Every Man Remembered

This statue titled "Every Man Remembered has been in George Square in Glasgow all week, I have been meaning to shoot it all week but have not had time to get to the square.

Today I was in the city early and sure enough had forgotten the camera so could only take the shot with my iPhone which does not do it justice. The poppies flutter up around the figure in eerie silence.

It is ironic that the only flowers to bloom on Flanders Field and many other battlefields was the poppy which in Greek and Roman mythology were flowers used as offerings to the dead so it is fitting that it symbolizes the loss of the generations from both wars together with those who have fallen in the many other conflicts that the Commonwealth has been involved in.

My fathers side of the family all served, all in the Army, I remember my father speaking about being a disappointment to them for joining the RAF, I must have been the ultimate disappointment not to have served at all, the first generation of many.  It was not that I was scared to serve but I knew it was not a life I could have settled too, even at a young age. Several of my friends have served, mainly in the Army and the RMP and one as a pilot with the RAF and all have enjoyed their careers and I admire them and every serviceman and servicewoman for the roles they play.

I was dismayed to listen to the young people in my office today as they chatted among themselves, people in their twenties who did not know the significance of 11th November some even suggesting the Great War ended in 1911!!! As 11am approached I left my desk and stood a short distance away at the window, as my watch ticked onto the hour I simply bowed my head and looked out as the people in the street stopped and stood, sadly I was disgusted that many of those same young colleagues continued their conversations with total disregard for the simple act of silence.  It was all I could do to bite my tongue throughout the rest of the day, the twins have a total understanding of the significance of today and also that remembrance and thanks should not be confined to wearing a poppy for a week and standing in silence for two minutes once a year. 
They often comment about the different war memorials in villages and towns we visit and read the names with interest.

As turns another year so less veterans of WWII remain and soon, perhaps within my lifetime this conflict will pass from living memory into history, the first hand accounts lost, but we will never forget the sacrifices made then and that continue to be made today on our behalf to protect the life we enjoy