The first Remembrance Day (or as originally called Armistice Day), was November 11th 1919, to celebrate a year of Peace since the end of the Great War.
First Poppy Day collection was on September 1st 1921.
First Poppy Wreath was ordered by Prince of Wales, (later King Edward Vlll) for Remembrance Day 1924.
Soon up and down the whole length of the Country, Wreaths were being placed on War Memorials, and Diss was no exception, and this year saw the 100th Anniversary of the War Memorial at St Marys.
The nearest Sunday to the 11th November is now Remembrance Sunday, whilst a 2 min silence is still observed on the 11th Hour of the 11th Day of the 11th Month.
Many wreaths are laid for various branches of the Arm Services, but also many are laid to remember individuals, but who are these NAMES, and what is the story behind them?
Well this is the story of just two Wreaths that were placed on the Memorial at St Marys Church, Diss. on the 14th November 2021, One a Red, White and Blue, RAF Roundel Wreath, the other, a Red Poppy Wreath with a Royal Engineers Regimental Badge.
The RAF Wreath is in Memory of two of my Uncles, J E Cowan & G Hart, both of RAF Bomber Command.
Jack was F/Sgt J E Cowan DFM. RAFVR (Royal Air Force Voluntary Reserve).
He was the Flight Engineer on Lancaster PB409, OF-F from 97 Sqn, based at RAF Coningsby.
He had already done a full tour (30 Missions) with 44 Sqn and was on his 2nd Tour.
The whole crew (7 Men) were Killed in Action on the 23rd September 1944 on an Attack on a Canal Viaduct and are Buried in the Reichwold War graves in Germany.
George was L/A/C George Hart RAF, 61 Sqn, and was killed when a Bomb Train Exploded at RAF Mablethorpe in May 1944 whilst loading Lancaster Bombers for a Mission over Germany.
The Royal Engineers wreath is in memory of my Father and various other Family members who took part and in some cases, were sadly killed in both World Wars.
Dvr J A Rogers, Royal Engineers and Normandy Veteran, died in 1986, he had received injuries during WW2 and these effected the rest of his life.
He had fought right across Europe from D-Day plus one and the Mulberry Harbour, right in to the heart of Germany, helping to build Bailey Bridges.
He was demobbed in 1947
Elizabeth Rogers, (nee Gregory) was in the Woman Land Army (WLA) in WW11 and was based in the Hertfordshire Area.
She did everything the male farmhands did from Milking Cows, Driving Tractors to Digging Ditches.
She died in October 2010 aged 88.
William George Rogers, (ARP) My Grandfather was in the Army in WW1, he was taken prisoner (POW) by the Germans and did not return home until 1919.
He was a Merchant Seaman between the Wars and in WW11 he became an Air Raid Warden in West Ham.
He was killed in July 1944 when a V1 Flying Bomb hit the Standard Telephone Company factory at North Woolwich, in East London, aged 59.
Albert Edward Gregory, my other Grandfather, was with the Royal Service Corps in WW1 and was a Driver of Horse.
He used to pulled various items (including Food, Ammo, Spares) to the front, by both Horse and Mules, manly in Support of the Royal Artillery.
He had been a good footballer before the war and was being looked at by Millwall, but sadly the big Guns of WW1 had deafen him on one side, which ended any hopes of becoming a Footballer.
In WW2 he was consider unfit because of his deafness for Service, but worked on the Home Front in and around the Docks in East London, and one thing he helped to build was parts for Mulberry Harbour.
He died in 1974.
Finally, two great Uncles, from Poplar in East London, both killed in the World War One;
John Ernest Osborne, Machine Gun Corps was killed in Flanders in 1918 and is Buried in de L`Asie Picardle, France.
William Thomas Osborne, Stoker 1st Class, Royal Navy. (and Johns elder brother).
Killed by Enemy Action when HMS Derwent was sunk in May 1917, he has no known Grave and his body is `Lost at Sea`.
So not Just Names on a wreath on a war memorial, but real People who had real lives.
Lest We Forget
Robert J Rogers
