You all might have seen this before but it bears repeating.
Link:
http://www.terry-kelly.com/pittance/pit ... _video.htm
Remembrance Day
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Check Pilot
- Rank 6
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Re: Remembrance Day
THE VETERAN ON OUR TEN DOLLAR BILL
If you look at the back right-hand side of a Canadian $10 bill, you will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died in 2005 at the age of 90.
That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War. Born in England , he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.
He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.
En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated from Dunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.
Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy . En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck .
In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel.
Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.
After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa . At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.
One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. 'He had no idea he would be on the bill,' his daughter said.
And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.
Take a Moment and Remember...and be thankful...
If you look at the back right-hand side of a Canadian $10 bill, you will see an old veteran standing at attention near the Ottawa war memorial. His name is Robert Metcalfe and he died in 2005 at the age of 90.
That he managed to live to that age is rather remarkable, given what happened in the Second World War. Born in England , he was one of the 400,000 members of the British Expeditionary Force sent to the mainland where they found themselves facing the new German warfare technique - the Blitzkrieg.
He was treating a wounded comrade when he was hit in the legs by shrapnel.
En route to hospital, his ambulance came under fire from a German tank, which then miraculously ceased fire. Evacuated from Dunkirk on HMS Grenade, two of the sister ships with them were sunk.
Recovered, he was sent to allied campaigns in North Africa and Italy . En route his ship was chased by the German battleship Bismarck .
In North Africa he served under General Montgomery against the Desert Fox, Rommel.
Sent into the Italian campaign, he met his future wife, a lieutenant and physiotherapist in a Canadian hospital. They were married in the morning by the mayor of the Italian town, and again in the afternoon by a British padre.
After the war they settled in Chatham where he went into politics and became the warden (chairman) of the county and on his retirement he and his wife moved to Ottawa . At the age of 80 he wrote a book about his experiences.
One day out of the blue he received a call from a government official asking him to go downtown for a photo op. He wasn't told what the photo was for or why they chose him. 'He had no idea he would be on the bill,' his daughter said.
And now you know the story of the old veteran on the $10 bill.
Take a Moment and Remember...and be thankful...
Re: Remembrance Day
Thanks to all those who have fought and are fighting for our freedom and our country.
Apache
Apache
Re: Remembrance Day
Sobering reading is to be found in J F C Fuller's book: "The Decisive Battles of the Western World and their Influence upon History; Volume 3: From the American Civil War to the end of the Second World War."
I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago... It outlines some of the absolute stupidity in the warfare of the last century.
By the spring of 1917 both the Allies and the Germans were spent... The Germans were ready for peace, and then the Americans stepped in and the war went on for neary two years longer than it might.
Both my grandfathers were involved in the first world war. One was an automobile pioneer, made it into the history of early motoring, but had made the mistake in trying to do something in Ireland. He bought a commission, went to France and was gassed. I never met him, he died 6 years before I was born.
My older brother thought he was a good shot until he took my other grandfather to a firing range. The rifle wavered and the first shot was wide, but not the second or any of the following shots, the sights were made and the bull was destroyed. He had been a sniper and had never forgotten... He had also for the rest of his life suffered nightmares remembering.
My father was in radar, flew in Cats, but was given a sten gun and told to go a shoot a few Japs in Malaya... Like many people he had his own problems dealing with what he saw.
According to Fuller the Second World War was also extended through American intervention.
Many tactical mistakes and one huge political mistake: Unconditional Surrender! The German and Japanese peoples realised they would lose everything and faced with this wouldn't you fight to the last?
If the war had been against Naziism it would have been shorter... There were three attempts on Hitler's life, and Rommel was one of the conspirators. Had the war been against Naziism there would have been allies in the German camp.
Americans suffer from their own propoganda... Instead of cutting off the German retreat they decided to go to Paris and allowed several divisions to escape to fight again.
They could have been in Berlin before the Russians... But no, they let Stalin take eastern Europe under the "Iron Curtain" and continue the misery for many more years.
The Japanese were making representations for peace two weeks before the Americans dropped their new toys... Some decisions are controversial in the extreme, was it really necessary? Do we believe the propoganda or is there another truth?
We must remember those who fought for our freedom, and we must try to learn from the mistakes made that cost so many lives.
I am not sure the Americans will ever learn.
The J F C Fuller books are an interesting read, logical, and analytical, worth the read for all that really want to understand.
You can look Fuller up on the web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.F.C._Fuller, an interesting read with the Germans using his ideas to conquer Europe! Sometimes we should listen to our own even if they are slightly eccentric.
I finished reading this book a couple of weeks ago... It outlines some of the absolute stupidity in the warfare of the last century.
By the spring of 1917 both the Allies and the Germans were spent... The Germans were ready for peace, and then the Americans stepped in and the war went on for neary two years longer than it might.
