feasible to bring them back and some were sold for meat. However some were put to work on farms in France, a few did return back here and were walked through the streets with pride on their return. The depot is no longer around but there is a War Horse walk which takes you on the route from the depot to the train station which people can re trace.
Thank you for this.
We hear very little about the animals who were conscripted. I wear a purple poppy (small button hole size) in my trench coat to highlight awareness.
@@malaika2940 Horses, donkeys,mules, dogs, pigeons and many animals including camels, elephants, cattle all played their part.
@@susanashcroft2674
Yes, we hear very little (if anything about the animals who were at war), apart from the few who were awarded the Dicken Medal. The contribution made by the animals really should be highlighted much more.
To bring a tear to your eye, here's the War Horse tribute from the 2014 Royal Festival of Remembrance...ua-cam.com/video/OKXADjROrH8/v-deo.html
@@TimeyWimeyLimey Thank you for finding this.
One of them is my great grandfather. Samuel Skelding. He volunteered from the workhouse. He got machine gunned in the legs at the battle of the Dardanelles. Miraculously he survived but his regiment were nearly wiped out. What survived of his regiment merged with another regiment that was cut to shreds too. He was then shipped from the Hellas field hospital to Gallipoli. His regimental diary says that he was mustard gassed and then blinded, got tangled in barbed wire on the beach near Suvla Bay. He screamed for 4 hours before his own officer shot him as an act of mercy. Rest in peace grandad Sam.
Things like this don't affect you when youre a kid, its when you reach my age and above and have your own family that it gets you, and this made me cry so much, it really reached my heart ❤
Thank you for sharing your response to this. The number quoted was simply members of the armed forces from across what was then the empire. Once you add civilians killed and volunteer nurses, labourers, administrative staff, it's much closer to a million. In addition both France and Germany lost roughly 3% of their entire populations. That's why WW1 is still a big deal over here. I grew up knowing an entire generation of elderly ladies who never married - because the men they might have married all died.
Your reactions over the last few months have been so genuine and respectful. Thank you for that.
I went to London to see the Poppies, it was breath taking and so emotional and it really bought home the colossal loss of a generation of young men, very humbling 😞💔
And we often forget the women who lost their love ones and children who lost their feathers. Many young women didn't find a husband after the war, because there was a shortage of men. War causes so much suffering.
@@josephinedewar4469 Very true, two of my Great Aunt's lost their husbands on the same day at Dunkirk, all the women left alone had tough lives as well just trying to provide for their families as well, there was little or no social security help then either, we don't know how lucky we are really.
We have no choice but to remember their sacrifice, to continually attempt to educate the younger generations of these men and women. Who have paid a high price, which allows our freedoms and privileges this day.
Strange how other countries are surprised, at the historic British patriotism and culture of appreciation toward our service men and women past and present.
I bought one of those poppys and have it at home my man lost both her brothers in the First World War…you could go at night they would call out their names it was amazing….
I remember this and even watching it now the years are streaming down my face. I was in military from 76-91 and visited Ypres and all our war cemeteries all over Europe. Its a hubling experience. Stay safe and sane from Scotland 🏴 x
I now have one of those poppies in my lounge they are ceramic and everyone is hand made and individual came in a lovely presentation box
Poppies are a big thing here in Australia too..Rememberance Day was called Armisters Day the end of the great war to end all wars.. 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month. 1918
this should hit us hard. remember why we are able to live life the way we do. its because people gave their LIFE for us
My 19yr old cousin, is on eternal patrol after his sub was hit by German depth charges. RIP to all the fallen , you are all heroes.
“Eternal Patrol”..
What a beautiful way of putting it 💕💕
My Great Great Grandad never came back, lost somewhere in France💔💔
The loss of a whole generation of men and boys even led to society itself having to change, young women of 18 had to marry men in their late 20's and 30's because so few men of marriage age survived. That war affected EVERYTHING in Britain's society.
The poppies for this artwork at The Tower were all made of ceramic and each were individually made. Not made by machine. When it was all completed and finished in 2018, they were all sold off. I myself bought one to commerate my husband's Uncle who was killed in action on 22 April 1915, and also my Grandad, who thankfully, lived all the way through the four years, although he had a shrapnel wound in his neck which went through just about an inch from his spine and it came out at the side of his neck, so very lucky. He fought at Ypres. The poppies in this artwork commerates every single soldier/sailer/pilot from Gt Britain and the Commonwealth countries who were killed during those four years. And just remember, on the first day of the Somme (1 July 1916), and remember its only one day, 19,240 British men were killed. This is just one battle, in one day. This particular battle actually went on until November. In the four years of the war
Thankyou for posting and being so respectful. best wishes from UK
One of the best Modern Artworks ever created in my opinion,..... infact i'd say the Best.
