Day 76 - Liz and Phil's Anniversary

Official Platinum Anniversary Portrait

Seventy years ago on this day, Princess Elizabeth Alexandra Mary  and Philip, formerly known as Prince of Greece and Denmark, were wed at Westminster Abbey.

Today's post is meant to be a celebration of this significant platinum wedding anniversary.

Engagement Announcement

On the day they married, Elizabeth was 21 and Philip was 26. They had met 8 years earlier, but given her age it was only a friendship at first, although it was reported that she had "fallen" for him from the very beginning. That year was 1939, and the war was about to break open. Philip spent the war years in the Royal Navy. He was invited to spend time at Windsor Castle with Elizabeth's family in 1943, and the rumours spread. The couple were secretly engaged in 1946, perhaps because public sentiment about the rumoured marriage was not that positive among the British people as  Philip was not seen as being English and the war had just finished with the Germans. Philip's family name was actually of German origin "Battenberg" which had been anglicized to Mountbatten years before. However, a publicity campaign spearheaded by Philip's Uncle, Lord Mountbatten and Viceroy of India (who years later would be murdered by the Irish Republican Army when they bombed his boat with him on board) and the Palace. Eventually, public opinion was swayed and the wedding was a huge success with over 200 million people worldwide listening in on the event over the radio.

So on this day, 70 years later, here are 10 trivial observations you may have not known about their relationship (Thanks to Popsugar.celebrity):

1. Yes, they are related, second cousins once removed.
2. Her parents were disappointed that she was going to marry the first man she met.
3. Because of his German family connections, the Queen Mother called him "the Hun"
4. He had to convert from Greek Orthodoxy to Anglican.
5. His three sisters who had married German princes were not invited.
6. She took his name after the wedding (remember she was not Queen yet) so became Princess Elizabeth, Duchess of Edinburgh.
7. They worked quickly to have children; Prince Charles was born in the first year of their marriage.
8. Philip had little to no money of his own when they got married.
9. They actually first met was when she was 8.
10. He renounced his titles as Prince of Denmark and Greece prior to getting married.

God Save the Queen!

Ale of the Day: Royal Ale, Partizan Brewery, South Bermondsey, London

Day 75 - A day in Worcester

You know by now that Sunday public transport for us is limited to trains, and with the weather forecast today being sunny we hopped on the Great Western Railway to Worcester. Now before I get going, I will have to tell you that there was so much to say about this city that we have decided to save some of our day's experience for another post. I think that the Cathedral itself is so monumental it deserves its own post and we will highlight that another day.

Worcester is the main City of Worcestershire. Yes, the home of the sauce by Lea and Perrins. For
most English Canadians, this sauce is very familiar with its traditional orange label. My quick research into the company found that it had been founded in Worcester by two chemists, John Lea and William Perrins, purely by accident based on a Bengali recipe brought to them by a local nobleman. While it is romantic to think that this company would still be owned by locals, it has passed hands a few times having been first acquired by HP Foods (The HP Sauce people) in 1930 and then HP Foods was acquired by Imperial Tobacco (the Cigarette people) in 1967 who then sold HP Foods to Danone (the Yogurt people) in 1988 and then Heinz (the Ketchup people) acquired HP Foods in 2005. Recently Heinz was merged with Kraft (the Every Food people) to form KraftHeinz, and Lea and Perrins has been carried along the entire journey. And Darwin thought his theories applied only to the natural environment.

Worcester is indeed a Cathedral town and it is the centerpiece of the city, but the adjacent pedestrian shopping lanes made for a wonderful Sunday outing. It was sunny but also cool and we needed to start our wandering with hot chocolate from Hotel Chocolat, a UK-based confectionery retailer. Angela and I believe in being fair and equitable so we also had to pop into Thornton's, another confectionery retailer, to balance out our chocolate purchasing.  Thornton's had been in decline lately but the shopkeeper pointed out that the company had recently been purchased by Ferroro Rocher (an Italian chocolate company). We walked through the Shambles district of the city where houses from the 1500s still remain. Many are pubs and restaurants that serve shoppers, visitors and the locals looking to enjoy the atmosphere that is created by all of this history.

