ARROMANCHES - a Re-post of Remembrance for 2014

by M.C. Newberry

Friday 6th June 2014 12:05 am

On the beach at Arromanches then

Young men saw friends die;

Pacing the sands of Arromanches now

Old men softly sigh.

There by the sea at Arromanches

They cheer a much-loved Queen

But the Arromanches that their Sovereign knows

Is not the place they've seen

And the Arromanches where their Sovereign goes

Is not the place they've been.

On the beach at Arromanches then

Young men saw friends die;

Facing the sands of Arromanches now

Old men wipe an eye.

There by the sea at Arromanches

They step out side by side

While the memories of war parade

And match them stride for stride,.

And the memories of those who stayed

Return with every tide.

On the beach at Arromanches then

Young men saw friends die;

Gracing the sands of Arromanches now

Old men say goodbye.

......................................................................

Comments

Shirley-Anne Kennedy

Sat 5th Jul 2014 20:45

Excellent.

John Coopey

Mon 9th Jun 2014 10:22

There is a famouus exchange between de Gaulle and Dean Rusk where de Gaulle, as part of France's withdrawal from NATO, said that all American troops should withdraw from France. Rusk replied "Does that include those in the cemeteries?"

M.C. Newberry

Sun 8th Jun 2014 16:08

Thanks for the comments from two WOL contributors whose own work I enjoy. You will
see from the reference to HM that this was
originally written (now slightly amended) for
the previous big anniversary when a certain
Jacques Chirac was the French president...
providing some merriment when he attempted to
"shepherd" the unamused Queen to her place!
I thought the speech from Obama elsewhere was
particularly good and certainly well received
by the US vets who were present. He is an
accomplished "Mr Everyman" type of public speaker, giving the impression that his words
are "there and then" instead of the carefully
prepared and rehearsed content required for
such an important occasion. The speech itself
- like Lincoln's Gettysburg address - deserves to be remembered in the context of war and what
the rest of us owe to those who served.

Harry O'Neill

Sat 7th Jun 2014 00:33

How little those who participated spoke about it afterwards (including my father in law) Perhaps it was the case that there was so much dying still to do afterwards, that the dying that had just been done was repressed...(sobering, isn`t it)

Good one M.C.

John Coopey

Fri 6th Jun 2014 21:11

Indeed, MC. What a debt of gratitude we owe.

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ARROMANCHES - a Re-post of Remembrance for 2014

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