All the angels were crying and their tears came pouring down, so it would seem, judging by the amount of rain that was falling upon all and sundry on this very damp autumnal Sunday morning.
Gazing out from underneath the relative warmth and dryness of my umbrella towards the tall and imposing stone structure of the Cenotaph, and then glancing around me, all I could see was a sea of humanity and wave-after-wave of umbrellas, many just a drab monochrome colour, whilst others were more vividly coloured.
The rain continued to pour down and it added to the solemn nature of the occasion. Then the haunting and distinctive notes of the
"Last Post" lingered upon the still air and faded away into the clouds.
All was silent apart from the pitta-patter of the rain has it hit the plethora of umbrellas, and in the distance the sound of a dog barking his own protestations against this downpour. Then for a brief moment the sun crept out from behind a dark cloud and shone onto the west facing side of the Cenotaph.
After the service, and after the march past of a dwindling band of WWII veterans, Regular and Territorial Army soldiers and cadets. Dozens of people made their way onto the steps of the war memorial.
Perhaps the most poignant reminder of why the hundreds of people had turned out in this appalling weather to pay their respects to
"The Fallen", was a blood-red wreath of poppies which stood on the top step alongside many other such wreaths. In the centre of the wreath was a small colour photograph of Private Jonathan Young, an 18 year old infantry soldier from the Yorkshire Regiment. A local lad who had recently lost his life in Afghanistan.
Just in front of this memorial is a small grass lawn surrounded on all sides by several small stone and marble monuments to remember past conflicts and wars. I noticed a very young boy who was carefully placing three small simple wooden crosses (with just a single red poppy in the centre of each cross) on the edge of this lawn alongside many other similar crosses. His sister held a
"Thomas the Tank Engine" umbrella over him whilst he performed this sombre but important task.
The torrential downpour was perhaps in keeping with the day, as no doubt many tears were shed during the service and many more tears will perhaps be shed in the future has wives lose husbands, mothers lose sons and children lose fathers in some corner of a foreign field.
By Trevor David Betts BA (Hons.)
9 November 2009.
Copyright of all images and work displayed upon this blog spot are the exclusive property of Trevor David Betts. All rights reserved.
An image taken at a local scrap yard for a city and guilds assignment. The finished print has being sepia toned.
A steel Obelisk besides a Churchill tank is a memorial located in this village which is close to "Sword" Beach. One of the designated landing areas for British forces on the morning of 6th June 1944.
I think this photograph looks very painterly. A little 'Monet' in perspective perhaps? Silver birch trees reflected in a lake.
A young Cocker Spaniel dog is all ready and prepared for an operation in the Operating Room. The resulting operation was successful by the way.
A brooding dark summer sky over this lovely part of the North Yorkshire Coast.
A former British Second World War D-Day Veteran, who served in the British 6th Airborne Division poses for my camera. It is quiet appropriate don't you think, especially bearing in mind that we are now approaching Remembrance Sunday, that this image of a brave old warrior should appear on my blog now.
The 13.30 hour train to Sheffield just a minute before it left the station.
These simple white crosses mark the final resting place of thousands of young American GIs who fell in the battle for "Omaha" beach on D-Day, and the subsequent battle for Normandy. It is a very moving place to visit. If you have seen the film "Saving Private Ryan", then you will have seen this cemetery has it is featured in both the opening and closing sequences of this film.
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