King Charles House

Speaking of history, Worcester was founded along the banks of the Severn River by the Romans. The river was always a major trade route running for over 220 miles (said to be the longest river in the UK) from its headwaters in central Wales through the fertile agricultural lands of Shropshire, Worcestershire and Gloucestershire to the Severn Estuary and then the South Irish Sea. Land routes converged here to form the settlement which became Worcester. The city has always been a strategic site and has experienced a number of medieval battles. It's most famous battle was in 1651 when the Royalists led by Charles I fought against Cromwell and the Parliamentarians during the English Civil War. Charles was defeated, but escaped to the South of England and then France. He was eventually captured and executed.

Our walk took us past the Royal Worcester Pottery factory and museum, which was closed for renovations. Fortunately they opened a shop in town, so we were able to look at some fine china later in the day. Founded in 1751, Royal Worcester claims to be the oldest porcelain brand still in existence. It started because two men, a physician and a pharmacist, created a porcelain process that attracted local investment in order to construct a production factory. When King George III visited the facility in 1788, he granted it a Royal Charter and so its present name.

Kings School Worcester Campus

Near the museum is a stately college known as The Kings School Worcester. Its roots are found in the activities of the Benedictine monks who occupied the nearby Abbey (now the site of the Cathedral). However, when Henry the VIII decreed that the monastery be dissolved, he had the school refounded (and so the name) in 1541. It is a private school, as we would refer to it in Canada. In the UK it is referred to as a public or independent school. They serve students from 2 to 18 years of age with fees for the oldest students running about $22,000 Canadian per year (non-boarding). It is a beautiful site right along the bank of the Severn.

Our city walkabout finished along the river where one can walk on both sides and watch the rowers rowing and the swans swimming, and a partridge in a pear tree....oops I got carried away with the season.

Ale of the Day: By George Pale Ale, St. George's Brewery, Worcester

Day 74 - Lady Jane hits Broadway Again

Lady Jane Tanqueray of Alton Towers continued her visit with us into a rainy and somewhat bleak Saturday. Her escort, the world renowned English Cricketeer Lord Tanqueray of Alton Towers, was kind enough to do the driving as we set out to visit Broadway to do a little window shopping now that the Christmas season is coming upon us.

Lady Jane and Brother with Family Car?

Broadway, as we mentioned in a previous post, is a lovely town that lies in the Vale of Evesham at the foot of the Cotswold Edge escarpment. As we drove down of the escarpment, childhood memories flooded back into Lady Jane's thoughts; memories of family drives back to Worcester to visit relatives at a time when only the A44 was the way to get there (no high speed motorways or M roads as they are called). Only leisurely drives through the towns and villages of the Cotswolds. In her reminiscence, one could almost see a tear forming, or was that just her cold?



Of course, Lady Jane and Angela have experienced
both Broadways together; the one we were visiting today and the other one.....let me think now, oh yes.....the one in Manhattan. The stores in this Broadway were all decked out for the Christmas season, including the most visually surprising, Cotswold Trading. The dimensions of this store must have been 30 feet in width at the store front and 200 feet to the back. As one can find almost everything for home and garden, browsing was a must ... and given the fact that the rain was now coming down steadily it was a welcome sanctuary. The store has been around for the past 20 years and has become somewhat iconic for the town. It is not the only store, and we found ourselves winding in and through various mews style stores set back from the High Street as well as unique shops that take full advantage of the old architecture, such as the Broadway Deli. Even Lord Tanqueray, whose sophistication in all things

drinkable and edible, was astounded by the selection of products.

Although it rained the entire day, we enjoyed having them visit us and we made plans to meet when we were in Winchester next week. After some kisses and hugs, we watched the Lord and Lady drive away and settled into our flat as the rain continued for the day. Time for a cuppa and an old movie on the telly.

