Comments for H&I* Fires, 01 Jul 2008

H&I* Fires, 01 Jul 2008

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 23:57:34 -0600

Open post for those with something to share, updated through the day. New, complete posts come in below this one. Note: If trackbacking, please acknowledge this post in your post. That's only polite.************************Happy Canada Day! As you'd expect, today is a national day of celebration up here. But what some of you might not know is that today is also a day of mourning in one province, because of what happened to The Royal Newfoundland Regiment at Beaumont-Hamel on this day in 1916.So today, while I'll raise many a glass in celebration, I'll also raise one in sombre salute. We will remember them. - Damian************************Jets. Up close and personal. For this, words are entirely inadequate. However, having lived in the desert where temperatures reached 125, I understand the foot placement... - FbL************************Damian is a bit understated. At Beaumont-Hamel, the 1st Battalion of the Newfoundland Regiment, part of the 29th British Division, lost two-thirds of its entire strength in about an hour's exposure to German artillery and machine guns. July 1 in Newfoundland is still a day of commemoration and mourning. More here, at Veteran's Affairs Canada. Today the Maple Leaf and the Red Ensign wave in the breeze above Castle Argghhh!. - the Armorer************************* Today is also the anniversary of the opening of the Battle of Gettysburg, when the Union lost a darn good General, John Reynolds. -the Armorer ************************** Oh, yeah - the New Castle - one year old and going strong. -the Armorer ******************************

Comment from Tbird on 2008-07-02

Wed, 02 Jul 2008 09:28:12 -0600

Aye, we should honor the valor of those Newfoundlanders. We should honor them all. Brave men ill used. First day of the Somme: 60,000 casualties of which 20,000 were KIA. Sent out to pay the butcher's bill for a commanding General (Haig) who thought the machine gun a "highly overrated weapon." Overrated indeed......

Comment from MaryAnn on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 15:58:22 -0600

You did indeed!

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 14:42:10 -0600

Hey - and we got some buyers, too!

Comment from MaryAnn on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 13:14:14 -0600

I come home from work to find out you've been pimping me around?

And all this time I thought you were a gentleman...

Comment from BillT on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:50:45 -0600

Bill, I'm humbled to see that you take GO1 seriously.

They have non-alcoholic beer over here, but I figure drinking one would be like taking a shower while wearing a poncho...

Comment from Oldloadr on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 12:21:41 -0600

Bill, I'm humbled to see that you take GO1 seriously. As an enlisted guy, I, of course had to push that envelope. However being an older enlisted guy, I was very careful and never got caught.

That said, I'm now in a more accepting environment (UAE), so I will toast the Canadians who served so valiantly in a terrible meat-grinder in WWI. I surely do appreciate the patriots who live North of the longest undefended border in the world (and that says about everything about how we really feel about each other (regardless of what some media reports have said).

Comment from FbL on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:45:31 -0600

Thanks, John--on both counts. :)

Comment from John of Argghhh! on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 10:44:15 -0600

Both of your links are Good Stuff, Fuzzy. I pimped MaryAnn's around a bit.

Comment from BillT on 2008-07-01

Tue, 01 Jul 2008 09:22:57 -0600

I've just remembered the Newfounlanders and their valor with a glass of the only thing we're allowed over here -- water.

But in my mind, it was 80-proof...