Prince William joined his father Prince Charles and grandmother the Queen at the Remembrance Day Ceremony held at the Cenotaph in London's Whitehall on Sunday. Crowds lined the streets to watch the annual Remembrance Day parade in the Autumn sunshine. Similar ceremonies took place all over England to honour those who have given their lives for their country.
The Queen led the tributes as an emotional Prince William laid a wreath for the first time at a Remembrance Day ceremony. The Prince may not have been allowed to fight in a war himself but he understands only too well the reality of armed conflict. The service was particularly poignant for the Prince as two of his army colleagues lost their lives this year. As Big Ben chimed and a single cannon round was fired, the U.K. observed a two minute silence at 11.00am as a mark of respect to the fallen service personnel and civilians.
My grandmother on my mum's side was the eldest of eleven children and I grew up hearing how some of her brothers and cousins fought in the World Wars. I always support the British Legion's Poppy Appeal and wear my poppy with pride at this time of year. I think everyone should. I always think that there should be some sort of special recognition for the service personnel who have given their lives for their country or been badly wounded in action. They deserve it for the sacrifices they have made for us all. Our Prime Minister Gordon Brown is supporting a national newspaper campaign to honour these soldiers with special medals. I personally believe service personnel who have been badly injured or have given their lives for our great nation deserve nothing less.
9 comments:
Naomi, I remember the poppies from my childhood, but I don't notice the tradition of wearing poppies here any more. I think it is a lovely remembrance.
Hi Naomi! This is a wonderful post. I would like to link to it from the post I wrote about My Parents are Veterans over on Notes That Touch The Heart.
I agree!
We recently had Veteran's Day. And so many of us think of it only as a holiday from work and school. But its our Veterans who have made it possible for us to go to work and school in peace.
This is a very interesting post, Naomi. I liked to read about your Rememberance day.
Prince William is all grown up...and a fine young man
Yes wearing a poppy to remember those who fought for our country is a wonderful tradition here Sheila.
You are quite welcome to link to this post Janey. I'm glad you enjoyed it.
Sharon that's very true. If it wasn't for all the wonderful veterans who fought for our country, we would not be where we are today. Many people today still don't appreciate the debt of gratitude we owe to them all.
Glad you enjoyed the post Susanne. Nice to see you again.
Yes Rick, Prince William has certainly grown up into a fine young man. Diana would be very proud of both of her sons.
I still wear a poppy, buying it from the volunteers, every November 11 on Remembrance Day. It is a tradition, and I would miss not wearing one.
Naomi,
What a beautiful post.
I agree - Diana would be proud.
Some of our veterans organizations sell poppies for fund raisers. I wore one to the Veterans Day ceremony in St. Augustine.
Thank you for such a nice post.
BFF,
Miss T
I always wear one too Marion. It's a great tradition and a good way of remembering those who fought for our freedom in the great wars.
Glad you enjoyed the post Miss T. Sounds like you all wear your poppies with pride over there, just as we do here in England.
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