Ale of Day: Autumn Season's Best Bitter, Prescott Brewery, Cheltenham, Gloucestershire

Day 73 - A visit from Lord and Lady Tanqueray

Friday, and Lord and Lady Tanqueray agreed to join us in "the North" to start the weekend with "the Canadians." We were grateful for Lady Jane agreeing to tear herself away from what would have otherwise been a whirlwind of London social events. As cricket doesn't start back up until the spring, we knew it wouldn't be too difficult to pull Lord Tanqueray out of the wine cellar.

As Phil was nearish to the Alton Tower estate, Lord Tanqueray agreed to meet him at the Basingstoke rail station, and travel over hill and dale to the Wolds of the Cots. Lady Jane, arrived by First Class carriage on the train from London Paddington, empty drink class in hand and a slight stain on her stiletto from removing the man who had the presumption to be seated in her pre-reserved seat.

As befits Lady Jane's status, she was greeted at the train with a G&T made with the local Cotwolds Gin and the canape of the day (although she remarked at the lack of a silver platter for its presentation).She raised her glass to those surrounding her on the platform and to the poor sods who still had more train travel to stations beyond.

Arriving in "the North" she was quickly complaining of the cold. When this writer suggested she might have worn a warmer coat, she was quick to remind: "I work in the West End, darling. There are appearances to be upheld." She arrived with a gift of a Paddington Bear asserting she felt he was reflective of how the English had always be welcoming of illegal immigrants.

Lord Tanqueray and Phil arrived as we were making our way toward the entrance to the flat (flawless timing is a skill set mastered by the elite).

Chilled champagne for the ladies and a bottle of Costasera Amarone Classico for the gentlemen were soon opened and helping to wash down more canapes.

Dinner was at Sitara, an Indian restaurant on the Moreton in Marsh High Street, during which much discussion was given over to the latest seemingly unending trail of Hollywood abuse scandals. A much unneeded nightcap at The Bell Inn, then more conversation, and it was off to bed, with Lord and Lady Tanqueray being directed to their room in the West Wing.

Canape of the Day: Whole prawns in a tikka sauce with mango chutney served in a crisp, tomato tortilla cup

Day 72 - Lady Jane in "A Penchant for Pensioners"

Another work day, but Lady Jane Tanqueray arrives tomorrow for a visit, so what better way to prepare you than with a look into the life of the upper crust from the Lady herself:

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Thursday saw Lady Jane, drink in hand, paying a visit to the home of the iconic Chelsea Pensioners, the Royal Hospital at Chelsea. It wasn’t, as her colleague so pithily put it, an exercise in finding a new husband, but rather a fact-finding mission as part of Lady J’s real job. Yes, Lady J, for reasons that she still does not quite understand, has to work for a living.

No matter. A delightful young lady who once worked for the Royal Household – for the benefit of our dear readers in the Colonies, that’s the Queen and her family – was on hand to show Lady J around.

The Hospital sits on the northern banks of the Thames opposite Battersea Park. Many dear readers may also know it as the home of the world famous annual RHS Chelsea Flower Show – a key date in Lady J’s social calendar. [Editor's note: While this writer has attended the Chelsea Flower Show sans Lady J, we have attended the Hampton Court Palace show together where we undertook to provide our own Latin names to otherwise poorly named flora.]

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Nell Gwyn. A striking resemblance
to Lady Jane of Tanqueray? 

The Hospital was established in 1692 by King Charles II and designed by Sir Christopher Wren, although legend has it that Nell Gwyn, the King’s favourite mistress was instrumental in persuading him that a home should be built for ex-soldiers. Using her legendary feminine wiles, she asked the King for a piece of land the size of a handkerchief. Amused, he agreed and Nell proceeded to place her handkerchief on a map of London over the site in Chelsea.

