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- - A TRIBUTE (https://forum.lugerforum.com/showthread.php?t=931)

Atribute to my father Adolph Weitholt Dereng a Veteran

of WW I

and ALL OTHERS who have served their Countrys with HONOR !!

In Flanders Fields

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.

-------------------------------------------------

One of the most asked questions is: why poppies? The answer is simple: poppies only flower in rooted up soil. Their seeds can lie on the ground for years and years, and only when someone roots up the ground, they will sprout. There was enough rooted up soil on the battlefield of the Western Front; in fact the whole front consisted of churned up soil. So in May 1915, when McCrae wrote his poem, around him;Poppies blossomed like no one had ever

seen before or since !

I never knew that about Poppies!!! Thank you for sharing that.

My father was an American who joined the Canadian Army in 1914 and served forward of The Front as a Scout, participating in many of the major engagements, being discharged in 1918. He was wounded, gassed and personally decorated by the then Prince of Wales...And, he would recite that wonderful poem, again and again...I never tired of it!

And, may I add that McCrae was a Canadian, if that is not common knowledge! I guess I'm proud of that fact and an interesting additional note is that I personally know the man (Chinese origin, now Canadian citizen) who spent megabucks at an auction to buy McCrae's medals and donate them to a museum in his honor here in Canada. His reason for doing so was that he felt he owed it to Canada as an immigrant. I'm rambling on again...sorry!

This gentleman was lucky to survive 'the big one'. My grandfathers older brother, Edmund Gamble, at 18 years old was listed as missing in action in the Ardenne Forest. No one in the family ever found out what became of him. Probably ended up on the receiving end of a big bertha gun.

Let us all believe and Honor This Brave Young Man ,

Of this we may be certain it is he or some such other .

And "I BELIEVE that IT WAS HE"

Who is now Rests in the "TOMB OF THE UNKNOWN SOLDIER"

He certainly fits the profile !!!

Thank you

Viggo G

Thanks for Your Addition , we all certainly liked

"Your Rambling"

ViggoG

Thanks for your additions each and every one

Its these small things that bring this fine group

ever closer together in friendship with those we meet

in passing on this great ocean of life !!!

I too love it and cry every time I find it anew !!!

ViggoG

Thanks Dok ,

These following may deserve Adding to the URL list

And for you and all of the others,

To View much more on the poppy story

And

Much ,Much ,Much ,More on WW-1

go to;

The Great War Society,

or

http://www.worldwar1.com/tgws/tgws2.html

or

http://www.worldwar1.com/dbc/dbc2.html

( I hope I've given a true copy above )

There is so much more there I can not

describe it all ,. A MUST FOR WWW-1 info

This is the Allied view of the suffering

Of course If I can find more of the

other side of history.

In the Forum Tradition of seeking

out the complete story,

I'll try to post that also,

ViggoG