The Red Poppy was chosen because it only grows in disturbed ground. After the fighting finished, Poppy’s grew in the fields of France that was damaged by the millions of shells that exploded there, causing the Poppy’s to grow. Which still grow in France, on the same fields.
I think the placing of that 1 poppy just brings it home the over 888,000 others are all people!
Its chilling to think about! - We buy poppies every year in support and wear them proudly!
These people didnt choose to give up their lives... most were forced to do it. So sad!
I was home in London during this time . Ceramic and each person paid for them when they were ordered. What a beautiful site.
My maternal grandfather was in the trenches during WWI. He was injured and ended up in a concentration camp. He was one of the lucky ones..
I got to go to London on remembrance day to see them in person, it was very emotional, I was lucky enough to purchase one of the poppies for my Mum and Dad to represent all my Grandparents and my 2 great uncles that served in the army during WW2, sadly one of my great uncles never come back, now with my Mums passing nearly 5 years ago one of the last thing she asked was for me to have the poppy back so I can teach my Daughter about all the sacrifices these men and women endured for our freedom today, we have a saying over here of “Never Forget” every 11th Nov I display and ware my poppy in remembrance, with pride and respect for the fallen and all current serving soldiers and also my Mum ❤💜
I went to see the poppies as they were being installed, it was so moving. Everyone there for their own reason, some chatting, others in silence. I was lucky enough to be one of the people to buy a poppy and have it displayed at home. We will remember them
I am proud to be a subscriber to Your channel Steve. You truly are a genuine, caring Human being. Thank You & always be the great guy that You so obviously are! 👍🇬🇧🇺🇸
Thank you so much Paul. I really appreciate that.
@@reactingtomyroots please check out the Guinea pig club, plastic surgery for ww veterans, it was started back in 1941
Wonderful post. Thank you Steve with heartfelt thanks for your respect.
My great grandfather served in WW1, he served at the battle of the Somme, he was a cavalry rider. This is a true story he recanted to me when I was old enough to hear it. He had been fighting and storming trenches for months, on this particular occasion he had been fighting for seven days straight without any rest, breaks or proper sleep, he was finally ordered back from the front line by his commander to return to the secondary lines so he and his horse could get some rest, he was truly exhausted it was around 11.30pm. When he got to the rear of the lines, his friend was already there, they had been best friends since child hood, he also was a cavalry rider. His friend had dug himself a large fox hole for both him and his horse and saw Albert coming looking drawn, dazed and in dire need of food and sleep. He called out to Albert and said here come here, my fox hole is large enough for both our horses and us, come and rest. My grandfather recalls saying no I should dig my own foxhole we got orders but thanks anyway. He proceeded in then digging a hole for the next three hours to settle both him and his horse. He fed the horse , fed himself then passed out huddled up next to his steed, he was so exhausted you have no idea how much...to help explain how tired the following description will help you gauge true fatigue. The next morning around 9.30am he awoke, he was confussed and there was much commotion and shouting as he tried to gather his senses. As he did he looked down at his horse and indeed himself to see he was covered and his horse head to toe in body parts and blood, he soon became alert at this point, and then a sense of dread surged through his mind and he lurched up to the top of his fox hole to look over the top to check on his best friend...there was nothing left other than remains, most of which were on Albert, he didnt even wake from the shell landing no more than ten feet away, he lost his best friend that day, and I remember the pain as he told me this story, it choked me up, and as I looked at him he said one thing....this we is why we have rules.
Hi again the poppies were ceramic and were made in Derbyshire where I live. They were fired in Stoke (historic pottery region). If I remember they were auctioned off and money went to The Royal British Legion. Aka the poppy appeal. Poppies are sold every year to raise funds for the RBL. Remerbrance Sunday and the cenotaph ceremony might be of interest.
I always wear a poppy. We were brought up to commemorate all those who sacrificed their lives for our freedoms. Many in WW1 were under 20! Emotional video. Thanks for sharing.