Both my grandfathers were involved in the first world war. One was an automobile pioneer, made it into the history of early motoring, but had made the mistake in trying to do something in Ireland. He bought a commission, went to France and was gassed. I never met him, he died 6 years before I was born.
My older brother thought he was a good shot until he took my other grandfather to a firing range. The rifle wavered and the first shot was wide, but not the second or any of the following shots, the sights were made and the bull was destroyed. He had been a sniper and had never forgotten... He had also for the rest of his life suffered nightmares remembering.
My father was in radar, flew in Cats, but was given a sten gun and told to go a shoot a few Japs in Malaya... Like many people he had his own problems dealing with what he saw.
According to Fuller the Second World War was also extended through American intervention.
Many tactical mistakes and one huge political mistake: Unconditional Surrender! The German and Japanese peoples realised they would lose everything and faced with this wouldn't you fight to the last?
If the war had been against Naziism it would have been shorter... There were three attempts on Hitler's life, and Rommel was one of the conspirators. Had the war been against Naziism there would have been allies in the German camp.
Americans suffer from their own propoganda... Instead of cutting off the German retreat they decided to go to Paris and allowed several divisions to escape to fight again.
They could have been in Berlin before the Russians... But no, they let Stalin take eastern Europe under the "Iron Curtain" and continue the misery for many more years.
The Japanese were making representations for peace two weeks before the Americans dropped their new toys... Some decisions are controversial in the extreme, was it really necessary? Do we believe the propoganda or is there another truth?
We must remember those who fought for our freedom, and we must try to learn from the mistakes made that cost so many lives.
I am not sure the Americans will ever learn.
The J F C Fuller books are an interesting read, logical, and analytical, worth the read for all that really want to understand.
You can look Fuller up on the web: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/J.F.C._Fuller, an interesting read with the Germans using his ideas to conquer Europe! Sometimes we should listen to our own even if they are slightly eccentric.
Re: Remembrance Day
May we never forget those that fought to give us the freedoms we enjoy to this day. It's almost impossible to imagine what many went through during war time - past and present included.
Re: Remembrance Day
My uncle was a surgeon in a hospital in Singapore during the 2nd war and was finally granted a week's leave after a long session of sewing up British soldiers. When he came back from leave, he found that the Japanese had come into the hospital while he was away and massacred every person in the building, patients, nurses, doctors, the lot.
In his 80s, his kids gave him a Sony stereo and he was never able to use it.... he quietly and relentlessly never forgave them. I can't imagine the strength of those feelings.
In his 80s, his kids gave him a Sony stereo and he was never able to use it.... he quietly and relentlessly never forgave them. I can't imagine the strength of those feelings.
"What's it doing now?"
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
"Fly low and slow and throttle back in the turns."
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Bookem Lou
- Rank 3
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Re: Remembrance Day
So the Germans were spent in 1917 and then the Americans enter, and the Germans go on for another year and a half? That doesn't sound like they were very spent to me.
As for Unconditional Surrender, yes, the Japanese government had toyed with the idea of a peace treaty but none of their proposals included returning Korea, Manchuria or Mongolia to their owners. None of their proposals included disarmament which could have allowed for another kick at the can when conditions were better. Whether dropping the bombs was right or wrong, they likely saved hundreds of thousands of lives on the Allied side. When you have an enemy that is fighting to the death over tiny bits of coral out in the Pacific, how long would it have taken to drive the Japanese back to their home islands. Also they weren't going to bring to trial the war criminals who started the whole thing, who slaughtered thousands in the death camps in the Phillipines or the millions in Nanking in China. If they hadn't demanded that the Germans and the Japanese submit completely to the Allies, that may have provoked another war in the future. Another country seeing that the Germans or Japanese benefitted from their aggression could have started another war, quickly taken territory and then negotiated to end it knowing that other countries wouldn't protest because of the cost. They tried that prior to WW2. It was called appeasement and wow, did that ever work well. If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. Either way, we didn't start the war, and those who did deserved to lose everything. The world might not be perfect but I think right now, it's pretty good. I think if they had negotiated with Japan or Germany, this world would be a very different place right now and not for the better. The fact that many people in Japan feel Japan was a victim in WW2 is a scary thought.
As for Russia, how could the Allies possibly expect Russia to just sit back after what they had been through. Ask them to sit through Stalingrad and suffer millions of people dead then graciously bow out while the Allies march into Germany. Hindsight is 20/20 and everyone realized what a nasty piece of business Stalin was but no one had any clue they were setting the stage for a cold war for the next 40 years. A few years of hostility perhaps, but not an entire generation.
There were mistakes made in WW1 and WW2 (as there are in anything) and yes they should learn from their mistakes. But to suggest that these wars went on far longer because of the Americans, I find a little BS. If anything, I think it's the complete opposite. Mr. Fuller may have been a smart person but his is just one opinion. I think his view on world affairs were simplistic, biased and insulated from rational thinking to say nothing of his association with Nazi Germany.
