What did you do on Armistice Centenary Day?

[Caw1]

What moving stories you have all told!
I found it very uncanny that you found your gt. Uncle Frank on the 11th susieroe, it's almost as if he'd waiting around for just that right moment!

I attended the service in our village church, as I do every year, it felt somewhat different this year to those previous, not sure why! It was well attended by villagers ( there's only total of about 220 people living here) and we went out to our memorial and three wreaths were laid in memory of the fallen. It is sad that from our small community there were two lots of brothers  who lost their lives and in total there were 10 young men who didn't return.
Our WI have been busy knitting poppies over the last two years and they've all be put on chicken wire and start half way up the outside archway down the wall all along the edge of the path to the memorial around it and up the fence in front and woven along. One of the wreaths laid was made from knitted poppies too. It's been up for over a week and looks very striking as you walk along. Next year hopefully we'll have more to go up the other side of the porch to meet in the middle.
My two great uncles served in the RE's, joining up together in 1914, sadly one, Frederick James Harriss died in July 1918, so it's him I remember especially. I inherited from my grandfather a photo of Freds grave which had been sent home to his mother. In 2014 whilst we were on holiday in France I went and visited the cemetery and laid some flowers, I found it a very moving experience. Just a small place outside Tourgeville down a quiet lane but beautifully kept and very tranquil.
I was lucky enough to buy one of the poppies that had been on display round the Tower and it sits in my conservatory in a tall glass jar filled with pebbles and grasses from the garden. Something I shall pass on to my grandsons.

Caroline

[Gibel]

I went to my church as I do every year. We have 4 war memorials in the church all from churches which have combined on closure with the one I attend. My church has no war memorial of it's own.

On one of the memorials is a lady who was a nurse in WW1 who sadly lost her life in Egypt when the wagon taking the nurses back to their billets got stuck on railway tracks. The lady was safe as the front part was past the tracks she jumped off and ran back to help those on the back but was struck by a train and killed. She was late mentioned in dispatches.

My father served in the Royal Signals in WW2 and as usual since his death 25 years ago I take Dad's medals in my handbag to the service. He always went to a Remembrance service wearing his medals but as he said, "To remember those who didn't return".

[josey]

I went to the War Memorial in Holmfirth at 10:45 expecting there to be perhaps a reading & the last post at 11. Disappointingly nothing had been organised - this year of all years. About 40 of us gathered and observed the silence.

In past years there has been a church presence but this year they held a service at their normal time in the village centre church & were to move on to the War Memorial at 12.... [12 - what does that commemorate?] . We were told this by a lady who came out of the café at the Memorial Hospital outside which the War Memorial stands. Other years too there has been a gun somewhere in the valley to signal the start & end of the silence but not this year. Apparently there had been a lone piper at 6 am but I had seen no publicity for this although I had looked at the church website.

I do feel it is important to have an event [however small] at 11 and for it to be totally inclusive, ie non-Christians & non-military welcome and  involved. I will try to organise something secular myself next year [not on facebook so advertising will have to be done the old-fashioned way with posters & word of mouth]. I may have to have the last post on a recording but there were a lot of disappointed people there on Sunday.

[Nanna52]

The retirement village I live in had an egg and bacon brunch followed by a short remembrance service.  Our last post was provided by YouTube. 

[Clarkey500]

Unfortunately, being a university student I have quite a big assignment due in on Thursday, so I spent most of the day working on that (should finish today)! However, I did make sure between 10:30-11:05 I watched the ceremony at the cenotaph. Afterwards, I watched the leftover part of the ceremony from my home town over Facebook Live.


In the run up to the service, I published an article about those on the Creech St Michael War Memorial as well as those who moved away and died. If anybody is interested, here is the link http://findingmypast.weebly.com/csm-war-memorial.html. I felt it was important to share with my fellow villagers. Over the coming year, I am hoping to compile a list of servicemen from the village who served in World War 1.

[Ruskie]

Went to our local RSL Hall for the minute's silence (we only have one minute's silence here in Australia rather than two as you do in the UK). It felt a bit odd because it was at least 11:05 before they called the one minute's silence and a poor old chap collapsed in the midst of it so there was some noise with people rallying around to help him. Considering the number of people who attend our Anzac ceremonies, I thought it was a poor turnout especially for this anniversary year.

In the afternoon I went to our local cinema to see the Peter Jackson film "They Shall Not Grow Old",
https://www.imdb.com/title/tt7905466/ I was quite disappointed and surprised given the good reviews that there were only 7 people in the cinema.

All in all, a bit of a disappointment attendance wise.

[Maiden Stone]

In the run up to the service, I published an article about those on the Creech St Michael War Memorial as well as those who moved away and died. If anybody is interested, here is the link http://findingmypast.weebly.com/csm-war-memorial.html. I felt it was important to share with my fellow villagers. Over the coming year, I am hoping to compile a list of servicemen from the village who served in World War 1.

Have you added them to the Imperial War Museum Lives of the First World War website? The aim  is to add details to facts about each person who served so that they are more than names. Information can be added until March 2019. You can also create an entry for the village if there isn't one already in the Communities section.
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/about

[River Tyne Lass]

Thank you everyone for your posts on this subject - I have really enjoyed reading all your accounts of what each of you did on this historic occasion.

Thank you dawnsh for adding more on the silhouettes installations - these were quite mesmerizing to see in the Church.  As I say at a little distance away they did look like returned ghost soldiers.  It does make you quite sad for those Church members and sometimes bell ringers who did not return.

I am currently reading a very good book about the first Armistice day called 'Peace at Last - a portrait of Armistice Day 11 November 1918' by Guy Cuthbertson.  This encapsulates what happened in various areas throughout Britain and the rest of the world in the lead up to the Armistice agreed upon and throughout that historic day.

http://www.offtheshelf.org.uk/event/peace-last-guy-cuthbertson/

Thanks for adding the website link  Maiden Stone.  Thankfully, there seem to be so many websites now where we can add our war ancestors information and see to it that they are not forgotten.

This is another one which I came across on a thread of Greensleeves recently.  I am sure she won't mind if I mention this again and add her advice to take a hankie before you look at it.

https://www.everyoneremembered.org/?seg=UPAEOR&gclid=EAIaIQobChMIuJqVg-DT3gIVCrXtCh1LTg10EAAYASAAEgJ1qfD_BwE

[Clarkey500]

In the run up to the service, I published an article about those on the Creech St Michael War Memorial as well as those who moved away and died. If anybody is interested, here is the link http://findingmypast.weebly.com/csm-war-memorial.html. I felt it was important to share with my fellow villagers. Over the coming year, I am hoping to compile a list of servicemen from the village who served in World War 1.

Have you added them to the Imperial War Museum Lives of the First World War website? The aim  is to add details to facts about each person who served so that they are more than names. Information can be added until March 2019. You can also create an entry for the village if there isn't one already in the Communities section.
https://livesofthefirstworldwar.org/about

Thank you, Maiden Stone. I will do that now. I have added a few relatives already, but really must get round to adding more.