The Hospital is home to around 300 pensioners who have all served in the Army. They range in age from 65 to over 100, and whilst many make use of the considerable number of mobility scooters parked all over the Hospital, many others are still fit and able and make good use of the on-site gym and pool.  Others make good use of the on-site pub, as Lady J can attest to.

Pensioners are free to come and go as they please and Lady J heard the story of one pensioner who decided to take his scooter out for a ‘little spin’ and got as far as Richmond, nearly 8 miles away, before his battery went flat. Another decided to ‘pop out’ in hers returning not long after with McDonald’s for some of her favourite staff.

Life as a Chelsea Pensioner is undoubtedly one best described by the word ‘cherished’. The Hospital has often been described as the ‘best retirement home in the world’ and it is easy to see why. Pensioners give up their army pension on admittance and in return are looked after by a highly professional team dedicated to their care and well-being. To live here is truly a blessing and the Pensioners in return are clearly proud to call the Royal Hospital their home. The camaraderie between them was wonderful to witness and to have the honour of accessing much of what generally remains behind closed doors was a humbling experience.

Lady J had luncheon in the Great Hall surround by Pensioners. They wear a smart uniform during the day with the iconic Scarlet coat being saved for ceremonial purposes. The Hall features wooden panels that detail every battle fought by the British Army and Lady J was moved to find those that detailed the WW2 battles fought in by her father.

Source: www.chelsea-pensioners.co.uk

Sadly, however, Lady J’s efforts to find a new husband were in vain.  A pre-requisite of admittance is that Pensioners are ‘unencumbered by spouse’.

Dessert of the day: Manchester Tart [Editor's note: Lady J may be confusing the name of the dessert with what was reputedly yelled at her as she left the Great Hall. However, Lady J is adamant she has never been to Manchester.]

Day 71 - Murder on the Orient Express

Middle of the week and a matinee! Ange and I got up early to get our day's work done so we could leave for Evesham and the Regal Cinema's showing of the new remake of Murder on the Orient Express. As most people know, it is based on the Agatha Christie murder mystery. But what do we know about the Orient Express. Well, the Orient Express was a long-distance train service that began running in 1883 and was only seen as an international train service that ran from Paris to Istanbul (although it only went directly to Istanbul in 1889). Over time it became synonymous with luxury travel and, as a result of the book, mystery. 

With interest declining, the route was shortened in 1977 so that the train no longer went as far as Istanbul and stopped instead at Bucharest, Romania. In the 90s the route ran only between Paris and Budapest, and by the 2000s the route was shortened again to Vienna. In 2007 the Orient Express stopped departing from Paris and instead ran between Strasbourg and Vienna. By 2009 the service was stopped altogether. Of course over those decades the older version was replaced by modern trains with overnight accommodation facilities.

The Orient Express has played many a role in film. The train appears in the four versions of the Murder on the Orient Express (1974, 2001, 2010 and 2017), the 1963 James Bond flick, From Russia with Love, and the 2004 version of Around the World in 80 Days. A first edition of the book was published in 1934 and you can get a copy for 2,750 British Pounds.

Believe it or not, there was a luxury tourist operation called the Venice-Simplon Orient Express which was started by an American investor who had purchased and refurbished some of the original passenger cars from the Orient Express and began a London to Venice service in 1982,which means it had been competing with the traditional Orient Express, albeit with the goal of targeting well to do customers. This luxury service still runs today, and if you would like to go on that journey it will only cost you $10,000 per person for the overnight trip in a grand suite. A bargain! If you want to take a combination of high speed/regular trains that takes you along a similar route you can save yourself $9,750 per person -- but none of the luxury frills!

Ale of the Day: S.B.A., Donnington Brewery, Stow-on-the-Wold, Gloucestershire

Day 70 - "Meat" the community

Source: Facebook page for R&D Walker Ltd.
T/A Checkett @CheckettsButchers

I was shopping at the local Moreton in Marsh butchers today for the first time. It's a small shop called R&D Walker that has a display of meats in the front window, with lots of fresh, local vegetables for sale out front of the shop. Inside, a thin aisle leads from the door down the length of the counter. Behind this small space, four men were working (there may have been others; as they were all quite busy).