I'm not pointing my finger at you Mr. Michael P but I think the Americans get blamed for more than they deserve. Sure they are stirring stuff up right now but the British, French and Germans are responsible in a very large way for a lot of the strife in the world right now. A lot of the conflicts the Americans have found themselves in recently can be traced back to the colonial policies of the early 20th century.
XSBank, I know exactly how you feel. My grandpa was a bomber pilot in Europe and he won't touch anything made in Germany. Strangely enough he loves his Toyota truck. He didn't have any personal experience with the Japanese though.
As for Unconditional Surrender, yes, the Japanese government had toyed with the idea of a peace treaty but none of their proposals included returning Korea, Manchuria or Mongolia to their owners. None of their proposals included disarmament which could have allowed for another kick at the can when conditions were better. Whether dropping the bombs was right or wrong, they likely saved hundreds of thousands of lives on the Allied side. When you have an enemy that is fighting to the death over tiny bits of coral out in the Pacific, how long would it have taken to drive the Japanese back to their home islands. Also they weren't going to bring to trial the war criminals who started the whole thing, who slaughtered thousands in the death camps in the Phillipines or the millions in Nanking in China. If they hadn't demanded that the Germans and the Japanese submit completely to the Allies, that may have provoked another war in the future. Another country seeing that the Germans or Japanese benefitted from their aggression could have started another war, quickly taken territory and then negotiated to end it knowing that other countries wouldn't protest because of the cost. They tried that prior to WW2. It was called appeasement and wow, did that ever work well. If you give a mouse a cookie, he's going to want a glass of milk. Either way, we didn't start the war, and those who did deserved to lose everything. The world might not be perfect but I think right now, it's pretty good. I think if they had negotiated with Japan or Germany, this world would be a very different place right now and not for the better. The fact that many people in Japan feel Japan was a victim in WW2 is a scary thought.
As for Russia, how could the Allies possibly expect Russia to just sit back after what they had been through. Ask them to sit through Stalingrad and suffer millions of people dead then graciously bow out while the Allies march into Germany. Hindsight is 20/20 and everyone realized what a nasty piece of business Stalin was but no one had any clue they were setting the stage for a cold war for the next 40 years. A few years of hostility perhaps, but not an entire generation.
There were mistakes made in WW1 and WW2 (as there are in anything) and yes they should learn from their mistakes. But to suggest that these wars went on far longer because of the Americans, I find a little BS. If anything, I think it's the complete opposite. Mr. Fuller may have been a smart person but his is just one opinion. I think his view on world affairs were simplistic, biased and insulated from rational thinking to say nothing of his association with Nazi Germany.
I'm not pointing my finger at you Mr. Michael P but I think the Americans get blamed for more than they deserve. Sure they are stirring stuff up right now but the British, French and Germans are responsible in a very large way for a lot of the strife in the world right now. A lot of the conflicts the Americans have found themselves in recently can be traced back to the colonial policies of the early 20th century.
XSBank, I know exactly how you feel. My grandpa was a bomber pilot in Europe and he won't touch anything made in Germany. Strangely enough he loves his Toyota truck. He didn't have any personal experience with the Japanese though.
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Siddley Hawker
- Rank 11
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Re: Remembrance Day
If a person is known by the company he keeps, then Fuller has a motley group of friends.Far right in the United Kingdom
Pre-1945 people:
John Amery · A.F.X. Baron · Henry Hamilton Beamish · John Beckett · Hastings Russell, 12th Duke of Bedford · Noel Pemberton Billing · John Henry Clarke · Roy Courlander · Barry Domvile · William Evans-Gordon · Robert Forgan · Neil Francis Hawkins · J.F.C. Fuller · William Joyce · Arnold Leese · Rotha Lintorn-Orman · Diana Mitford · Unity Mitford · Lady Cynthia Mosley · Sir Oswald Mosley · Alexander Raven Thomson · Henry Williamson
Re: Remembrance Day
I totally agree.Fuller has a motley group of friends
Strategically though I don't think he was entirely wrong in his assessments... He had his personal opinions as well.
I think though that it is worth reading two or three sides of anything and somewhere in the middle there's the truth.
Whatever, the two world wars have an effect on all of us. We remember those who fought in them when we relate their stories as xsbank did.
The freedom we have now to travel as I have, and even to meet people and stay in what were enemy countries is owed to those who fought and died for us.
Re: Remembrance Day
The price of liberty is blood -- Anon [ cannot remember who/what said this ]
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty -- Anon
http://freedomkeys.com/vigil.htm
Eternal vigilance is the price of liberty -- Anon
http://freedomkeys.com/vigil.htm
