BoxsterS trip to France - report
08-28-2002, 08:55 AM
#21
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[QUOTE]Originally posted by PWE 896
[B]We spent Monday visiting the D-Day landing beaches..... Awesome and very emotional. There are 10,000 Americans buried in an exceedingly beautiful 175 acre cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer (just off "Omaha Beach") and 4,000 Brits in the cemetery at Bayeux.
[B]We spent Monday visiting the D-Day landing beaches..... Awesome and very emotional. There are 10,000 Americans buried in an exceedingly beautiful 175 acre cemetery at Colleville-sur-Mer (just off "Omaha Beach") and 4,000 Brits in the cemetery at Bayeux.
08-28-2002, 09:17 AM
#23
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Originally posted by AnDy_PaNdY
I was a bit saddened when my recent post on the main off topic forum about the anniversary of the doomed Dieppe raid only had 2 replies. You can go here to see it.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=77504
I was a bit saddened when my recent post on the main off topic forum about the anniversary of the doomed Dieppe raid only had 2 replies. You can go here to see it.
https://www.s2ki.com/forums/showthread.php?...&threadid=77504
08-28-2002, 12:22 PM
#25
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Pete- sorry to hear about the missus.
It is impressive, how such a small cross-section of the s2ki community can possess so much ability for reflection
Can I be an honorary U.K. forum member?
It is impressive, how such a small cross-section of the s2ki community can possess so much ability for reflection
Can I be an honorary U.K. forum member?
08-28-2002, 01:56 PM
#27
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Pete, great write up - glad I still got my go-kart S.
apart from the airwar no WWII battle sites exist on the mainland - you have to take the effort to visit the ones in continental Europe. I often get the sense that people in the UK don't care what happened as there is nothing to remind them - i.e. WE Won - so what.
I have visited several places in France and Monte Cassino in Italy. Most recently I was at the request of my son, driving over the bridge at Nijmegen and then onto the John Frost bridge at Arnhem to see where the British Army had it's last major defeat. Despite the town being rebuilt there are clues everywhere as to what happened. The Dutch, despite losing 800 civilians in that ill-fated attempt to hold the bridge, mark the event each year. Every grave of the 1st airborne regiment was adopted by a local child and every year the children stand by the graves at the Oosterbeek cemetray to pay their respects. At least the children growing up in this town will know the cost of war.
apart from the airwar no WWII battle sites exist on the mainland - you have to take the effort to visit the ones in continental Europe. I often get the sense that people in the UK don't care what happened as there is nothing to remind them - i.e. WE Won - so what.
I have visited several places in France and Monte Cassino in Italy. Most recently I was at the request of my son, driving over the bridge at Nijmegen and then onto the John Frost bridge at Arnhem to see where the British Army had it's last major defeat. Despite the town being rebuilt there are clues everywhere as to what happened. The Dutch, despite losing 800 civilians in that ill-fated attempt to hold the bridge, mark the event each year. Every grave of the 1st airborne regiment was adopted by a local child and every year the children stand by the graves at the Oosterbeek cemetray to pay their respects. At least the children growing up in this town will know the cost of war.
08-29-2002, 02:42 AM
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I wouldn't say that people in the UK don't care, if your over here on or around 11 Nov every year and see the memorial parades all over the country as well the other services for VE day etc, you'll see that people over here do care and haven't forgotten.
The main reason why we dont seem to care is that we have very little left here that reminds us of the actualities of war, we have no places like Nijmegen, Arnhem, the Beaches with there cemeteries, The Town Hall in Berlin where the Russians alone lost nearly 20,000 men or the Berlin Wall when it was there.
Although I say there is little to remind people in this country, nearly every town or village in the country has a list of names of people either in the local church or as a monument somewhere of people of all services who died in various places.
Many of these are in public places, though I doubt many people appreciate there significance, or have even taken the time to wonder what they're for!
I do feel, however, that as the generation who were involved gradually leave us we are losing our appreciation of the sacrifices that were made on all sides.
Unfortunately, as time goes by, this will happen more and more until both wars are a dim memory consigned to dusty pages in library and school history books.
Although it seems to me, reading from these pages, that people havent forgotten and wont forget.
To me thats how it should be and thats how everyone, from all sides, should be remembered.
The main reason why we dont seem to care is that we have very little left here that reminds us of the actualities of war, we have no places like Nijmegen, Arnhem, the Beaches with there cemeteries, The Town Hall in Berlin where the Russians alone lost nearly 20,000 men or the Berlin Wall when it was there.
Although I say there is little to remind people in this country, nearly every town or village in the country has a list of names of people either in the local church or as a monument somewhere of people of all services who died in various places.
Many of these are in public places, though I doubt many people appreciate there significance, or have even taken the time to wonder what they're for!
I do feel, however, that as the generation who were involved gradually leave us we are losing our appreciation of the sacrifices that were made on all sides.
Unfortunately, as time goes by, this will happen more and more until both wars are a dim memory consigned to dusty pages in library and school history books.
Although it seems to me, reading from these pages, that people havent forgotten and wont forget.
To me thats how it should be and thats how everyone, from all sides, should be remembered.
08-29-2002, 02:57 AM
#29
Registered User
[QUOTE]Originally posted by klaxon_jackson
[B]
I do feel, however, that as the generation who were involved gradually leave us we are losing our appreciation of the sacrifices that were made on all sides.
Unfortunately, as time goes by, this will happen more and more until both wars are a dim memory consigned to dusty pages in library and school history books.
Although it seems to me, reading from these pages, that people havent forgotten and wont forget.
[B]
I do feel, however, that as the generation who were involved gradually leave us we are losing our appreciation of the sacrifices that were made on all sides.
Unfortunately, as time goes by, this will happen more and more until both wars are a dim memory consigned to dusty pages in library and school history books.
Although it seems to me, reading from these pages, that people havent forgotten and wont forget.
08-29-2002, 03:44 AM
#30
Registered User
We do have the German war cemetery of course, which is set in beautiful scenery on Cannock Chase just a a few miles from here. It's always beautifully maintained. Those buried there are are in the main German POWs who died during the war or who were shot down on British soil. We can thank the small band of Spitfire and Hurricane pilots who smashed the might of the Luftwaffe against incredible odds, that we have no memorials to battle sites on British soil. The Luftwaffe was sadly depleted after the Battle Of Britain which greatly affected the outcome in other theatres of war.