Today Was Rememberence Day.

Remembrance Day (or Poppy Day) is observed annually, on November 11th, to recall the end of the First World War and all of its associated hostilities.
Back then, these hostilities were ended “at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month” of the year 1918″, at Compiègne, Northern France, following the armistice, signed by representatives of Germany and the alliance of states, between 5:12am and 5:20am on that morning.
Its purpose also is to honour armed forces members who have died in the line of duty. It was on the 7th. November 1919, King George V first issued a proclamation which called for a two-minute silence, having read a letter published in the London Evening News of May 8th, 1919, by a Melbourne journalist, Edward George Honey. It was Mr Honey who first proposed a two minute silence in memory of those, who so willingly sacrificed their lives for the relative peace and freedom we sadly no longer enjoy today, [I refer to in particular, the situations in Gaza, Israel, Russia, Ukraine and elsewhere].

King George V’s proclamation of 1919 read “All locomotion should cease, so that, in perfect stillness, the thoughts of everyone may be concentrated on reverent remembrance of the glorious dead”.

Thurles WW1 Dead
Meanwhile, here in Thurles on today, let us never forget some 73 soldiers, including Victoria Cross recipients; all who were residents of the Thurles area and who lost their lives during WW1.

Anderson John, – Beirne John, – Bermingham Patrick, – Bourke James, – Brett Timothy, – Butler John, – Byrne Patrick, – Carroll Martin, – Carroll Thomas, – Carty John, – Cassidy John, – Cleary Joseph, – Cleary Patrick, – Cleary Thomas, – Coady Edward, – Coady Joseph, – Coady Richard, – Coffey Michael, – Cooke Henry F, – Cooney David, – Cummins John, – Conway Denis, – Cunningham John V.C., – Cunningham Patrick, – Cusack Oliver, – Dea Patrick, – Dwyer Cornelius, – Egan Martin, – Fitzpatrick Joseph, – Gouldsborough Patrick, – Griffin Thomas, – Hackett Martin, – Hanrahan Daniel, – Hayes Daniel, – Hayes Thomas, – Hennessey Thomas, – Horan Joseph, – Jordan Denis, – Kelly James, – Kelly William, – Kennedy Matthew, – Kiely Owen, – Knox Hubert Lt Col., – Knox William Lt Col., – Lawyer Joseph, – Maher Frank, – Maher James, – Maher James Bernard, – Maher John, – McCormack Francis, – McCormack Thomas, – McLoughlin James J, – Meany James, – Mockler Patrick, – Moyler George, – O’Brien Lawrence, – O’Grady Patrick, – O’Shea John, – Power Michael, – Purcell Philip, – Quinlan Joseph, – Ryan Andrew, – Ryan James, – Ryan John, – Ryan Martin, – Ryan Michael, – Ryan Patrick, – Scally Patrick, – Shields Matthew, – Stapleton John, – Sullivan Patrick, – Terry Timothy, – Walsh James.

In all, at least 50,000 families in Ireland were affected by the loss of a loved one, during the First World War.

Siegfried Loraine Sassoon CBE MC (1886-1967) was an English war poet, writer, and soldier himself decorated for bravery on the Western Front and who became one of the leading poets of World War I.
His poetry clearly described the horrors of trench warfare and satirizes the patriotic pretensions of those who, in his view, are responsible for war, fuelled by nationalism, in the form of aggressive, proactive foreign policy.

In honour of ‘Remembrance Day’, we, hereunder, feature one of Siegfried Sassoon poems; the title of which is sadly, rarely spoken about.

Suicide In The Trenches

I knew a simple soldier boy,
Who grinned at life in empty joy,
Slept soundly through the lonesome dark,
And whistled early with the lark.

In winter trenches, cowed* and glum,
With crumps* and lice and lack of rum,
He put a bullet through his brain.
No one spoke of him again.

You smug-faced crowds with kindling eye,
Who cheer when soldier lads march by,
Sneak home and pray you’ll never know,
The hell where youth and laughter go.

End

Cowed* Meaning ‘Intimidated’. Crumps* Meaning ‘exploding shells’.