What did you do on Armistice Centenary Day?

[River Tyne Lass]

Hi Everyone,

I am starting this post to ask what you did on Armistice Centenary Day?  Did you participate in any Commemoration Events?

I was en route home through the centre of Newcastle in the morning so I went to the Armistice Service at the Memorial in Old Eldon Square.  To begin with I started out standing at the railings area just off from the Monument but then decided to try to get a better view.  Despite being told that there was too big a throng to get through at the square I then decided to try anyway.  I managed to find a good spot at a local café and joined some others standing on chairs to see over the tops of heads.  My view was quite good so I was pleased at that. 

Beside me was a small boy who seemed to be with his Grandmother.  Just before the service started he was keen to be up to see what was going on but Grandmother told him there was nothing to see yet.  I was quite amused when he retorted.  "Well, what's everyone looking at then!"  When the service did start I was amused again when he held a small meerkat toy aloft and moved the head right and left so that this toy could 'see' all that was happening.

I found the service quite moving and especially enjoyed the bagpipes and the drums playing.
After the service, I was able to meet up with my sister-in-law who had also been amongst the throng of people but standing elsewhere.  We went to St Nicholas' Cathedral to listen to the joyful pealing of the bells which was in commemoration.  This started at mid-day and was going to go on for four hours.  We also looked around this beautiful and ancient Church.  There was an exhibition on called 'There but not There'.  It looked quite eerie in that in certain light you could imagine you were looking at the 'ghosts' of dead soldiers who had returned to sit in the pews.

[Top-of-the-hill]

   I went to the service in the village church, as I do every year.

[susieroe]

How did they do the ghost soldiers, are they holograms? (sorry if I'm a bit thick, not up on technology ) They look very atmospheric, I'd love to have been there.

I used to attend Remembrance Day services at local War Memorials, but these days watch the events at the Cenotaph on TV. Yesterday afternoon Ithought I'd try to find Mum's uncle, killed in  WW1who has eluded me for years. And yesterday, Mum's birthday, I found him, my great-grandma's son by her second marriage - I hadn't looked into them before. Francis Bertram Eastwood (Uncle Frank), went to France with Leicestershires; He was awarded the Military Medal on March 12th 1917 and was killed by a sniper's bullet on 27th December 1917. The Leicestershire Regiment's war diary records: "He scarcely missed a day since the beginning. Was shot in the head and killed outside 'C' Company Headquarters in Northampton Trench" [at Cambrin]. He was buried at Cambrin Military Cemetery, his death reported in the London Gazette. Three days earlier, they had enjoyed a "fine Christmas dinner of fresh pork, plum puddings sent from England, and plenty of beer".
So pleased to have found him, on the 11th of all days. Mum was 5 years old on 11th November 1918. She thought they'd stopped the war because it was her birthday; I like to think she was right...

 

[River Tyne Lass]

Thank you for your posts ToTH and susieroe.

This is indeed serendipitous that you have managed to find your Great Uncle Frank on yesterday of all days.  He must have done some courageous act to be awarded the Military Medal.  It is very sad how he died but on the upside you have been able to find out how this happened.

Co-incidentally, it was my late Father's birthday yesterday and he was also five years old on that date in 1918.  His Uncle John had died that year on 5th February 1918.  He had been gassed in France and developed stomach cancer.  He died at 5.10 pm at the Military War hospital at Napsbury, St Albans, Herts on 5th February 1918.  He was buried in Sacriston, Durham. I don't know if my Dad ever remembered meeting  this Uncle but he later inherited a war plaque in commemoration of him and I have now likewise inherited it.  One day this will go to my son and likely on again to my Grandson.

That is lovely that your Mother thought the war had ended because of her bithday.   

The 'ghosts' are made of what seems like toughened plastic.  However, at a short distance in the dim light of the Cathedral these do look like holograms or eerie ghost soldiers returned and sitting in the pews.

https://www.rootschat.com/forum/index.php?topic=764598.msg6163621#msg6163621

ADDED:  This link of mine show a photo of the Commemorative plaque for my Great Uncle John.

[John915]

Good afternoon,

I was at our local church as usual with the standard. Church was full to bursting with people standing at the back.

Moved outside to the war memorial at 1045 for the act of remembrance and again a lot more people than usual attended that part. At the end the vicar said " the Victory has laid on tea and biscuits" for those who want to go over. They are expecting about 30 which is roughly the number we get each year. There were more than twice that yesterday.


I didn't go over as I had to go to the other local church and lay the wreath there.


John915

[susieroe]

River Tyne Lass, that is a beautiful plaque, you must be very proud of him. A coincidence indeed, your dad being exactly the same age as my Mum.

John, when you say 'the Victory' do you mean a pub or...the ship?

[dawnsh]

Susie

The acrylic silhouettes and metal outlines you might have seen when you are out and about are part of the 'There but not there' installations.

Each seated acrylic silhouette represents a man who did not come home

https://www.therebutnotthere.org.uk/

There's lots of useful information on their website.

Their facebook page has details of where thay have been

https://www.facebook.com/pg/Remembered2018/posts/?ref=page_internal

[davethepost]

Went to the memorial from the London Regiment (Prince of Wales Civil service rifles) at somerset house  and laid a wreath in memory of my Great Uncle John. Thanks to Cousin Chris, Wife Becky, Daughter Roisin, Son Conor and Sons girlfriend Suraiya for joining me. Also many thanks to Stephen from Somerset house who arranged the service.

[jayaygee]

I watched the ceremonies at the Arc de Triomphe in Paris and the Cenotaph in London on BBC World TV in the morning.  In the afternoon I attended the service or remembrance organised by the Paris branch of the Royal British Legion in Notre Dame Cathedral – very moving and very crowded.  Lots more people than when I attended in 2014 for the centenary of the start of WW1.

And all day I thought about my father and uncle both of whom survived the Great War.  My uncle, Arthur Dickinson, first went to France early in 1915 at the age of 17, and, three years later, during the heavy fighting in August 1918, he gained an MC.  My father, his younger brother, went to France in the spring of 1918, aged 18, and was wounded, though not seriously, in August and November of that year.  He was then part of the British army of occupation and was billeted in Vettweiss in Germany.

The documentaries shown on TV over the past four years have really helped me to understand the extent of the horror these young men went through.  They didn’t talk about it and we didn’t ask the many questions to which we would now like to know the answers.