My Father would be 15 years old at the end of the Great war, and 115 years old if he was still alive today.
He iterated hundreds of events he personally went through, during both world wars and many of them with tears running from his eyes.
He was a Celtic fan throughout his life and I owe everything I am to him and his prophetic teachings.
Many times I learned of the horrors inflicted by the British Army upon the Irish people and others nations,
I had the best history book anyone could wish to own, in my father and am lucky to remember EVERY thing he said to me from the earliest of my years. not least the horrific things dealt out towards him being an Italian Catholic and a devout one at that.
Although he would tell me these things through hurt and a deeply upset demeanour he was never noticeably angry. In fact, I was far more angry for him and his family than he ever appeared to be.....and he was the one to suffer the years through them.
Many of these things told were hard to accept for me and sometimes unbelievable, but he would counter by saying stories without truth have no spine and can never stand up, but the truth is often so hard to accept they are solid, have a spine and stand up! He backed this up by saying he didn't want any of his nine daughters to be told these things nor to be as hurt as I often showed, but wanted to share them with his sons only.
One day I too would like to share these things on here but have never yet found the mental strength to begin.
My friends no less included old Rangers fans and latterly Sevco fans who knew my father well and were often open mouthed at his experiences, however few times they were.
My Father attended the very first laying of the wreaths as it was known then in 1919 shortly after the Cenotaph being built.
But,.............
the most poignant thing he said to me ever....was these men and boys who gave the ultimate gift, the greatest sacrifice, were GREAT friends, Catholic and Protestants, Jews, Moslems and even a Sikh Hussar called Bimbo the Indie...........ALL from Dundee, ALL went over the top and 90% NEVER came home. AND at a time when there were less than 100 Asians in Dundee in 1916.
IF MY FATHER WHO CAN KNOW SO MUCH AND LIVE THROUGH IT ALL CAN RESPECT THE REMEMBRANCE SILENCE,
WHO AM I?
WHO ARE YOU?
WHO ARE WE TO ARGUE.
This is not about the British Army, it is about them and us, the ordinary people, the people who unquestionably did their duty to stop a tyrannical despotic leader, with their lives.
THAT MUST BE REMEMBERED AND RESPECTED.......EVERMORE.
I IMPLORE ALL CELTIC FANS TO RESPECT THESE PEOPLE, WHO GAVE EVERYTHING NEVER TO COME BACK TO WHAT THEY LEFT BEHIND.
LET'S CONTINUE OUR MUCH LOVED WORLD WIDE RESPECT, OUR UNSURPASSED AND DIGNIFIED HISTORY.
I TOO LOVE CELTIC, AS MUCH AS ANYONE COULD POSSIBLY......JUST AS MY FATHER DID AND JUST AS YOUR GRANDFATHERS DID BEFORE YOU.
THEY GAVE US THEIR TOMORROWS, SO THAT WE COULD HAVE OUR TODAYS.
GOD BLESS THEM ALL AND MAY THEY ALL REST IN PEACE IN THE CRADLE OF HIS HANDS.