Remembrance Sunday

[Yorkie]

I know most of you will be familiar with Remembrance Sunday service here in the UK and Libera's music which is appropriate to the day. However, we have lots of new fans from abroad so as it is this Sunday I thought I'd post some information and the appropriate songs.

Some information on Remembrance Sunday can be found HERE and HERE.

Now for the good stuff; a few songs/videos which have connections to the day.

I love the cinematography of this first video and a few years ago I visited most of the places featured in it in one day on a trip to London:

[BBvideo 425,350][/BBvideo]

The next one is perhaps a little less directly associated with Remembrance Sunday but was filmed for a Songs of Praise Holocaust special. I find it hugely moving and emotional and of course hearing it live was a stunning privilege for me:

[BBvideo 425,350][/BBvideo]

This final one is of course the most recent. I just love the the bit at 0:42 where the woman gives Josh a bit of a look - it always makes me think of DearMadine (aka Inna) for some reason...............

[BBvideo 425,350][/BBvideo]


Finally, you can see last years Remembrance Sunday ceremony at the Cenotaph in London on Youtube:

[BBvideo 425,350][/BBvideo]

[JimmyRiddle]

The 'We are the lost' video was one of the first Libera video's I saw. Might have been the spark that ignited my interest in them. I was secretly hoping for a new commisioning of Be Still My Soul with them announcing it on their recent concert line-up but nothing seems forthcoming in this respect.

Still, thanks for the links - It's important we remember those that paid the ultimate sacrifice and continue to do so today.

[maartendas]

As an aside - November 11 is also the feast day of the saint whose name I share: Saint Martin of Tours, famous for sharing his cloak with a beggar when he was still (note the subtle link with Remembrance Sunday) a soldier.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Martin_of_Tours

(P.S.: my parish, that I work for since last year, also bears his name )

[LuxVenit]

Interesting information. I was not familiar with Remembrance Sunday, though I did make the connection between certain lines of "We Are The Lost" and the first World War. I love those 2 videos as well, and the video to "Lullabye" makes a great addition to them too.

*edit* Interesting connection about St. Martin as well. I love learning new stuff, and it seems like I learn something new here almost every day.

[maartendas]

Interesting information. I was not familiar with Remembrance Sunday, though I did make the connection between certain lines of "We Are The Lost" and the first World War. I love those 2 videos as well, and the video to "Lullabye" makes a great addition to them too.

*edit* Interesting connection about St. Martin as well. I love learning new stuff, and it seems like I learn something new here almost every day.

What, not every day? Time to do something about that.
Perhaps you'd be interested to know that it's no coincidence that the words of "We Are The Lost" made you think of WWI. The lyrics of that song are based on the poems "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae and "O God Our Help In Ages Past" by Isaac Watts.

There are some very famous soldier poets from the First World War, see here.
One of them, Wilfred Owen, wrote the stunning line:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

which still conjures up the gruesome legacy of that war for me.

If you're particularly interested in the artistic reflection on WWI (and war in general), I can also heartily recommend Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, which is loosely based on the Requiem Mass but also using writings from the WWI poets, like the line from Wilfred Owen above. The famous Decca recording from 1963 is often considered the best performance.

OK, class dismissed

[LuxVenit]

Interesting information. I was not familiar with Remembrance Sunday, though I did make the connection between certain lines of "We Are The Lost" and the first World War. I love those 2 videos as well, and the video to "Lullabye" makes a great addition to them too.

*edit* Interesting connection about St. Martin as well. I love learning new stuff, and it seems like I learn something new here almost every day.

What, not every day? Time to do something about that.
Perhaps you'd be interested to know that it's no coincidence that the words of "We Are The Lost" made you think of WWI. The lyrics of that song are based on the poems "In Flanders Fields" by John McCrae and "O God Our Help In Ages Past" by Isaac Watts.

There are some very famous soldier poets from the First World War, see here.
One of them, Wilfred Owen, wrote the stunning line:

What passing-bells for these who die as cattle?

which still conjures up the gruesome legacy of that war for me.

If you're particularly interested in the artistic reflection on WWI (and war in general), I can also heartily recommend Benjamin Britten's War Requiem, which is loosely based on the Requiem Mass but also using writings from the WWI poets, like the line from Wilfred Owen above. The famous Decca recording from 1963 is often considered the best performance.

OK, class dismissed

Yeah, I'm familiar with the Flanders Fields poem, which is what sealed it for me. I didn't think of "O God Our Help In Ages Past" until you just mentioned it because I haven't listened to "We Are The Lost" for quite awhile. Now that you've mentioned it though I was reminded of that hymn as well, just because of the phrase "Time, like an ever rolling stream" in it.

I will have to check out the other names you've mentioned, though I am somewhat familiar with Benjamin Britten. At any rate all these songs/hymns/poems are very poignant reminders of the tragedy and emotion of war.

[TullyBascombe]

We call it Veterans Day over here, and since WW2 it's come to represent all the Veterans, living and dead, of all the wars the United States has fought. WW1 didn't make as much impact on the US as it did on Britain.

[maartendas]

In the Netherlands, a similar remembrance is held on May 4. Originally for all the victims of WW2, nowadays it includes all those who laid down their lives in any armed conflict in the world since then.

See also this blog post of mine

[Yorkie]

We call it Veterans Day over here, and since WW2 it's come to represent all the Veterans, living and dead, of all the wars the United States has fought. WW1 didn't make as much impact on the US as it did on Britain.

