My Grandfather served in WW1 (my father in WW11). Grandpa was stricken with illness from the trenches in 1917 & transferred from one camp to another to another.... We have the telegraphs kept in the family bible stating first he was reported as missing in action, feared dead. A subsequent telegraph reported he was found - severely ill & unlikely to survive. Further letters and telegraphs are also stored by "the Turner mob" & preserved on line for all time, another telepgraph reported his health remained severely poor - survival unlikely, and finally out of the blue a telegraph reporting his health had turned and recovery likely. We also have copies of telegraph exchanges & letters from my great grandfather a well respected veteran of the Boar war to the "war office" as my father referred to it (& later still fondly called my mother) where at his behest a search was made and my grandfather found.

My grandfather signed up again for WW11 in March 1943, I was only looking the detail up this week so my brother could add detail to the family bible. We lost many family members in the Great War. Those who survived to come home suffered great guilt, but it was never spoken of, same with WW11, my dad never spoke of what he saw, experienced.

My Aunt (lifelong family friend called Aunty) who passed recently, at the funeral we talked of her father and then step father how both had returned from War & how badly it affected them, ultimately both were changed men. One, the quiet young man who left came back & before long a raging violent alcoholic who soon terrorised his family. Now of course we know it will have been PTSD but in those days it was not talked about, seen as a burden or blight on the family. He died of his own hand. The stepfather only to become the same.

Yes remeberance day provokes much thought. I'm proud to know the poem in Flanders field and wear a poppy every year. My Brother in Law sent me photos last week of Caerphilly with poppies everywhere on street corners, places of importance and even homes in general.