So now Sainsbury's are holding TWO silences this weekend

[Enid]

one on Saturday and one on Sunday

am I alone in finding these enforced silences irritating and annoying?

I was cross when they suddenly went up to 2 minutes - somehow that is sooooooo much more reverent than 1 minute, er, not.

But now to have them on both weekend days. Makes me [hmmm]

We always had two when we were little, and it was two 2 minute silences - one at school on the 11th November, and one at Church on the Sunday nearest the 11th.

If it's any comfort, the 11th should be a Sunday next year, so there'll only be 1 then. I don't think it's out of order to have 2 tbh, and I also think it's good to have it in places like Sainsburys - if you had to do your shopping at that time and WANTED to observe the silence, it would be pretty difficult, with people ramming your trolley and 'CUSTOMER ANNOUNCEMENT, BUY ONE GET ONE FREE ON ALL FRUIT SHOOTS AND TURKEY TWIZZLERS' over the tannoy.

It's not like you're likely to BE in Sainsburys at both times. The Sunday silence is really for Remembrance Services I think - and that's a really big thing for ex-soldiers etc - they all go to our church, for the act of remembrance at the cross.

Can't see why anyone would mind to be honest - I DREAM of 2 minutes silence in my life!

No worries.

No it would be terribly inconvenient for you Dumbledore if I was v back

sobernow - did you get my email?

Personally, I don't mind 1 or 2 minutes, it's just important that the war dead are REMEMBERED.

What pees me off is 1 minutes silence at sporting events for some sporting 'hero' who died of old age.

We rightly remember the war but do we learn from it? - there are still wars going on and terrible acts happen still.

I agree Jodee with you and everyone else about silences (1or2mins) being overused, it actually detracts from the importance of remembrance Sunday, and ignities reactions like the ones on this thread.
Even remember thinking after Soham mureders when silences were held, but other children died this week were they less important?You can't hold silences for everyone.
Remembrance Sunday differnet as should be part of our NATIONAL conscience, millions of people like SN's grandad should be honoured and remebered.

Now you see, I agree with every word of your past post Tinkerboo, so why are you being so offensive towards me?

And I suspect most of our Grandads. Certainly both of mine. One at Dunkirk and Monte Casino and the other a Polish prisoner of war who escaped once and then recaptured.
In fact maybe I'll start another thread....remebering war hero grandads, better than arguing on here

Sorry Dumbledore hadn't meant to be offensive. I just think remembrance day is important and it made me angry that people would argue over 1/2 mins. I'm sure our views in RL are not as polarised as they can come across on MN's.

My understanding was that rememberance day was originally on the 11th of the 11th, regardless of the day that this fell on. As time when on this was seen as 'inconvenient' so rememberance sunday was set up in its place. Recently, over the last few years, veterans have asked that the 11th of the 11th be observed as well as the Sunday Parade etc

It has always, to my memory, been two minutes silence, it was when I was a child, at any rate

Happy to be corrected.

Assuming that a young person was killed at the age of 20 during either of the two world wars. Assume that this person would have lived to 70 years, had they not been killed.

They gave up 26,280,000 minutes of life for our freedom.

assuming that we give up 4 minutes a year, it would take us 6,570,000 years to pay them back.

Do what ever you like, I honestly don't care, but we do owe them, and they do deserve to be remembered. Someone's son, someone's daughter.

so about all of this - I suppose none of u do the poppy appeal either, like MB I always understood it was th 11th day or the 11th month at the 11th hour - and it's to mark the end of the second world war (according to my DH) how v sad that u can't take 2 minutes out (well 4 mintues out) to think about all those who've died in combat esp in the 1 & 2nd world wars, to ensure things are as they are today - free living.

Well said MB

I've read most of it sober, and from what i've read most people are moaning about companies doing 2 2 sets of 2 mintue, cos they can't reflect whilst doing the shopping, least that'sthe impression i've got but please feel free to correct me - althou i'm not the only one saying how shocked and sad they are by the comments.

Jeez....all I said was I like to reflect at a quiet reflective time appropriate for me and most of the nation - eg 11 am on Remembrance Sunday - rather than when out and about doing my shopping.

One tiny comment and suddenly I am the woman who has no resepct for the suffering and sacrifices of millions.

agree with MB's 1:48 post. Very poignant.

No wonder the older generation think we're a bunch of ungrateful sods. Is it that hard to remember people who died?

well said mb

I'm with Jon Snow

'poppy facists'? what's he on? I've never been press ganged into buying a poppy, I make a point of going to get one.

silly git

Having looked at the BBC site it would seem that it has been a two minutes silence, since it was first intoduced in 1919, the idea being put forward by George Honey.

'In a letter published in the London Evening News on 8 May 1919, an Australian journalist, Edward George Honey, proposed a respectful silence to remember those who had given their lives in the First World War. This was brought to the attention of King George V and on 7 November 1919, the King issued a proclamation which called for a two minute silence: '