We know Tully,you guys were late for that one too

[labbie]

As part of the Commonwealth, Canada was involved in the Second World War from the start. My late father was with the Canadian infantry (North Nova Scotia Highlanders) in Europe. He spent some time in London as well, and while stationed there was able to spend time with his grandparents and other members of his family. His parents grew up in Motspur Park.
My dad's regiment also was heavily involved in the liberation of the Netherlands. He was involved in liberating one family in particular who lived on a farm, and spent a few days watching over them with his regiment. They welcomed Dad into their home. Mr. Vandermeer showed my father where his son was hidden between the walls to prevent capture, and they set him free. Dad would accompany the young man into the nearby village so that the young fellow could visit his fiancée (an escort by a Canadian soldier was required).
When Dad left to move on with his regiment, he gave the farmer his utility knife as a souvenir. In 1973, my parents took a trip to Europe with some family friends who had lived both in Germany and the Netherlands. Dad had told them of his wartime encounter with the Vandermeers, and while they were travelling in Holland, their friends suggested that Dad try to find them. Through enquiries in that area, (I think the town was Leeuwarden), they did locate the elderly man, now a widower, living in a complex for seniors. It was Father's Day. His son and his wife (the girl he had visited), were there with their children. They were absolutely stunned when they saw my dad on the doorstep. They truly believed that they would never see him again after he left them, because his regiment sustained heavy losses in a furious battle not far from that area. They actually thought that my father had not survived. After the war, they often told their family about how "Leslie from Canada" had stayed with them. Old Mr. Vandermeer was extremely emotional upon seeing my dad along with my Mum and their friends. He was weeping and shaking. He went to his room, and got out the knife that Dad had given him. His son said that his father would never part with it. After a while, they all went to see the farmhouse where it all took place. I am so proud of what my father did as a Canadian veteran, and I will remember him and my uncles, along with all the brave Canadian veterans of all conflicts.

[TullyBascombe]

My Dad was with the 87th "Golden Acorn" division as part of a bazooka team. His unit went into action near Metz in France in 1944 and fought there way to the Saar valley. Shortly before the beginning of the Battle of the Bulge the Germans staged a diversionary armor attack in the area in the hopes of pinning Patton's Third Army in France while they made their attack in Belgium. The Germans would send forth a tank to do reconnaisance into the American zone. Dad's team would chase it. Instead of firing the tanks would just keep moving. Their team never managed to get off a shot at a German tank, the tanks were too fast. After the tanks returned to their own lines the Germans would bombard the targets spotted with mortars.

[paul]

100000,s of crosses as far as the eye can see, we must never forget all those that selflessly risked and gave there lives for us all.


[BBvideo 360,240][/BBvideo]

[kay]

Thought you might like to know this.

My Mother's father (I use that term because I am an adopted child and my adoptive mother's mother remarried later in life and that man I remember as 'my' grandfather' on her side) was killed during the first World War. A couple of years ago 'my' cousin's grandson went on a school trip to the battlefields and cemetery's of the First World War. You will imagine his, can I say joy in this case? at not only finding the grave and taking photographs for the family BUT was the only one of the party to find a relative. The only regret is my mother, her sister, her brother and one of her stepbrothers had passed away by this time because I am certain they would have like to see where he rested.

[maartendas]

Hi kay,

In a way I can relate to your story. My great-grandparents on my mother's side and their son are commemorated with their names, among hundreds of others, on a remembrance wall in Yad Vashem, the holocaust memorial in Jerusalem. They are honoured as "Righteous Among the Nations" for hiding Jews in their home during the German occupation and are posthumously given commemorative citizenship of Israel. I visited the memorial wall earlier this year.



In a strange connection of events, that same evening after our visit I received a phonecall that my grandmother was dying. She passed away the day after we returned from Israel. Shortly before our journey to Israel I had spoken on the phone with her about her own memories from the war and how she too had been involved in helping the people that were hiding in the home of her in-laws. She was even taken prisoner for a few hours along with other family members when the German occupation forces were after her brother-in-law who was deeply involved in the illegal resistance (supplying food stamps and false IDs, rescuing people from razzia's etc). This brother-in-law was eventually caught and taken prisoner. On March 12, 1945, at just 18 years old, he was shot, along with nineteen other prisoners, as an act of revenge for an attack on a German official the day before. He is remembered in the official list of honorees of the Dutch government. http://www.erelijst.nl/jan--kerkhof
There are now two statues near where the execution took place, that I haven't visited yet. I have also yet to visit my brother-in-law's grave (if it still exists). Today brings this piece of family history back, and it reminds me that I still want to visit both places someday.

It's strange how close the war affected my family, even though it seems so far away from me. I am proud to be able to say that I have blood running in me from those who actively opposed the war.
May peace prevail in our times...

[LuxVenit]

May peace prevail in our times...

I've read through this topic but didn't have much to add, since I do live in America as have my uneventful relatives back at least 2-3 generations. My grandmother was a military secretary during World War 2 and was sent to Germany (as did my grandfather, who I believe she met while in the service), and other than them I'm not aware of any others having served.

I feel that I do need to (shamefully) admit that while I knew that the actual Veterans' Day holiday wasn't on Monday I didn't make the connection until I checked out this thread and found out that Remembrance Sunday is exactly the same thing as Veterans' Day. Thank you, school system that did NOT teach me this, lol. So while my cheeks burn in an "I'll deny it if you ask me!" embarrassment, the point of this post is that war is terrible, the sounds of Libera are beautiful, and when the emotions of both are combined the whole world both rejoices and weeps at the same time.

May peace truly prevail in our times...