Patriotism

[hc4361]

My father and his 3 brothers fought in WWII, his 3 brothers didn't survive.
My grandfather died fighting in WWI. So my grandmother was left to raise 4 boys as a widow and only one survived.
My father's hero was Josiah Wedgwood, who campaigned to end slavery.
My hero is my grandma, my dad's mother.

I give thanks every day my life is so different.

[murraymints]

rightly so !!

[stokemaveric]

i salute your family hc..i too have a military background but i wont bore you with the details lol...isnt it ironic that josiah wedgwood was an active anti-slave activist yet now the company which he founded has outsourced the pottery that used to be made in stoke on trent ,to the far east where workers are paid around £27.00 a week to produce their wares now that is slavery...he would be spinning his grave i think...

[hc4361]

He would indeed, Stoke.
Times, they are a-changing

[stokemaveric]

they certainly are hc..i think its called corporate greed..there was a very interesting programme on bbc4 last monday evening and it was very interesting which featured wedgwood and his life and the demise of the pottery industry,indeed josiah wedgwood was a great potter and humanitarian..he built homes for his workers so that they could live in decent conditions the programme concludes this monday...

[hc4361]

I get so annoyed when our history is denigrated. Yes, a lot of wrongs did happen but we were not alone in colonizing the world. We were forerunners in bringing equality and that should be screamed from the rooftops.

[hc4361]

stoke, much like the Cadbury empire, who built more than decent homes for its workers in Bourneville. I am quite outraged to see that Kraft, the new owners of Cadbury, have applied for an alcohol licence. Bourneville in the middle of Birmingham is unique and should be treasured.
I drink, I love a drink, but have great respect for the Quaker Cadbury establishment who rejected licensed premises in its estate. That has been the case for many years and is not objected to by the residents.

My main point of this thread is how very easy we have it these days. Even our very poorest pensioners don't have the physical struggle my mother had. It is wrong that our elderly may struggle to pay their heating bills, but at least they are not not hauling coal (or slack) from their cellars, with no heating in any other rooms than the living room and the kitchen.

We are all so very lucky today.

[stokemaveric]

our area,like many,is steeped in history hc but unfortunatley the greed by pottery manufacturers like wedgwoods,royal doultons to name just 2 have outsourced our skills to the far east where they pay a fraction of the wages and all our skills [and thousands of jobs] have gone forever..im sure its not just my area where this has happened and it is criminal...

[stokemaveric]

too right hc,life was sure a lot tougher in ''the old days''..

[hc4361]

Thanks, Stoke and Murray, I am feeling a bit nostalgic and maudlin tonight and company is much appreciated :)