Remembrance Day always has a special place in my heart. I always find it incredibly moving and this year was extra special for the 100 year anniversary of Armistice Day with lots going on up and down the country and across the globe. One thing which I found really special was the bell ringing. All across Europe, people were invited to ring bells at 12.30pm GMT. The aim was to have 1400 churches and groups registering to signify the 1400 belle ringers lost in the war. When I last checked the website it was 2600 places registered. If you didn’t have a church bell you could just ring any bell. We had Kris our bell ringer go up the tower to ring the bells and Orkney Beef took his ship’s bell and the congregation were invited to ring it which was really symbolic and powerful. The last person to ring was Trudy our oldest member of the congregation who turned 95 yesterday. Well done everyone!
I was reminded of this photo of my nan and grandad sharing a kiss outside a pub in Birmingham. I wrote about it here, Throwback Thursday: Old snapshots.
”They say every picture tells a story and this one certainly does. It surfaced in our family a few months ago and it’s of my nan and grandad sharing a cheeky kiss outside their local (The Gladstone) in Birmingham. We’re not entirely sure when it was taken but possibly just before my grandad went to Dunkirk or just after he came back. He was given a new uniform on his return after standing for hours in the sea….
Much water went under the bridge after this photo was taken. Many stories I know, many go to the grave along with each person that died. I do know my grandad, like many others, came back a changed man after Dunkirk. Of these young men who survived physically, emotionally they made huge sacrifices as the saw the many horrors of war.
But regardless of what went on before and after; for this picture, a snapshot of hopes and dreams, for one second in time; you could almost imagine the monstrosity of it all didn’t really happen”
I will leave you with a sunrise photo taken earlier this week, we have many people to thank for the fact we can see the sunrise. Let us always remember.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.
Norq From Ork 
Beautiful post. Brought tears to my eyes as I rememered members of my own family whose lives where altered by war.
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Thank you very much. So many people touched by war, I hope we never forget.
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