World War 1

[Tagger]

Belgium had the reputation of beeing the place where "other countries came to settle their differences". I just want to make this post that today we celebrate the end of World War 1, or 'the war that would end all wars worldwide' ... almost 100 years later we must realise that we could have never been more wrong.

Growing up, every Belgian kid goes to these memorial places to keep the memory alive, including for instance Passchendaele http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Passchendaele .
To free us from the german empire, some very brave men traveled halfway around the world to come to our aid.
WW1 is not as 'romantic' or 'filmsy' as WW2, just because it was a very nasty war where it was not only a war of one against the other, but also a war of survival for the soldiers: Infection, malnutrition, the psychological effects,... must have been horrible.

For a country so small in numbers, New Zealand sent so many troops to help us that time, and so many gave their lives. For this i salute you and your families ! Belgium will never forget !

[SMOKEU]

Sieg heil.

[Indiana_Jones]

Lieutenant George: Great Scott sir, you mean, you mean the moment's finally arrived for us to give Harry Hun a darned good British style thrashing, six of the best, trousers down?

Captain Blackadder: If you mean, "Are we all going to get killed?" Yes. Clearly, Field Marshal Haig is about to make yet another gargantuan effort to move his drinks cabinet six inches closer to Berlin.

And

Captain Blackadder: Millions have died, but our troops have advanced no further than an asthmatic ant with some heavy shopping.

-Indy

[Paul in NZ]

It was a horrendous war and while we are right to remember those who gave their lives and so profoundly changed New Zealands national identity - lets also pause to remind ourselves that governments and other groups seem to have learnt very little... People are still all to keen to beat on drums and pick up bugles...

[Hitcher]

There was much more to WWI than conflict in Belgium, horrific as that was. Never let us forget Gallipoli or the exploits of New Zealand forces against the Turks in Palestine and other theatres.

[SPman]

And our family lost members in all those areas.

A pointless waste for exactly the same reasons that wars are still being generated - ruling elites and greed!

[caseye]

Grow up smokie boy! That was the 2nd WW.
My Granddad fought at Paschendale, got a hole right through his upper left leg, never healed up, he died aged 76 with the hole still in his leg.
Lest we forget.

[Oakie]

My Granddad fought at Paschendale, got a hole right through his upper left leg, never healed up, he died aged 76 with the hole still in his leg.

My first thought was 'I wonder if the wind whistled through the hole when he walked' ... but too many of my relatives served and suffered for me to be disrespectful.

[SPman]

Grow up smokie boy! That was the 2nd WW.
My Granddad fought at Paschendale, got a hole right through his upper left leg, never healed up, he died aged 76 with the hole still in his leg.
Lest we forget.

One of my grandfathers also had a hole in his leg - not at Pascendaele but later - he got hit by a shell and was peppered with shrapnel - buried up to his waist in the side of the shell hole. I had a piece of shrapnel he brought back which, until recently, had a some khakhi threads from his trousers still attached. On an 80% disability pension from 1919, he finally pegged out aged 99 yrs 9 months!

[Grubber]

One of my grandfathers also had a hole in his leg - not at Pascendaele but later - he got hit by a shell and was peppered with shrapnel - buried up to his waist in the side of the shell hole. I had a piece of shrapnel he brought back which, until recently, had a some khakhi threads from his trousers still attached. On an 80% disability pension from 1919, he finally pegged out aged 99 yrs 9 months!

My Father was WW2 in the islands.
REspect to your Grandad. That was something massive to go through.

Smokeu.....your a wanker!

[Voltaire]

Sieg heil.

Adolf was there in the trenches, sadly he survived.

[SPman]

My Father was WW2 in the islands.
REspect to your Grandad. That was something massive to go through.

Smokeu.....your a wanker!

Yeah - Dad was in the islands...Bouganville, vella lavella, Choisel........came back with a broken neck after being blown over a bank, when someone cut the fuse too long, blowing a jap out of a cave....the jap threw it back out........ Gave him grief for a lot of his life, but he lived to 93, then fell down some stairs at Taranaki base hospital and snuffed it!

[F5 Dave]

Yeah please excuse Smokey our resident South African refugee and consistent Arse Plumber.

[Woodman]

Thankyou.

My great Grandfather is still at Paschendale.