Yesterday was Remembrance Day once called Armistice Day – known by various names in other countries – a day for paying respect, always held on November 11th no matter what day of the week that falls on. It is a day to ponder about and acknowledge times gone by – a day to remember past wars and conflict – a day to remember lives lost – – a day to recognise and honour those who served as well as those who died. A day symbolised by the wearing of a red poppy.
Yesterday (Wednesday) was my day in the op shop and when we heard the sound of the pips for the hour (11am) along with the bugle playing The Last Post on the radio people in the shop (both staff and customers) stopped what they were doing and observed the minutes silence. It was such an eerie feeling being there with some who were strangers all thinking about the same thing. Does anyone remember like I do that many years ago (when I was little) even the traffic stopped?
As we began to go about our business again there was one older lady who seemed quite agititated and when approached became visibly upset. There was lots of muttering about ‘her Bert and coming home’ so it took a bit of TLC from one of the other girls to calm her down and reassure her all was well now.
This older lady then became upset again, raising her voice saying ‘They tell you these days to forget and to forgive’ well no it won’t happen where I’m concerned. No-one knows how my Bert was when he came home after all those years away. I will never forgive them for what they did to him in those camps. I’ll never Forget – and I’ll never Forgive!’.
She was known to one of the volunteers who rang her daughter – who was unaware ‘Mum was out shopping’ because she has become more and more agitated each year when she realises what the date is. Their Dad was captured/ taken prisoner in the Pacific and was away from home for a lot longer than many other Australian soldiers so they try to ‘keep her busy’ both on Anzac Day and Rememberance Day.
It is very hard for those who remember all that their loved ones did for the safety of the world – they suffer in a different way
https://en.m.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day
Still Waters 
Oh the poor lady. I hope she finds peace within herself. Yes it’s easy to say forgive and forget but a lot harder to do in real life. Unless you have walked in their shoes do not presume to know and judge
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Some things we can never forget. :’/
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She, and rather a lot of other women, also suffered. During and after the war. An almost unrecognised sacrifice.
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Wow, that is rather moving. One hundred years since the beginning of WWI, 70 years since the end of WWII. Just a thought, but perhaps the time is approaching where we will no longer observe these moments and would it be a bad thing?
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Interesting post. Remembrance Day was observed all over Canada yesterday.
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