Every time I pass this shop it seems to be doing a busy trade. Today was market day, so probably busier still with the added number of people in town.

The butcher who served us took great pride in his product. We asked for a lovely piece of beef on display, and before Phil even had a chance to ask where it was from (as he always does), the butcher was telling us how it came from a farm near Stratford Upon Avon, and that it was one of the nicest cuts he had eaten in a long time. Grass fed. Locally sourced. Perfectly aged. We added in some bacon to the order, and he didn't charge us the full cost for it, saying he'd deduct some for the fat left on the roast "which we had to keep for flavour." [Aside: we slow roasted it for dinner, and it was wonderfully flavourful and cut like butter.]

You lose out on on something special when you buy your meat already plastic covered sitting on a tray of styrofoam from a grocery store. You get beef that is bright pink instead of dark red from proper aging. You get chickens that are white and tasteless rather than yellow with a bit of fat under the skin. You get pork filled with water that tastes like ....well, nothing (for definition of the word see previous day's blog).

But it's more than that. You also lose out on having a conversation with the person whose job is on the line if they sell you something that isn't of the best quality...a person who takes pride in what they do, and has a knowledge level far superior to the high school student manning the grocery store's meat counter (if they even have a counter to man). With an independent butcher, you get someone who can recommend something new, tell you how to best store it and cook it, and learn just what it is you like. They can even help with portion sizing (we all sometimes have unsuccessfully guessed how far different kinds of roast will go once fully cooked).

The neighbourhood butcher shop is almost dead in Canada. My quick google search to find out how many independent butchers remain in Ontario yielded no results. I did find a site for Independent Meat Processors Association which has 300 members, but those include abattoirs, processors, suppliers in addition to butchers. 

While I could find information on UK butchers, sadly the number has been on the decline, suffering as all independent retailers have from the growth of large chain supermarkets and cheap imports. In the early '90s there were about 15,000. Last year, there were about 5,400. However, there has been a more recent boon to the butcher business caused by various food scandals (people put more trust in buying local from someone they know) and also by the plethora of cooking shows on TV.

The butcher we spoke to today said he sells a lot to local restaurants. Great to see how the members of the community support each other and provide a way of ensuring local products remain differentiated from bland name brands.

The menu at local Moreton in Marsh restaurant, Redesdale Arms sources its
meat from R&D Walker, and proudly displays this on their menu. 

With a local butcher, you might pay a bit more; you might not. But you inevitably get better quality. If cost is a concern, consider this: many of us tend to eat more meat than we need to anyway. So, even if you find it more expensive from an independent butcher, I would still argue it is smarter to buy less of something better than it is to buy more of poor quality, bland food.

When surveyed, people all say it is best to support local, independent stores. It's better for the community as a whole as it builds a sense of belonging, helps sustain unique trades and goods that would otherwise risk dying out, provides jobs that build skills, and keeps in tact what makes a place special rather than homogeneous.

We all know it's the right thing to do, yet we don't keep it top of mind enough. As we approach the holidays and are out doing more shopping than normal, it's a good time to reconsider where we buy and what that is supporting. We'll not only be helping others, I think we'll be helping ourselves in the long run too.

Now, off to find the baker...and maybe the candlestick maker!  ;-)

Day 69 - A blog about "nothing".

Today I agreed to write the blog about a day in which we did nothing (apologies to the great Larry David for my paraphrasing).

PHIL: Angela, I think I can sum up today for our Blog with one word: NOTHING.

ANGELA: Nothing?

PHIL: (Smiling) Nothing.

ANGELA: (Unimpressed) What does that mean?

PHIL: Today's blog is about nothing. You see, it's just like life. You know, you eat, you go shopping, you read.. You eat, you read, You go shopping.

ANGELA: All right, tell me, tell me about the stories. What kind of stories?

PHIL: Oh, no. No stories.

