They look so young and innocent, so bright eyed and optimistic. Today one of the guide leaders took the children's talk and told them about her own grandparents' experiences during WWII. Her grandfather was in the RAF and her granny was a landgirl. Then she told them about how the Guides had helped with the war effort- collecting jamjars so that rosehip syrup could be made (a vital source of vitamin C when food was rationed), knitting for the troops, whitewashing kerbs so that people could find their way along darkened streets during the blackout. Children like themselves helping wherever they could.
You could have heard a pin drop.
Later, at our village war memorial as the children laid their wreaths and Reg and Hugh played their bagpipes there wasn't a dry eye in the congregation.
Nor should there have been.
2 comments:
Son & I went to church parade today, too, me with Guides and him with Scouts. At the parish war memorial, along with the Guide and Scouts a parishioner who is serviceman about to be deployed to Afhanistan laid a wreath too, which was very moving.
My mom told us about how she brought plates of food to the Jews hiding in the underground - at the time she thought they were feeding the guard dogs for my granddad's factory and she resented that they ate so well!
But my grandparents didn't want her to know the truth, in case the occupying German soldiers ever questioned her.
Post a Comment