Remembering Today Threads

Discussion in 'Network Information, Suggestions and Feedback' started by Drew5233, Feb 18, 2013.

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  1. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    I suspect this may be read wrong by some and just to clarify no matter how you read this it is not ment to be insensitive nor is it aimed at anyone in particular.

    Over the last year there seems to be a lot of threads started for individuals in the 'Remembering Today' section with only their CWGC details. Are members putting them up for a specific reason as it seems a bit odd to me.

    I know I have done a similiar thing in the past (before anyone points the finger) but I tend to do it the other way around Ie when I discover how a man died I post all the circumstances up and any background info in the 1940 section of the forum in case there are any relatives out there searching for answers on a relative.

    So without sounding abrupt am I missing something apart from the odd screw?
     
    Jonathan Ball likes this.
  2. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    The Remembering Today section was initially meant to be just for the casualty randomnly created & mentioned on the Portal.

    This is today's.
    CWGC - Casualty Details

    Top left of Portal here.
    http://www.ww2talk.com/

    The idea of that was similar to that on GWF.


    It just seems to have grown from there.

    I would prefer it if we just stuck to the one on the Portal & the members posted as much info on that one as they could.

    I'm not keen on too many 'Remembering Today' threads .
     
  3. Joe Brown

    Joe Brown WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    How do you access the Portal?

    Joe Brown.
     
  4. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    How do you access the Portal?

    Joe Brown.
    See attached Joe.
    To get to Portal click button on left marked 'Portal'. ;)
     

    Attached Files:

  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Some 'Remembering Today' threads are the result of years of research. The late Peter White and I started looking at No.120 Squadrons history and losses as long ago as the late 1970s an example of which was posted today, see link below which is only a small part of the full research paper.

    I believe that all deserve a mention on this forum.

    Should we remember? Or should we forget?

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/remembering-today/51980-remembering-today-18-february-1942-loss-liberator-i-am925-x.html
     
  6. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit


    From the Remembering Today thread:

    "Remembering Today A place to list the casualties that are randomly selected from the CWGC on the forum's front page. And maybe add a bit to each of them's story."

    Yes they do deserve a mention.
    No we should never forget.
    Perhaps they could be posted collectively in their own Squadron thread?

    Used to visit this thread first thing every morning, just to focus on other aspects of war outside of my own research or knowledge of events. Sometimes it highlighted well known hot-spots, sometimes events rarely remembered or mentioned elsewhere.
    Don't bother now as it's too much to read.

    Cheers,

    Geoff
    (creator of the random numbers)
     
  7. Buteman

    Buteman 336/102 LAA Regiment (7 Lincolns), RA

    In case you're wondering why I've posted a few Remembering Today's, I'm doing the one shown daily on the Portal page for Clive (CL1) for a few days.

    This comment is not aimed at anyone in particular!!!!
     
  8. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    I for one will continue to post the names of the fallen from my local memorials. For me the whole crux of the matter is to remember those who fell. I have nothing against the portal. Whichever random name is generated represents someone who have their life the same as anyone else. However I choose to remember my local fallen first. For me, its not about bridges, beaches, vehicles, diaries or anything else. Its about those who perished and everything else is secondary.

    I fully agree with Peter, "I believe that all deserve a mention on this forum.

    Should we remember? Or should we forget?"



    Keith
     
  9. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Hey I get the whole remembering thing and much more as I'm guessing so does everyone else on the forum-Why else would we be here if we didn't care about what happened regardless if it's bridges, vehicles, beaches or diaries. I also get the whole research thing to and infact find them very interesting if there are details added to the name by way of the circumstances of their death etc. It brings the whole thing to life in a way and I for one am all ready ready for the period of 10th May to 4th June to give as much detail as possible to any BEF soldiers that come up as I was last year and I will be next year. Infact I get rather annoyed if I can't help and add some kind of a story to a mans last days.

    I still don't get just posting up the details listed on CWGC and nothing else-whats the point unless you are researching them and looking for further info?

    I'll probably be painted the bad guy now but some mornings I log on and just see a list of names swamping everything else and after looking at the first two or three with nothing but CWGC details I give up on the rest and move one to other things.