ANGELA: No stories? So, what is it?

PHIL: Well for example, what'd you do today?

ANGELA: I got up and sat down to work.

PHIL: There's our blog. That's a blog.

ANGELA: (Confused) How is that a blog? Does something happen while I am working?

PHIL: No, no, no. Nothing happens.

ANGELA: Well, why would anyone read it?

PHIL: Because it's in the blog.

ANGELA: (Threatening) Not yet.

Eventually Angela capitulated so I am going to write about nothing.

Nothing (as defined by Google dictionary)

pronoun 1. not anything; no single thing  "I said nothing" synonyms: not a thing, not a single thing, not anything, nothing at all, nil, zero

adjective informal 1. having no prospect of progress; of no value.  "he had a series of nothing jobs"

adverb 1. not at all. "a man who cared nothing for her"

Origin: Old english from "nan thing"

Translated:  لا شىء (Arabic), rien (French), nichts (German),  שׁוּם דָבָר (Hebrew), ekkert (Icelandic), kitu (Swahili), No Uzbek translation found.

That's it....."Nothing" more.

Day 68 - Bruern Abbey

Fancy gardening on the wall
of Bruern Abbey Manor House

What does one do when one wakes up on a sunny and cool morning? Well, plan a long walk to places yet to have been traveled to! This morning was such a morning and since it was Sunday and therefore a day of rest (at least from work) we set out to explore an area near Kingham.  The reason we chose this walk was principally due to the fact that the buses do not run on Sundays in this part of the world, but the train does!  Kingham as you may recall from previous blogs is where we first settled when we arrived in the Cotswolds.  It is also only 7 or 8 minutes by train south of where we currently live.

Another tidbit about public transit on Sundays in this neck of the woods is that the trains may not run on schedule or at all for that matter (cancelled trains are not unusual on Sundays). But there can be a bright side. On Sundays, the railway ticket offices are closed in the smaller towns so you must purchase your tickets from the guard (conductor) on the train. However, when you travel short distances, the guard may not come by your seat before you must get out. In those circumstances you travel for free (of course, it is not an expensive ticket in any case). Such was the case for us as we exited onto the platform at Kingham.

Snorkel anyone?

Our circular walk would start in a familiar fashion by taking us up to Bedlington (where we had stayed an evening earlier in our adventure) at which point we joined the Oxfordshire Way footpath heading south. This path is 109 kilometres long starting in Bourton-on-the-Water and ending in Henley-on-Thames. It links the Heart of England Way with the Thames Path. We would only stay on it for about 2 kilometers, which was good because this part of the path was muddy and suffering from the previous day's rain, before we turned east along the d'Arcy Dalton Way towards one of our destinations for the day, Bruern Abbey.


Before I chat about the Abbey, I want to say a little about this path. The route is named after the late Col. W.P. d'Arcy Dalton who was a local advocate for maintaining public right-of-ways and one of the founding fathers of the Oxford Fieldpaths Society (only in this great country can you have such organizations). Similar in distance (107 kilometers) to the Oxfordshire Way, its route runs from Wormleighton Reservoir on the northern boundary of Oxfordshire with Warwickshire southerly to Waylands Smithy in Wiltshire. When the path nears the Abbey, it runs slightly east west.

Now onto the Abbey.  Well, when we got to the location on our map, we found ourselves in a very small village setting, and discovered that the Abbey exists in

Coach House across from the Abbey Manor House

name only as the site now is occupied by a very grand early 18th century country home owned by Baron Glendonbrook. It is said that the last remnants of the Abbey still form part of a large cottage adjacent to the home.

In some ways the village around the Manor House and the house itself reminded me of Downton Abbey. This site was indeed the location of an original Cistercian Abbey founded in 1147 by Nicholas Basset as a "daughter" monastery to the Waverly Abbey in Surrey.  Ironically the Waverly Abbey was located within walking distance of where we lived in Farnham when I taught in the U.K.  We had walked to that location on many occasions with friends and family (Remember that Chris?). The Bruern Abbey was only one of the many properties this Order maintained across the country. As was the case with all of these properties, Bruern was destroyed in October of 1536  by order of King Henry VIII.

