IF YOU LIVE OUTSIDE THE SOUTH DEVON AREA, HERE'S MY NOVEMBER 2013 "PENSIONERS PLATFORM" COLUMN ARTICLE FROM THE TORBAY TIMES.....
It is an honour to be able to do this, and I would be delighted if you were able to contribute by helping to send the message out. Thank you and very best wishes. Cathy McAnespie.”
BY the time you are
reading this, Remembrance Sunday and Armistice Day 2013 will probably have come
and gone, but that is no excuse for us to forget our fallen heroes until next
November. Sadly, we in the UK don’t cherish and honour our armed forces
veterans in the same way as some other nations do: in particular the USA.
However, here in Devon, we may be witnessing the first stirrings of a change
that has the potential to go, not only national, but global too.
First things first, you
don’t need to have a connection to the internet to get involved in the project mentioned
below. On the contrary, all you need is a telephone and a watch or clock that
‘saw’ military action at any time during the 20th Century, or since.
Alternatively, a photograph of a watch being worn by a member of the armed
forces who saw action anywhere in the world over the past one hundred years
would also make an ideal focal point. Similarly, photographs of other clocks
that survived wartime bombardments and/or bombings would be worthy of inclusion
in the project too.
So, what’s this all
about? Well, on September 20, I received an e-mail at my BBC Radio Devon address.
It came from Cathy McAnespie and her husband Steve, who run PrimeTime Ltd in
Exeter. The content of the e-mail is self-explanatory, so I’ll reproduce it in
full here:-
“Dear David: I’m really hoping you can
help me. Both my husband Steve and I love your programme. Hearing you play the
V-Disc wartime recordings recently made me think you would be the most suitable
person to contact at BBC Radio Devon.
I am creating a horological online archive called “Time
for Remembrance”. The objective is to archive as many photographs
and other images of timepieces belonging to all those associated with all
conflicts locally, nationally and internationally. The timepiece may, for
example, have been worn by a great-grandfather in the trenches of World War I, or
saved the life of Tommy at the Somme, or been worn by one of the Land Girls, or
be an image of a local church, high street or station clock that survived the
Blitz.
We are inviting visitors to our website to post their pictures and stories or leave contact details in order to grow the archive, so that we can attempt to compile the greatest and most diverse compilation of timepieces associated with wartime or conflict ever archived. This is a unique concept, and driven not only by my love of horology but also in awareness that fewer people seem inclined to remember our heroes than used to be the case.
We would please ask that you back our campaign to archive as many timepieces for this Remembrance Day and leading up to the centenary next year. Please help broadcast this and galvanise the county, the country and ultimately the world, to contribute in the success of commemorating our heroes, and all those associated with all conflicts by getting them to add their images of their timepieces to the website. If possible, it would be wonderful if you could also contribute some images, if you have any. Please visit our website at www.timeforremembrance.com and also our pages at www.pinterest.com/timeremembrance or call us at PrimeTime of Exeter Ltd, Tel: 01392 207707. My e-mail address is cathymc67@btinternet.com.
We are inviting visitors to our website to post their pictures and stories or leave contact details in order to grow the archive, so that we can attempt to compile the greatest and most diverse compilation of timepieces associated with wartime or conflict ever archived. This is a unique concept, and driven not only by my love of horology but also in awareness that fewer people seem inclined to remember our heroes than used to be the case.
We would please ask that you back our campaign to archive as many timepieces for this Remembrance Day and leading up to the centenary next year. Please help broadcast this and galvanise the county, the country and ultimately the world, to contribute in the success of commemorating our heroes, and all those associated with all conflicts by getting them to add their images of their timepieces to the website. If possible, it would be wonderful if you could also contribute some images, if you have any. Please visit our website at www.timeforremembrance.com and also our pages at www.pinterest.com/timeremembrance or call us at PrimeTime of Exeter Ltd, Tel: 01392 207707. My e-mail address is cathymc67@btinternet.com.
It is an honour to be able to do this, and I would be delighted if you were able to contribute by helping to send the message out. Thank you and very best wishes. Cathy McAnespie.”
So, there you have it: an inspired
innovation, and a permanent on-line archive of remembrance dedicated to all
those who served, in whatever capacity, through the many conflicts of the past
one hundred years. Congratulations to Cathy and Steve McAnespie on a truly
wonderful idea. Call or write to them soon, and ask them if your treasured
time-piece or photo would be of interest.
CONTACT
If you would like to
make contact with me, you can reach me by e-mail at Davidlowecolumn@aol.com
or via mail@torbaytimes.co.uk.
Alternatively, you can call me on Skype at david.l.lowe.
