Monday, 4 August 2014

WW I

In Flanders Fields

Flanders Poppy on the First World War battlefields.
by John McCrae, May 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.


We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.


Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

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Today, on the 4th of August 2014 
we commemorate the fact that 
a hundred years ago the first world war 
broke out.
More than 10 million people died.

5 comments:

Hildred said...

Oh Wil, my comment disappeared before I could post it, so I will tell you again that I have also posted to commemorate this day, and my father who was a private with the Canadian Expeditionary Force. Also, when doing genealogical research I discovered that the Helmer whose death inspired John McCrae to write In Flanders Fields, was a distant cousin. The Helmers were a very large Palantine family.

Dina said...

Ten million deaths. Who can even fathom that? sigh . . .

Gattina said...

WWII was even worse, 75 million people died in the war, including about 20 million soldiers !

Anonymous said...

So so sad. When will we learn.

Louisette said...

Nice post, greeting from Belgium