    By the way I checked CWGC tonight and nearly 2,000 chaps and probably and probably a few chappettes and kids died tomorrow during 1940 to 1946-Do we list them all?

    Like I said in my first post - it's not aimed at anyone specific, I'm just trying to understand the point of a copy and paste for CWGC-I'm assuming that if you are remembering someone you have done some research into the individuals so perhaps you could also share the research?
     
    geoff501 likes this.
  10. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I remember counting about 16 'Remembering Today' threads one morning .

    The intention was for there to be only 1 a day.
     
  11. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    I know the thread is not aimed at me specifically so I'll refrain from answering at the moment as I would welcome the views of other members.

    Keith
     
  12. RemeDesertRat

    RemeDesertRat Very Senior Member

    I'd like to read every single post on the forums, but just don't have the time, theres plenty of posts in my own area of interest to keep me busy, I think that the fact the remembering today posts all start with the same wording makes them stand out more, maybe thats the problem?
    Only takes a second to scroll past them if they are not of interest.
     
  13. DaveB

    DaveB Very Senior Member

    I'm happy to see them, if they are for casualties I obviously can't help with (British army units for example) I just brush past them after a quick glance.

    However, if they are for Australians I try to add as much research as I can to the thread. If they are Air Force (any nationality) I try to see if their passing can be investigated through some of the common tools.

    Ditto for Navy / Maritime losses.



    I always presume that the OP knows nothing specific about the loss (otherwise they would have added it to the thread already) and would welcome any information that can be provided.


    I also hope that although this is a scatter-gun approach (a handful of casualties for each day out of the potential 1000s for the Commonwealth) that someday, someone will come across the thread because they are trying to find info on that individual for family research etc.
     
  14. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    This thread raises some interesting issues.

    Firstly, my own take on the subject.

    I can see Andy's point about only adding items to which you can, in effect, broaden the history of the serviceman/woman commemorated but I can also appreciate the viewpoint of others who wish to place on record the many who were killed on a particular day.

    I think we all "switch off" when faced with row upon row of CWGC records, I know that I do, and so one has to strike a happy balance, if there is such a thing.

    On a personal note, I always commemorate the date of my brother Jack's death over Nuremberg and this is the only use I make of Andy's original thread.

    Finally I feel that the most important use of the "Remembering Today" thread is the service it offers to folk who hadn't even known of this forum's existence before GOOGLING a name and the magic letters ww2.

    If I was one of those researchers and looking for a name such as "Geoffrey Burnard" I would go to GOOGLE and simply key in "Geoffrey Burnard ww2"

    Up would come the relevant link to this site and a wonderful opportunity to use the expertise of forum members.

    Having said that, I'd better check it out :)

    Ron

    ps
    Spot on !
    Geoff's Search Engine for ww2 - Page 5 - World War 2 Talk

    www.ww2talk.com › ... › ResearchGeoff's Search Engine.
    10 posts - 4 authors - 3 Jan 2008
    His name is Geoffrey Burnard and on the CWGC site his unit is listed as 49 Lt. A.A. Rgt, (Exactly as that ... The WW2 version works the same.
    Have you looked at the BBC Peoples War Archives ...‎ - 10 posts - 19 Nov 2010
    Different or Unusual Headstones/Memorials ...‎ - 10 posts - 11 Dec 2008
    Search engine - software updates.‎ - 10 posts - 20 Jan 2008
    New Project - Page 2‎ - 10 posts - 20 Aug 2007
    More results from ww2talk.com »
     
  15. Jonathan Ball

    Jonathan Ball It's a way of life.

    I always like having a look at this..

    [​IMG]

    If it's one of interest I'll click on the link and go to the CWGC website. I just don't see the point of a copy and paste job and starting a thread without adding anything extra in terms of a little further background and research.

    There are many of us who have researched a local memorial and local men and there are many interesting ways of presenting the information. This was mine:

    http://www.facebook.com/pages/The-Aspull-Memorial-to-the-fallen-of-the-Great-War/187155911365423?fref=ts

    And as for a WW2 Talk example? Here's is Michael's. All in one place. Nearly 10,000 views and a 5 star rating.

