Remembrance Day

My grandmother used a number of old-fashioned expressions.  She used "for pity's sake" when she was exasperated, and she called Memorial Day, "Decoration Day."  She used "Remembrance Day" to refer to Veteran's Day, and I've come to believe that label seems more appropriate.

Here in the UK, Remembrance Day is marked by Poppy Sales and very somber displays marking the extent of the horror that was World War I. 

This was a display outside Westminster Abbey.

Throughout my time here in the UK, I have taken notice of the World War I memorials.

This was one of the first memorials I noted.  It is outside the Worcester Cathedral.

This memorial is located in the Malvern Priory.

This memorial is located on the path to Trelewis in Wales.

This one is located in Bath.

I found this memorial in the cemetery at Stokesay Castle in Shropshire.

This memorial is in Paddington Station.

Clearly, the focus on World War I has tremendous significance for the people of Great Britain.  I never felt that same intensity in the U.S.

My exposure to WWI started with All Quiet on the Western Front and its message of war's futility.  But it wasn't until relatively recently that I developed a deeper understanding of what this war did to the people on this side of the Atlantic.

My grandmother's sayings come back to me.  On Remembrance Day I think to myself--for pity's sake.  What a horror.