Remebrance day, smoking, and how things have changed.

[farmer_bric]

As a retired Military member, and whose father was is WWII as a "pongo", I think what a change has happened. When my father was in the Infantry (Hasty Peas from Prince Edward County), he was ISSUED cigarettes as part of his daily ration!! When I served, we were issued a sleeve of matches !! Nowadays... not really sure, but I'm sure it has nothing to do with cigarettes

To all the women and men who served in the Military, and all their families who also indirectly served, my heartfelt thanks.

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

Remember at "Mess Dinners" they used to put juice glasses filled with cigarettes at each table?

I second your Thanks to everyone!

 

[Projectguy]

My mess (Officers' Mess Canadian Grenadier Guards) Cigars, Cuban that I miss.

 

[X P3 Flight Engineer]

My mess (Officers' Mess Canadian Grenadier Guards) Cigars, Cuban that I miss.

The "Head Table" had cigars and brandy after the meal. The "other ranks" Players regular, mostly.


Edit: For civilians who may be reading this, I should explain that these functions were compulsory to attend;
AND
the cost was deducted from our pay! How sweet is that?

 

[Hitmetwice]

Here, Here, thank-you to all our past and present Vets.
To all that have stood in defence of our freedoms we so often take for granted.

 

[Not Iris]

My Dad was in the The Algonquin Regiment in WW II and he used to tell me that they issued cigarettes to him every day. He never smoked until he went off to war.

I am happy that he was not here to witness the witch hunt on smokers.

 

[MisterMike]

Once again this year, I offer a heartfelt thank you to all past and present members of the Canadian Forces.

Speaking of cigarettes, my mother recently unearthed and sent me a copy of a letter my Grandfather sent home from Germany during the postwar occupation. In it, he says that cigarettes were (in October of 1945) going for approximately $13.75 per pack. I can't even imagine what $13.75 would've bought you back then.

Anyway, back on topic (that being "Thanks for serving"): He spent a considerable amount of his off-duty time helping the inmates of Bergen-Belsen concentration camp: sharing rations, finding them clothes and other necessities, keeping morale up, and all sorts of things. His efforts were the subject of a play recently put on in Toronto. Article here:

http://www.jewishtribune.ca/uncategorized/2011/05/25/based-on-a-true-canadian-story

He's the "other one" alluded to (but not named) in the article, probably because he was the junior officer. He didn't ever receive the recognition (save for mention in a Reader's Digest article entitled "Angels of Belsen", published back in 1991, and in a couple of newspaper articles back in the late '40s-early '50s) that Ted Aplin did, but he was very fondly remembered by a lot of the survivors and their families.

My aunt went to a performance of the play and a family member of one of the survivors gave her some photos she'd kept of a picnic they'd taken the kids on in his off-duty hours, after learning that Ed Jamieson was her father.

I don't think he ever really cared about playing second fiddle, either. He just did the right thing because it was the right thing to do.

I can hardly see the screen now.

 

[Qcaj]

I don't have any stories or anything.

But all vets, past, present, soon-to-be, and future have my heartfelt thanks.