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/war-grave-photographs/32412-cockermouth-cemetery-cumbria-war-graves.html

    Ron makes a very good point about googling a name but please, lets remember that somebody googling a name will more times than not be doing so in the hope of finding more than the CWGC entry.
     
  16. La-de-da-Gunner Graham

    La-de-da-Gunner Graham Senior Member

    I have nothing against the portal. I'm relatively new to the research part of things. I dont have access to a lot of the books that other members have and am always grateful for the additional information that other members provide. Even if they cant, the post is there to be read if desired and to spare a moments thought for that serviceman or woman. I didnt think having research was a pre-requisite to posting. I have posted what I have but some I am unable to as it was supplied to me on the basis that it doesnt get posted. My research and interest is limited to those local memorials which I have looked into. I dont have 2000 names on a daily basis to submit but have 440 names, which works out on average at just over one post per day. Sometimes there are more, sometimes none at all. Ron and Dave make a good point about people searching for relatives. I know of three occasions where relatives have done just that and although I have been unable to post further information they have posted photos and other documents. The easy solution if anyone doesnt want to read a post is probably just to skip over it as suggested above. I do that with topics which dont hold my interest but fair play for those who want to read them anyway.

    Keith
     
  17. chick42-46

    chick42-46 Senior Member

    When I started this thread - http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/people-ww2/45946-remembering-lac-wilfred-holbrook-lac-norman-parker-2739-squadron-raf.html - I wasn't sure what title to give it. I'd seen the "Remembering today" threads but I hadn't realised how they worked. But the "Remembering" bit seemed appropriate so I appropriated it (if you'll pardon the bad pun).

    I have no problem with the threads themselves. I like them and hope they continue. And, even if only one is posted on any given day, that won't necessarily stop more than one of them appearing on the front page of the forum if people have posted comments. I've even been "guilty" of doing that myself - http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/remembering-today/48604-remembering-today-9-10-44-raymond-palfreyman-rafvr.html!

    Having said all that, I have noticed that more of the "Remembering today" threads have been appearing on the front page recently. I don't know why that is. But I've also gotten the impression that since the turn of the year the forum has been a bit quiet. I remember recently popping in and something like only 7 new posts had been made. The admins/mods may know if that impression is backed up by the figures but, if correct, it might explain why others have noticed the "Remembering today" threads - there has simply been less activity and so less new threads to displace them.
     
  18. geoff501

    geoff501 Achtung Feind hört mit

    For those who missed it, or do not know of the link on the Portal, here is a reminder of the explanation of the origin of the Remembering Today thread:

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network-information/28769-remembering-today-box.html#post319292


    And an explanation of how the names are chosen (no people or horses are involved in this procedure):

    http://www.ww2talk.com/forum/network-information/28769-remembering-today-box-4.html#post334043

    Data has been collected up to the end of 2018. I've no idea of the identity of the selections, it gets loaded into the Forum software at least twice a month.
    The reason data was collected so far in advance is the recent updates to the CWGC site may have made checking that the random selection matched the date may have been impossible, or difficult.
     
  19. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I suppose us mods/admin should have been a bit more firm & making sure it was kept for the original purpose & asking members politely not to post 'Remembering Today' threads that werent related to the randomly selected one.

    Oh well may as well do it now.

    Could members please refrain from posting Remembering Today threads that are not related to the randomly selected one of the forum .

    Cheers

    Oh well that's bound to upset some members.

    Shit job this.
     
  20. bamboo43

    bamboo43 Very Senior Member

    I agree with DaveB,

    It's always a good feeling to be able to add to the story of a casualty that appears on any of the RT posts. Also as one of the other members have said, these can sometimes lead to family researchers coming aboard and enhancing the casualties story as well.

    I have a RT page on my website which is updated every 2 weeks or so with the names of casualties or participants of Longcloth, who I am unlikely to ever receive further information about. Or, so I thought, for on several occasions these entries have thrown up new family contacts.
     
    Pieter F likes this.
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