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This weekend will be filled with a mix of celebrations and quiet reflections.

It will be a bit different in the US, since it is our Veterans’s Day, and Rememberance Day more closely resembles our Memorial Day. So there will be a mix of honoring Veterans and Active Duty folks here while also remembering WW1.

I’m planning on heading to the 45th Infantry Museum here in the city on Sunday. They are doing a ceremony to commemorate the 100 years and are incorporating it into their traditional Veterans Day program.

My daughter’s grade school is having a Veterans Day program tomorrow, so it will be interesting for me to see how that turns out.

So who are our Active Duty folks? Who are Veterans? Who has family histories of members serving in WW1? What are you doing this weekend?

Rememberance Day is nothing like Memorial day.

Rememberance Day actually has people taking time to pay respects to the fallen and has a sombre, dignified tone.

Memorial Day involves people running to stores to get the best bargains from the inevitable sales that retailers run. “Your great grandpa died so you could buy this grill for 75% off!”.

Sorry, I just hate what has become of Memorial Day. I really WISH it was like Rememberance Day, but it isn’t.

To remain somewhat on topic, I will be observing the 11/11 11:00 silence. My grandfather served on 3 ships in the Royal Navy during WW1, before going on to have two dozen children and serve in the RAF during WW2. He is my personal most interesting man in the world!

Are there any big events planned? Reenactments, TV specials, etc.. I know there's a big broohaha in Francais, but what else? 100 is a pretty big year. Gotta be something neat going on that isn't- oh hey Nostro beat me to it!

 Nostromodamus wrote:
Memorial Day involves people running to stores to get the best bargains from the inevitable sales that retailers run. “Your great grandpa died so you could buy this grill for 75% off!”.

Preach it

One relative I’m sure of and a possible second reletive served and both died fighting in ww1.
One is at thiepval and the second who joined up under age who’s whereabouts is unknown. Despite relatives looking in the past nothing has been found of him.

The house I live in now, was 100 years ago dwelt in by a family two of whose sons died in the Western Front. We put up their mini-bios in the window every year.

On a related note...

https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/av/uk-england-dorset-46140445/the-teenager-and-the-tank-how-my-ancestor-was-a-ww1-hero

A short video about WW1 tanks. It's a bit "yoof TV" visually, but still worth a look.

My mom is kind of our family historian, and she managed to dig up information about one ancestor of ours who was actually a chaplain during WW1. I think there might have been at least one other, but I can't recall any details.

I know I had family members in WW1, but I can't remember them. I served in the 38th Infantry Division, the same Division that my Dad's uncles who both died in Bataan served in. From there on, we know exactly where every service member from my family served. I'm fairly sure we just crested 20 members total, but I'd need to find out how many of my nephews and nieces have enlisted. I know it's been pretty much an "every male child" with the exception of a felon and an epileptic.

Not sure about WW1 but had many family member who fought in WW2, Korea, Vietnam, and everything after. I myself was in Bco 3-505 PIR 82nd ABN div. I personally don’t do anything special, might give my old army buddies a call

My family largely made it through both world wars unscathed despite a lot of them serving. The closest relative I’m currently aware of that died in WW1 was the brother of my mother’s material grandfather, her grandfather survived of course. On my mothers paternal side, her grandfather was Irish and under no obligation to fight. He stayed behind as the oldest man to support the family (no parents and all younger siblings). His four brothers all volunteered and ended up separated into things the RFC and Black Watch. One was wounded but all survived the war. As a result, my mother’s father still felt the fact their father didn’t volunteer, so he and his brothers all volunteered in WW2, and they all survived too.



This photo shows the four brothers, two of their brothers in law and a cousin from New Zealand. George was wounded but they all lived through it.

The service at my local memorial had an unfortunately poor turnout. Only about 4 people other than my family came, and they were all regulars. No trumpeter either, and I didn't have time to run back home and grab my own to do the Last Post. I hoped for a larger turnout for the 100th.

My great grandfather was machinist/toolmaker and served in the german artillery in WWI. Was injured in the arm very early in the war by a flechette dropped by a plane. Moved to the US between the wars, helped build submarines for the second one.

My grandfather was in medical school for WW2, and never made it overseas, but was an army doc for years. My great uncle flew in bombers over Europe, and did a lot of missions.

Both my uncles were in the navy, one just for a tour, the other 25 years.

Big thanks to all who have served.

 Sgt_Smudge wrote:
The service at my local memorial had an unfortunately poor turnout. Only about 4 people other than my family came, and they were all regulars. No trumpeter either, and I didn't have time to run back home and grab my own to do the Last Post. I hoped for a larger turnout for the 100th.

That's sad to hear. Our usual one is usually fairly busy (maybe 100 turnout + various services).

We skipped this year because my (autistic) kid was having a bad morning and I didn't want him having a noisy meltdown at the silence. We went to Ikea instead (we needed some stuff and he likes to run about), so he had a minor meltdown at the silence in there. We usually go to them because the wife has family members in service.

Just discovered that it was the great-grandfather of one of my old school mates who signed the cease-fire telegram that was sent out to all the troops, ending the war. Pretty amazing bit of family history for him.

My family didn't join ww1 but considered it when Redmond encouraged Irishmen to fight fo home rule. Join the IRA after the war and five of their close friends were killed in a premature explosion. 37 years later my Great-Great uncle had stayed on with the lads and two more of his friends were killed in yet another explosion.

My great-great grandfather and great-grandfather both fought in WW1. Then the Civil War broke out and they were on opposing sides after my great-grandfather threw his lot in with the Bolsheviks against the wishes of his father and the rest of the family. My great-great grandfather later evacuated with other tsarist officers to the West, where he went on to live in France. He is buried in a town close to Paris.
Then the Bolsheviks killed pretty much everyone else of my family except for my great-grandfather. Oh, and one of his brothers who ended up in the US after fleeing Russia.

WW1 was a pretty rough war for everyone involved, and especially for Russia considering fighting continued on after the withdrawal from the war with Germany non-stop until the 1930's and there were lots of purges after that. And it is even more staggering when you realise that this incredibly destructive war is often somewhat forgotten because another war followed shortly after that was so destructive it made even this war look like child's play. Truly the first half of the 20th century was a horrible time to be alive in Europe. And if that wasn't enough, the winners of all this destruction start building stockpiling enough weapons to destroy the entire world. Damn, our species is crazy...

The Bolshevik Revolution is the main reason my great grandfather left Lithuania to come to the US. He kind of saw that it wasn't going to stay localized.