Never Forget

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. 

My war ended in 1989. It wasn't a "Great War". There are no monuments to celebrate its dead. It's a  quarter of a century later and only now are people are starting to write personal accounts about their experiences.  Poppy day is my day for remembering my friends.

2 Veld - early 1986

At Kroonstad and Bethlehem there wasn't much distinction made between junior officers. A one pip didn't salute a two pip, and everyone was on first name terms. I thought it was like that everywhere until a bokkop lieutenant walked into the duty room one morning and gave me a parade ground salute. Surprised the hell out  of me.

But I digress.Sort of. I'd just spent 3 weeks on holiday (I stretched it a bit with public holidays, and Major JJ van der Merwe being nice to me), and had arrived back in camp at about one in the morning. Just in time for about 3 hours of sleep. The place was swarming with new guys who had just gone through leadership training at Kroonstad. They must've arrived while I was on leave. Even worse, when I arrived in the mess for lunch they had taken over my favourite table. One of them, a young blonde haired pseudo-surfer whom I hadn't met yet, piped up at me over lunch "Hey Phil, while you were on leave I stood in for you at guard duty, it's your turn tonight!"  My first response was the standard "Fok U, luitenant". I think it's the only time I ever pulled rank on someone. But for some reason it really pissed me off.

I didn't make too many friends from that intake...

Google earth image of 2 Field Engineer Regiment