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Please wear a poppy," the lady said
And held one forth, but I shook my head.
Then I stopped and watched as she offered them there,
And her face was old and lined with care;
But beneath the scars the years had made
There remained a smile that refused to fade
A boy came whistling down the street,
Bouncing along on care-free feet.
His smile was full of joy and fun,
"Lady," said he, "may I have one?"
When she's pinned it on, he turned to say,
"Why do we wear a poppy today?"
The lady smiled in her wistful way
And answered, "This is Remembrance Day,
And the poppy there is the symbol for
The gallant men who died in war.
And because they did, you and I are free -
That's why we wear a poppy, you see.
"I had a boy about your size,
With golden hair and big blue eyes.
He loved to play and jump and shout,
Free as a bird he would race about.
As the years went by he learned and grew
and became a man - as you will, too.
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Why Wear a Poppy? |
"He was fine and strong, with a boyish smile,
But he'd seemed with us such a little while
When war broke out and he went away.
I still remember his face that day
When he smiled at me and said, Goodbye,
I'll be back soon, Mum, so please don't cry.
"But
the war went on and he had to stay,
And all I could do was wait and pray.
His letters told of the awful fight,
(I can see it still in my dreams at night),
With the tanks and guns and cruel barbed wire,
And the mines and bullets, the bombs and fire. |
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"Till at last, the war was won-
And that's why we wear a poppy son."
The small boy turned as if to go,
Then said, "Thanks, lady, I'm glad to know.
That sure did sound like an awful fight,
But your son - did he come back all right?"
A tear rolled down each faded check;
She shook her head, but didn't speak.
I slunk away in a sort of shame,
And if you were me you'd have done the same;
For our thanks, in giving, if oft delayed,
Thought our freedom was bought - and thousands paid!
And so when we see a poppy worn,
Let us reflect on the burden borne,
By those who gave their very all
When asked to answer their country's call
That we at home in peace might live.
Then wear a poppy!
Remember - and give! |
By
Donald J Crawford |
The Remembrance Service
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This year we held our annual
Remembrance Service on Saturday the 10th of November,
the reason? - well, as adept as he is at his job,
our Vicar still hasn't perfected the art of being
in two places at the same time. Sunday of course he
is scheduled to hold the Service at St Michaels and
All Angels Church in Lambourn. This year was the first
time we had been without the glorious Autumn sunshine
of previous occasions, despite being very overcast
- the rain that had threatened the event did not materialise
and we saw around sixty people in attendance. In line
with last year, the service was again preceeded by
a 20 minute ring of muffled bells from members of
East Garston's band of bellringers.
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2007 is the fourth
year in succession that this service has taken place in
the village. You will recall that previous ministries had
virtually ignored this important and poingnant service,
giving remembrance a woefully inadequate few minutes coverage
in the normal Sunday Communion service.
Thanks to Revd. Cumberlidge, those days are now a thing
of the past. ........(KT)
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There were three wreaths. One from
The Royal British Legion, laid by Col. (Ret'd.) Marcus Coombs.
One from the Parish Council
on behalf of the parishioners of East Garston, laid by Chairman
Christopher Tonge, and the third from All Saints' Church,
laid on behalf of the Vicar, Churchwarden and the Congregation,
by Sally Wright.
P.C Matthew Clayton read the lesson (John 15 :12-17).
Laurence Binyon’s Lines were
given by Col (Ret’d) Marcus Coombs, late Royal Scots
Dragoon Guards. The Kohima Epitaph was given by former Sgt.Terry
Butler who served with the Princess of Wales Royal Regiment.
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Millions of young
men and women - 947,000 of them from the British Empire -
lost their lives in the First World War. Millions more died
in the Second World War. It begs
the question "Was World War One a triumph of democracy
over imperial expansion or an exercise in military futility?"
The bottom line is - that whichever
you decide to be the right answer,
the need to forever remember the victims of this appalling
part of human history, is of paramount importance.
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the season, here in England we live in a country packed to
the hilt with stunning natural
beauty. We are able to enjoy it as many times as we wish -
and whenever we wish. More pertinent is the fact that
we can do it in complete freedom. Millions before us had that
opportunity taken from them...We are indeed, fortunate...
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Text Ken Tarbox : Photos
Ken Tarbox
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