Fore!!!!

We continued along the d'Arcy Dalton Way which at one point crosses the Wychwood Golf Club (Check out how green things still are on the course, I wanted to get out and play!) before it starts back up one of the Cotswold hills on its way north towards the village of Churchill. When we had previously stayed in Kingham, we had stopped here for lunch one day during the week.  The food was good then and today we were not disappointed!


Arriving during the middle of the Sunday roast serving, we found the pub to be very busy, but they were kind enough to find a spot for two muddy walkers near the bar. A pint of ale and servings of roast beef and roast pork, veggies galore and of course roast potatoes and Yorkshire pud were welcome additions to our day's adventure. 

After the meal it was downhill (I mean elevation wise) along a local footpath past Kingham and to the rail station for the trip home. The return to MiM was also free as the guard did not come before we got there. So with a few quid saved from not paying train fare we used it to by a freshly baked dessert for later that evening. We figured we deserved it as Ange's fitbit indicated we had trekked over 17 kilometers.  Needless to say sleep came early this day :)

Ale of the Day: Butcombe Rare Breed, Butcombe Brewery Ltd, Wrington, Bristol,

Day 67 - Far from home

Today we pay tribute to those who were serving in the Canadian military and died while in the UK. In the UK, the traditional poppy is worn as it is in Canada, although it does have a different shape and is made of paper. The poppy boxes also offer you a choice of pin, a large fabric poppy, wrist bands and wooden crosses.

There is a Commonwealth grave section of a local graveyard in Moreton in Marsh, as Moreton was the site of a air training base during WWII. Buried within the cemetary are 12 Canadian airmen ranging in age from 19 to 33 all who died during WWII while serving from here. When we discovered this graveyard a few days ago, a man was cutting the lawn around the stones and tidying up. Someone had already been by to place Remembrance crosses.

The Commonwealth War Graves Commission builds and maintains cemeteries and memorials at 23,000 locations in more than 150 countries commemorating more than 1 million burials. Since they were establishment in 1917, they have constructed 2,500 war cemeteries and plots, erected headstones over graves and where the remains are missing, inscribed the names of the dead on permanent memorials. If you'd like to check into any family members who may be buried or commemorated away outside of Canada, you can check the Commissions database.

Today, November 11th, is Armistice Day. As we do, two-minutes silence is observed  around the country. Here in Moreton in Marsh, a bugler played The Last Post, and the local Vicar read the famous stanza from Laurence Binyon's poem For the Fallen:

They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning

We will remember them.

The bigger event is held on Remembrance Sunday (this year, that's tomorrow), when, like in Canada on November 11, people will march in parades, lay wreaths and pay their respect.

Today, Phil and I added poppies or crosses on each Canadian grave in Moreton in Marsh as our way of remembering those who died so young and so far from home. Below you will find a picture of each grave. Perhaps someone will find information about a family member.

Lest we forget.

Pilot Officer
E MC L. Tew
Navigator

Sergeant
R.F. Anderson
Pilot, Age 25
"From the plains of Texas"

Flying Officer
E. Martin
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Age 21 

Flight Sergeant
W.E. Douglass
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Age 22

Flight Sergeant
W.A. Boundy
Air Gunner, 

Sergeant
O.C. Dunn
Navigator, Age 28

Flight Sergeant
G.L. Hall
Navigator (Bomber)
Age 32

Pilot Officer
C.A. Harris
Wireless Operator/Air Gunner
Age 29

Sergeant
J.F. Duggan
Pilot, Age 19

Flight Sergeant
D. MC M. Gilmour
Air Observer, Age 23

Flying Officer
D.Y. Mc Intosh
Navigator, Age 33

Flight Sergeant
J.L. Mc Connell
Pilot, Age 22