Rose Wells 11.11.11

I met Rose Wells this morning at the Salvation Army Hall where I go to Weight Watchers ( I lost another half pound this week, 13 in all now), Emma and I were hoping to buy one of these lovely poppies that Rose and her friends had knitted at the Ellery Hall but sadly they had sold out.
We observed the 2 minute silence in the WW meeting, it was lovely to share it with a group, everybody sat heads bowed with their own thoughts, I thought about my Grandfathers George Edgar Slack, he was a Marine in the first world war, I believe he lied about his age in order to fight as he was only 15 in 1914, and in the second world war his company ENNA manufactured cylindrical bomb carriers for fighter planes.
I also thought about Terrence John Wood my Father's Father, too young to fight in WW1 and due to being colour blind/having poor eyesight he was unable to fight in WW2 so he became a fireman to help with the war effort.
My Mother and older sister were evacuated and lived on a farm as little girls and my Dad remembers his mickey mouse gas mask and the thrilling sight of fighter planes over the house in Ruislip, he was born in 1942 so it was all very exciting for him.
It's truly astounding what people can live through, I am full of admiration for the soldiers who fought in the 2 world Wars and also for their families and my heart goes out to those caught up in conflict today.