Today is November 11th, Armistice Day, the day that most of the world commemorates the end of the first world war and remembers the dead of both the first and the second.
WW1 officially ended on the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918.
This is a day that has traditionally passed in Ireland without recognition and there , of course, are reasons why.
Not only was it not recognised but the wearing of the poppy was thought (in my youth at any rate) to be a traitorous action, as if it was a victory over Ireland which was being remembered.
When Síle and I lived in the Loire in the early seventies we lived in a little village called Cheffes sur Sarthe in a street called Rue 11 Novembre.
To my shame I didn’t realise at the time what this was called after.
It was only that we were there for the date itself and saw all the Ancient Combattants gathering in the square outside the Mairie that I realise the significance of the date.
Today is a public holiday in France.
When I went to collect my paper this morning the old men, medals proudly on their chests , many equally proudly wearing berets (I think a symbol that they were in the Resistance), were gathering outside the Mairie.
Maybe it is time for us in Ireland to forget our disagreements with out neighbour and to remember the many Irishmen (I lost two Great uncles), and indeed French, Belgian, Canadian, Australian, and also the English and indeed the Germans, and all the other Fine Young Men who were killed in the great wars.
All The Fine Young Men
Eric Bogle
They told all the fine young men of when this war is over
There will be peace and the peace will last forever
In Flanders Field, at Lone Pine and Bersheeba
For king and country, for honour and duty
The young men fought and cursed and wept and died
They told all the fine young men of when this war is over
In your country’s grateful heart we will cherish you forever
At Tobruk and Alamein, at Bhuna and Kokoda
Like their fathers before, in a world mad with war
The young men fought and cursed and wept and died
For many of those fine young men all the wars are over
They have found peace, it’s the peace that lasts forever
When the call comes again they will not answer
They’re just forgotten bones lying far from their homes
As forgotten as the cause for which they died
Ah young men, can you see now why they lied
Comments
martine
on November 12, 2009Martin,
Do you know the”chanson de Craonne”. It is an antimilitarist song writen in 1917. It is one of the most poignant song I ever heard. This war was a ‘butchery’, my grand mother lost 2 brothers (18 and 20), my grand dad, one. Here is the song:
Quand au bout d’huit jours le r’pos terminé
On va reprendre les tranchées,
Notre place est si utile
Que sans nous on prend la pile
Mais c’est bien fini, on en a assez
Personne ne veut plus marcher
Et le cœur bien gros, comm’ dans un sanglot
On dit adieu aux civ’lots
Même sans tambours et sans trompettes
On s’en va là-bas en baissant la tête
– Refrain :
Adieu la vie, adieu l’amour,
Adieu toutes les femmes
C’est bien fini, c’est pour toujours
De cette guerre infâme
C’est à Craonne sur le plateau
Qu’on doit laisser sa peau
Car nous sommes tous des condamnés
Nous sommes les sacrifiés
Huit jours de tranchée, huit jours de souffrance
Pourtant on a l’espérance
Que ce soir viendra la r’lève
Que nous attendons sans trêve
Soudain dans la nuit et dans le silence
On voit quelqu’un qui s’avance
C’est un officier de chasseurs à pied
Qui vient pour nous remplacer
Doucement dans l’ombre sous la pluie qui tombe
Nos pauvr’ remplaçants vont chercher leurs tombes
– Refrain –
C’est malheureux d’voir sur les grands boulevards
Tous ces gros qui font la foire
Si pour eux la vie est rose
Pour nous c’est pas la même chose
Au lieu d’se cacher tous ces embusqués
F’raient mieux d’monter aux tranchées
Pour défendre leurs biens, car nous n’avons rien
Nous autres les pauv’ purotins
Et les camarades sont étendus là
Pour défendr’ les biens de ces messieurs là
– Refrain :
Ceux qu’ont le pognon, ceux-là reviendront
Car c’est pour eux qu’on crève
Mais c’est fini, nous, les trouffions
On va se mettre en grève
Ce sera vot’ tour messieurs les gros
De monter sur l’plateau
Si vous voulez faire la guerre
Payez-la de votre peau
martine
on November 12, 2009http://www.dailymotion.com/video/x30dzv_chanson-de-craonne_events
If you want to listen to it.
Martin
on November 12, 2009Thank you Martine, beautiful song.
(There is a fantastic recording of the song I used by a group called White Raven, worth finding too, but nowhere on line)
The comments are closed.