Recognising Remembrance while at sea.

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BlueSkyNick

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We will be on the water on Sunday morning, (committee boat duties again), when Remembrance Services will be taking place across the country.

Apart from the obvious 2 minutes silence, what else can or should we do?
We may well give a blast on the race hooter at start and end of two minutes. Have thought about lowering the ensign to half mast or dipping it too.

Any traditions or conventions I should know about?
 
Normal convention is to say "ooh sheet, remembrance sunday innit!..." at about lunchtime in the pub when you see the telly, and then realise what all the old duffers were doing standing about earlier.
 
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Apart from the obvious 2 minutes silence, what else can or should we do?


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Do you really think you'll be able to stay off the VHF for 2 minutes?
 
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Apart from the obvious 2 minutes silence, what else can or should we do?


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Do you really think you'll be able to stay off the VHF for 2 minutes?

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/forums/images/graemlins/laugh.gif
 
I think you've more or less covered it. I believe that on liners and the like, it used to be the convention to bring everything to a halt, assuming sufficient sea space, main engines in neutral etc. and lower the ensign. The last post would be sounded if they had the wherewithal - perhaps from the ship's orchestra. In the fifties and sixties, I guess many of the crew would have lost colleagues and friends on the convoys, so there was real meaning to it.

Oh - and turn off your VHF. I know that this is hard for you /forums/images/graemlins/smile.gif.

See you this evening, assuming my lift turns up from the Midlands; we can discuss this topic further then.
 
Nice one Nick

I think perhaps just the 2 minute silence announced before hand on the race VHF channel should do.(Turn the volume off for the 2 minutes as some numpty will inevitably start squawking during the 2 minutes)

I went to our local remembrance parade last year and was struck by the number of young grieving women and children at the wreath laying. Sadly it seems that the numbers to be remembered or helped out due to their injuries are still increasing almost daily.

Any additional horn blowing before or during a race wouldnt be wise IMHO /forums/images/graemlins/blush.gif
 
Trust your comments were tongue in cheek and not meant to be taken seriously by us "Duffers" Old or otherwise!
As to the original question. I think you have it about right Nick.
 
Is the reference to old duffers really necesary? No, even if tongue in cheek. My Dad never went to any rememberence ceremonies as it wasn't his thing but respected those who did - he like others did more than his bit and had occasional nightmares about the war to the day he died. More respect please.
 
It is becoming more of the younger people taking the stand nowadays, since the cold war has ended there has been more fighting for the troops to deal with and unfortunately with that also comes the wounded and dead, I am of the cold war era and the only war we had was the falklands and peacekeeping in ireland. so not many casualties, so a small band of men which fought those wars plus ww1 and 2 at the rememberance parades. But it is now in the news every day and i personally think people have respect for the soldiers who are in these combat zones, putting their lives on the line.(Although they might not agree with the war etc).
My son will be out collecting for poppy day and will be marching on sunday as part of the cadet force, and he is proud to be there as he has been for the last couple of years.
 
"The glorious dead"

Doesn't seem very glorious to me.

"They sacrificed their lives"

Wrong, politicians sacrificed their lives for them.

Old duffers. Some, but not all

One of my daughter's college friends has a nasty hole in him made by a Taliban bullet. Fortunate that battlefield medicine today is better than it was back then.
 
Happy for you to chose your way mate, but why the offensive attitude?

Go on, tell us all so we know. Too much offensive stuff round here and it leaves me thinking how much better this forum would be without it.
 
I was caught out one year. We had already had ceremonies midweek on the 11th so I had forgotten about it on the following Sunday. I was the first to launch for the morning race and was just getting sorted when the starting gun fired. I was about to shout words to the effect of 'wtf are you doing' in the direction of the clubhouse when I saw the Commodore standing to attention. I narrowly avoided the faux pas and promptly hove to for the 2 mins.
 
For myself I never seem to remember , always too late, OTOH I always pour a tot overboard when passing Cape Trafalgar - 'to the immortal memory' - usually whisky but once had to make do with brandy (French!)

Was this PC?
 
11th

Okay.

You initially decided to go on the ofensive when you decided to take offence at my (innocuous) reference to "duffers". But we can let that pass. It was just a phrase, sorry. But...

The 11th hour of the 11th day or the 11th month 1918 was when the guns fell silent and commemorated with 2 minutes silence the following year 1918. It was Armistice Day.

imho, there was special poignancy and meaning to remebering the 1914-18 war in that more than any war, it was enthusiastially enjoined by the young and the proud and the patriotic ....who were then killed with essentially no real result. It was not a necessary war with vital principles on one side or another. Monuments aroundthe country and espcially in Ireland still show how a whole generation was killed or maimed, essentially for no reason at all. And with noTV etc, it was all anutter shocking surprise.

For the survivors, even 50years later, it still seemed to young people that old people became maimed and disfigured with age.

11th November was "lest we forget" the fallen and the failures that lead to that conflict.

The second world war and most wars since have not been anything like it: one side or another have had little choice but to fight. And in almost all cases, especially with TV reportage, the bloody nature of war is well known. Or at least, potentially known.

I think it important that it is remebranceof WW1. Not the korean war for example, or any other war. WW2 got roped in pretty soonish, because it has the same name and also involved Germany. But that was not a needless conflict, nor was it managed so wastefully in terms of lives lost. That's why it it remebered, the thankfulnessthat it's over,that it won't happen again.

It's a message that has been lost. Now, it seems,it's a "proud moment" opportunity for armed forces PR. But it should be a moment to reflect on the waste of war. Not that war is realy yer know sometimes alright, necessary, gritted teeth, chin up, our glorious victorious boys defending us. There's VE day for that re WW2, for example.

The true reason for rembrance message is now hollow, especially with a stupid war like Iraq being waged by the same politicians who lay wreaths.

I suppose there's another factor too - it's a very very long time ago.

So overall, it feels another hollow sham at this time when hollow shams, political ovvercorrection etc is all the rage. Furrowed brow, pained expression, and a well-rehearsed speech for the news cameras.

Dad had brothrs killed in Italy even after the conflict supposedly over, definitely a waste, really. But he nevr imagined that rembrance day is/was for them - it was WW1.

So overall I feel frustration at the wrong-headed bollx of modern 11th Nov commemorations. I think it would be best to jack it in after last tommy dies, or at least rethink. I'd also like the politicians out of it anyway - it's their failure that lead to ww1, and the same applies to Iraq.

I suppose all those who voted in TonyBlair who lead the war in iraq can reflect on how their vote helped kill lots of people for no reason, and how they won't do that again? But they should do that every day, not just on 11th November: whatever anyone says, 11/11 is for remembering issues surrounding WW1. And as above it is a very long time ago, and the reason long since hijacked by othrs for their own agendas.
 
Re: 11th

I think the Royal British Legion would take issue with you there. Most of their work today is supporting those who have been affected by conflicts post-1945. The fact that the remembrance 'industry' has changed since it started in 1918 doesn't make it any less valid today, especially in the light of the MoD's continuing shabby treatment of injured ex-servicemen.
 
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