Today in Australia and New Zealand it is ANZAC Day. ANZAC stands for Australia and New Zealand Army Corps and is on the anniversary of the greatest defeat at Gallipoli during WWI. The day celebrates the memory of all fallen soldiers and those who served.
I want to tell you a fairly silly thing about my great-uncle, Kemp Scrimshaw, who served in the First World War. He was called Uncle Kemp, although his real name was William Hector. I never knew him, but I happen to live today in the same town in which he died. So every ANZAC Day I visit his grave in the Veterans’ Cemetery and place a poppy on it. Such are the everyday people living ordinary lives, who served in brutal wars…
My older brothers and sisters knew him. He worked in a factory that made lollies. (We call them lollies – some countries call them candy and some sweets and some bonbons and some confectionary and so on.) Anyway, Uncle Kemp worked in a lolly factory after the First World War and always brought my brothers and sisters lots and lots of lollies! Lots of lovely lollies!
I think of his kindness every ANZAC Day when I place the poppy. You see, his grave is only a few feet away from the entrance to the biggest lolly factory in the country!
May he, and all who served, rest in peace.
What a wonderful, touching remembrance.
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Thank you!
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What a lovely story, even without lollies. All our veterans, dead or alive, deserve our greatest respect and gratitude.
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Thank you!
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Thank you to all the many Uncle Kemps.
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Glad to see you are about! And happy to have Kemp-ed his memory alive!
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Bruce your post truly is about “Lest we Forget”. In 2015 we went to Gallipolli and it was a touching moment for me. But why are we not still learning the lesson?
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Humans have never learnt any lessons!!
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My heart goes out to your Uncle Kemp, and all those who stood the ground in Gallipoli. It is such a sweet remembrance; I am touched you could squeeze some humour even here.
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Thanks, Uma. I see from looking at his war record just now that he served as the army cook in Rouen. Let’s hope he gave the enemy their just desserts!
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Quite so, Bruce
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Thanks, Derrick.
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People like your uncle are the true heroes of this world on so many levels
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Thanks, Peter.
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