Thread: Lest We Forget:

In Flanders Fields

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.

-John McCrae, May 1915

Inspiration for “In Flanders Fields”

During the early days of the Second Battle of Ypres a young Canadian artillery officer, Lieutenant Alexis Helmer, was killed on 2nd May, 1915 in the gun positions near Ypres. An exploding German artillery shell landed near him. He was serving in the same Canadian artillery unit as a friend of his, the Canadian military doctor and artillery commander Major John McCrae.

As the brigade doctor, John McCrae was asked to conduct the burial service for Alexis because the chaplain had been called away somewhere else on duty that evening. It is believed that later that evening, after the burial, John began the draft for his now famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

AT dawn the ridge emerges massed and dun
In the wild purple of the glow'ring sun,
Smouldering through spouts of drifting smoke that shroud
The menacing scarred slope; and, one by one,
Tanks creep and topple forward to the wire.
The barrage roars and lifts. Then, clumsily bowed
With bombs and guns and shovels and battle-gear,
Men jostle and climb to meet the bristling fire.
Lines of grey, muttering faces, masked with fear,
They leave their trenches, going over the top,
While time ticks blank and busy on their wrists,
And hope, with furtive eyes and grappling fists,
Flounders in mud. O Jesus, make it stop!
Siegfried Sassoon

Whilst one appreciates the poetry and acknowledges the sacrifice I find it hard to understand why we continue to glorify the obscenity of war as adverse to condemning it in every way possible.

^ Fair enough...

For ChiangMaiNoon who ought to read more.
- - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - - -

YE who preach 'd war, that potent antidote,

That " drastic medicine," panacea supreme
For every mortal malady gaze and gloat

Upon the bright fulfilment of your dream !

Hark to the shell's regenerating scream :
Observe the bayonet's beautiful influence : note
The mine's uplifting power, ashore, afloat :

The torpedo's all-ennobling enthymeme.

That mangled soldier, writhing in his pain ;
That sailor, swift -engulf 'd in scorching death ;
That mother, madden'd at beholding slain
Husband, or child assoil'd What answereth
Your creed to these ? What grunt of guttural breath
Will be your gibe, ye lineal spawn of Cain ?


Rupert Brooke, 1914.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

For ChiangMaiNoon who ought to read more.

Really?

I think you might have misunderstood my point.

I refer to the modern pundits not the poets.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Whilst one appreciates the poetry and acknowledges the sacrifice I find it hard to understand why we continue to glorify the obscenity of war as adverse to condemning it in every way possible.

Romancing militarism is an illness...

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Romancing militarism is an illness...

I'm not sure it's an illness as such, more a perverted idealism of assumed glory where there is in fact no glory at all.

Certainly not for the participants.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

For ChiangMaiNoon who ought to read more.

Really?

I think you might have misunderstood my point.

I refer to the modern pundits not the poets.

There are plenty of people preaching and writing against war.

It's just the the rich ones that make money out of it don't fucking care.

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

There are plenty of people preaching and writing against war.

It's just the the rich ones that make money out of it don't fucking care.

I'm not sure I understand your point.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

There are plenty of people preaching and writing against war.

It's just the the rich ones that make money out of it don't fucking care.

I'm not sure I understand your point.

An apologist for the establishment.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by thaimeme

Romancing militarism is an illness...

I'm not sure it's an illness as such, more a perverted idealism of assumed glory where there is in fact no glory at all.

Certainly not for the participants.

First you say "acknowledge the sacrifice" and now it's "perverted idealism". not sure you really know what you're trying to say.

Deleted. You bigoted morons wouldn't recognise irony if it knocked on your door at 4am and rendered you to a torture camp in Uzbekistan. That's not your history you're celebrating, you cunts are the enemy.

^It says, living in St Albans. What a hypocritical nob ended Mick. Why don't you fuk off out of it, [at][at][at][at]

Originally Posted by Cujo

I think DrBobs been on the booze.

23 members of my family died in WW1, 14 in WW2. British, Irish, Canadian, and South African. All soldiers or nurses, all on the side of the Empire. For what? So bigoted inadequates from the victorious countries could piss on every principle those people fought for. As I said, you hypocritical bigots are the enemy, your vile opinions a disgrace to those who fought for you.

^died for nothing, so that the enemy could now rule Britain. BBC now telling us to embrace the enemies.

Originally Posted by wasabi

^died for nothing, so that the enemy could now rule Britain

Is this the first time you've realised Germany lost both wars?

But they now run and control Europe with soft power through the E.U.
Even our great leader Kim Jong Cameron has to go cap in hand to Germany to try and get the dictates of Germany sent via Brussels To plead for English concessions .

My Grandfather was the only one of nine brothers to return from WW1, i was brought up by him.
I understand what DrBob says.
I also take a moment of two of refelection at this time of year by reading these poems.
Thank you OP.

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

There are plenty of people preaching and writing against war.

It's just the the rich ones that make money out of it don't fucking care.

I'm not sure I understand your point.

Then you are clearly as thick as shit.

I find it hard to understand why we continue to glorify the obscenity of war as adverse to condemning it in every way possible.

Why is remembering those who made a sacrifice "glorifying the obscenity of war"?

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

Originally Posted by ChiangMai noon

Originally Posted by harrybarracuda

There are plenty of people preaching and writing against war.

It's just the the rich ones that make money out of it don't fucking care.

I'm not sure I understand your point.

Then you are clearly as thick as shit.

I find it hard to understand why we continue to glorify the obscenity of war as adverse to condemning it in every way possible.

Why is remembering those who made a sacrifice "glorifying the obscenity of war"?

Very few in WW1 " made a sacrifice ". The vast majority were conscripts and not volunteers, therefore they were sacrificed by others in much the same way a goat is sacrificed by a priest. Hardly a noble passing. In WW1 they were slaughtered by bloodthirsty idiots for reasons which were also idiotic. Only a fool would believe that those millions of people sacrificed themselves for a noble cause. They were butchered and slaughtered, murdered, to gratify the egos of old men and the rulers of dying empires.


"take up our quarrel with the foe". What foe, what was the quarrel over, again? What nonsense.