American Battle Monuments Commission

[bigwheelzip]

The American Battle Monuments Commission is one government agency which honors our fallen on Memorial day, and every other day of the year.
Long after those that knew the fallen have themselves perished, the memory of their sacrifices is respectfully maintained at war memorials and cemeteries worldwide.
During my last visit to the Normandy American Cemetery, I spied these patient girls, quietly waiting and observing. Whatever their nationality or previous knowledge of world events, they were learning what was sacrificed for their freedom. It's a lesson too easily forgotten.

Cemeteries & Memorials | American Battle Monuments Commission

 

[dasnake]

Wow

Great picture, whatever is on their minds, whatever the reason they are there, you can almost be certain they realize the meaning of the row on row of crosses.
My old man was 5 years in the Seaforth Highlanders as a carrier driver, and his hunting buddy and my friend also drove a hog as a DR, so I had a life full of veteran affairs and stories, but with all that you would think I would be prepared for my first tour of Arlington.
I wasn't, from the first entry in the drive up and seeing the flag raising memorial and through the changing of the guard at the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier, I was misty most of the tour.
With things the way they are in the world now and even a VP mentioning happy long weekend before thinking of a correct reminder for this weekend, seeing youngsters at memorials for the ones who gave their all there should be hope, I see it up here on our Nov 11th ceremonies and with your picture I see it for your country.

 

[bigwheelzip]

.. seeing youngsters at memorials for the ones who gave their all there should be hope, I see it up here on our Nov 11th ceremonies ...

Because of the Commonwealth's policy of interring it's warriors where they fall, your Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a massive 2500 war cemeteries under their care. I've visited some of their smaller plots in remote places, and it's a daunting mission to properly care for, or even find, some of them.

This year, they have begun an annual commemoration called War Graves Week, which this year was May 21 – 28. It is an earnest effort to connect the population to their warrior neighbors who perished.

War Graves Week | CWGC

 

[biku324]

The USG has been moving 100 or more burials per year from Manila to the US. There are about 16,000 men there so the process won't end soon.

Manila American Cemetery | American Battle Monuments Commission

 

[ameridaddy]

The USG has been moving 100 or more burials per year from Manila to the US. There are about 16,000 men there so the process won't end soon.

Manila American Cemetery | American Battle Monuments Commission

I went there - and saw "~36,000 names on tablets of the missing".
That is staggering, and sad.

 

[biku324]

So many were just swallowed by the Pacific.

 

[dasnake]

Phoenix cenotaph.........

Because of the Commonwealth's policy of interring it's warriors where they fall, your Commonwealth War Graves Commission has a massive 2500 war cemeteries under their care. I've visited some of their smaller plots in remote places, and it's a daunting mission to properly care for, or even find, some of them.

This year, they have begun an annual commemoration called War Graves Week, which this year was May 21 – 28. It is an earnest effort to connect the population to their warrior neighbors who perished.

War Graves Week | CWGC

From 1895 to 1919 this town was populated by 1000 people, there was/is a cenotaph in the towns center for the citizens lost in WW1, the town died, and by the '70s after multi years of mining the was no trace of the town left except for the small graveyard outside of town and the cenotaph moved off road but still upright and untouched, it is 300 miles from me and whenever I go hunting in that area I drive the road in and place a poppy on the cenotaph and I'm not the only one to do so, which makes me feel good, no drunken Friday night shoot ups, here it is in '37 and what I see in the second pic.

 

[Greyman50]

After WWI they published a book on the war, almost an Order of Battle, really nice. My copy is boxed up or would post pic of it.

 

[bigwheelzip]

... whenever I go hunting in that area I drive the road in and place a poppy on the cenotaph and I'm not the only one to do so....

I've always appreciated the Remembrance Poppy, utilized mostly by Commonwealth citizens.

http://boundaryhistory.com/wp-content/uploads/2016/11/Cenotaph-article-from-BHS-Report-16.pdf

I found this article with a short biography of each man listed on the cenotaph. Oscar Gustafson was a Swede. Most perished at Vimy Ridge France and around Ypres Flanders. James Campbell Kempston was MIA presumed dead at Ypres.

The usually well attended Last Post ceremony at Ypres Menin Gate Memorial to the MIA's has been closed to the public because of the pandemic. Kempston's name is on the panel 18 - 24 - 26 - 30 there also, and the solo Last Post seems especially fitting now, for a former resident of a ghost town.

[ame]https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=u170M86wN7Y[/ame]

 

[dasnake]

Damn fine investigation..........

I'm impressed, I've traveled all over up there, looking into the cemetery that is down the road about a mile or so, looking for info on the people buried there and finding out about the last known citizen who stayed there into the 50s, all that and no info like you have here, thank you, there's a ton of history in the northern and eastern areas of BC. This area of the kootneys was a huge mining area at the turn of the century and I've been gleaning info since I was a kid.