# I photographed this today.....made me sad but awe inspired too....



## Rocketeer (Jul 17, 2012)

A field in Hampshire....


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 17, 2012)

WOW!

Well done!


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## Aaron Brooks Wolters (Jul 17, 2012)

Nice shot Tony, but why'd it make you sad sir?


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## tyrodtom (Jul 17, 2012)

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow in Flander's fields.
A line from a poem about WW1, I remember from high school.

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## Gnomey (Jul 17, 2012)

Lovely shot Tony! Very moving.


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## michaelmaltby (Jul 17, 2012)

IN FLANDERS FIELDS Poem, by Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

Proud Canadian


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## N4521U (Jul 17, 2012)

Here in Oz the poppy is the mourning flower for remembrance of service men lost. Nice shot, nice thought.


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## Rocketeer (Jul 17, 2012)

In the UK and Commonwealth Countries, the poppy will always be linked with remembrance of those in the military that laid their lives down for us to remain free. After WW1, the pounding of 1000s of tons of artillery shells and mortars disturbed poppy seeds that had laid dormant for 100s of years. They then flowered. In the UK, ploughing etc causes cycles of fields going into flower.

This field was amazing, there were also violet coloured poppies (seen a whole field of those and mistook them for linseed). That field will likely not flower again for decades.
As time goes on, the ranks of heros that fell in combat are once again joined by those that lived long lives and are sadly now leaving us. I can see them, joining up again, comrades in arms marching....ship mates sharing jokes and aircrews slipping the surly bonds once again. My Grandad is there, joined with old mates in 1986, flying long Catalina sorties with his old crew

A poem that moves me is about the Few:-

On Weald of Kent I watched once more....
again, I heard that wonderous roar...
of fighter planes...yet none were near
and all around the sky was clear...
Borne on the wind, a whisper came..
'Though men grow old...They stay the same'
Then I knew, unseen to eye...
The ageless Few were sweeping by.

Lord Balfour of Inchrye.

So a poppy, or a field of poppies sparks many emotions in me....sadness, gratefulness, inspiration, pride and wonder that God has given us such an amazing yet poignant reminder of man's follies and also the debt we owe.


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## VBF-13 (Jul 17, 2012)

What a moving sentiment.


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## Njaco (Jul 17, 2012)

N4521U said:


> Here in Oz the poppy is the mourning flower for remembrance of service men lost. Nice shot, nice thought.



Same here in the US but its mostly forgotten and relegated to storefront veterans selling poppies next to the Girl Scout cookies.


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## Vic Balshaw (Jul 17, 2012)

Always loved the poppy fields in UK, it's a sight that sticks in the mind and though associated with Flanders, they always bring on a smile. Many thanks for showing us.


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## vikingBerserker (Jul 17, 2012)

It's the association with the poem that makes the shot so awesome to me.


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## buffnut453 (Jul 17, 2012)

Rocketeer said:


> On Weald of Kent I watched once more....
> again, I heard that wonderous roar...
> of fighter planes...yet none were near
> and all around the sky was clear...
> ...



Amazing I'd never read that poem before. It's fantastic - right up there with High Flight. Thanks for sharing.

Oh, and poppies do the same for me, too. Ironic that the poppy is a largely forgotten emblem in the US since it was an American lady who first came up with the idea and the poppy was first adopted by the National American Legion in 1920. France came next the following year and it was only after that that the UK started using the poppy as a symbol of remembrance.


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## tyrodtom (Jul 17, 2012)

I don't think the poppy is that forgotten in the USA, I still see VFW veterans given them out for donations.

For some reason the ones the VFW give out now are blue, not red as they were when I did the same as a kid, they were called Buddy Poppies, then.


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## buffnut453 (Jul 17, 2012)

Maybe not entirely forgotten but there are relatively few in the US who recognize the significance of the poppy whereas in the UK there's hardly anyone who _doesn't_ know what the poppy means. I wear my poppy every year in early November here in the DC area and get plenty of odd looks and questions.


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## Crimea_River (Jul 17, 2012)

Great picture and sentiments Tony. Thanks for posting.


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## A4K (Jul 18, 2012)

We wear them on April 25th, ANZAC day.

Great photo Tony.


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## Njaco (Jul 18, 2012)

If you don't mind, I want to use that pic and poem for my "Inspiration" thread.


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## Rocketeer (Jul 18, 2012)

Go for it! It is so beautiful it should be known by more. I have stood on various sites reciting it


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## Airframes (Jul 22, 2012)

Just noticed this - great photo Tony, and I love the poem.


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## Rocketeer (Jul 23, 2012)

Cheers.....the field is even more red in the sun tonight


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## proton45 (Jul 23, 2012)

"remembrance"

Nice picture...


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## Readie (Nov 10, 2012)

Yes indeed.I grow poppies on our grass bank at home, I love the colour and the historical connection, sort of makes me sad but, proud if you understand me.
Tomorrow is the 11 November.
John


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## rochie (Nov 10, 2012)

not seen a field like that for ages, great photo Tony


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## evangilder (Nov 10, 2012)

I think the poppy is one of those things that has pockets of places where it is known. I remember poppies from way back as a kid, but I come from a long line of warriors. Here in Moorpark and around Ventura County, you see them a lot. The picture is a nice one, and I can see where it elicits an emotional response. I was in a flight today for the Veteran's Day marathon in Santa Barbara. When the #3 pulls up with smoke for the missing man, I well up every time. Poppies can do that to a lot of people as well.


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## Rocketeer (Nov 11, 2012)

Thanx for sharing thoughts guys. On the 11/11, I remember not only those that died in the cause of freedom, but also the veterans who survived.


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## parsifal (Aug 30, 2013)

"How to Die"


Dark clouds are smouldering into red
While down the craters morning burns.
The dying soldier shifts his head
To watch the glory that returns;
He lifts his fingers toward the skies
Where holy brightness breaks in flame;
Radiance reflected in his eyes,
And on his lips a whispered name.

You'd think, to hear some people talk,
That lads go West with sobs and curses,
And sullen faces white as chalk,
Hankering for wreaths and tombs and hearses.
But they've been taught the way to do it
Like Christian soldiers; not with haste
And shuddering groans; but passing through it
With due regard for decent taste.

Siegfried Sassoon (1886-1967)
(British War Poems)


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## Rocketeer (Apr 12, 2014)

There is something amazing about poems written by those that were there.


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## Donivanp (Apr 12, 2014)

The Unknown Soldier
by Billy Rose
There's a graveyard near the White House
Where the Unknown Soldier lies,
And the flowers there are sprinkled
With the tears from mother's eyes.
I stood there not so long ago
With roses for the brave,
And suddenly I heard a voice
Speak from out the grave:

"I am the Unknown Soldier,"
The spirit voice began,
"And I think I have the right
To ask some questions man to man.

"Are my buddies taken care of?
Was their victory so sweet?
Is that big reward you offered
Selling pencils on the street?

"Did they really win the freedom
They battled to achieve?
Do you still respect that Croix de Guerre
Above that empty sleeve?

"Does a gold star in the window
Now mean anything at all?
I wonder how my old girl feels
When she hears a bugle call.

"And that baby who sang
'Hello, Central, give me no man
Can they replace her daddy
With a military band?

"I wonder if the profiteers
Have satisfied their greed?
I wonder if a soldier's mother
Ever is in need?

"I wonder if the kings, who planned it all
Are really satisfied?
They played their game of checkers
And eleven million died.

"I am the Unknown Soldier
And maybe I died in vain,
But if I were alive and my country called,
I'd do it all over again."

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