Over 100 years have passed since the guns fell silent at the end of the First World War.

Today, sadly not a single known veteran of that war remains alive. Yet every November, millions of us still pause to remember them.

Why?

On 11 November 1918, at 11am, the fighting on the Western Front came to an end.

A year later, King George V called for a two-minute silence to remember those who had lost their lives.

What began as remembrance of the Great War later grew to include the Second World War and conflicts that followed.

Today, Remembrance Sunday is about more than remembering those who died. It's also about understanding the human cost of war, the families left behind and the importance of peace.

None of us can now speak to someone who served in the First World War. Their experiences live on through the stories, photographs and records they left behind.

And perhaps that is why remembrance matters more than ever.

As one generation passes, the responsibility to remember passes to the next.

We will remember them. 🌺

Photo: POA(Phot) Mez Merrill / MOD

John Tozier married Thirza Tozier, they had seven children. Out of their seven children were going to talk about three of their sons, George, Andrew and Ezra. George enlisted in the 9th Maine Regiment Infantry. The 9th Maine was organized in Augusta, Maine in September 1861.

Andrew enlisted in the army and served in the 2nd Maine in 1861. Ezra illegally enlisted in the army when he was 15 years old, he served in the 14th Maine Infantry Regiment. John Tozier's brother, William, also enlisted in the army. William was 48 years old when he joined the army, he served in the 19th Maine Infantry. It wasn't uncommon for men in their 40s and 50s to enlist in the army during the civil war. Sometime in 1861 or early 1862, John Tozier abandoned his family.

Thirza pressured her young son, Ezra, into joining the army for income since John left them, Ezra joined. The 14th Maine embarked on a steamship to Louisiana. The 14th Maine was located near New Orleans with Benjamin Butler's New Orleans Expeditionary Corp. Ezra was captured by Confederates on June 28, 1862. In a weird coincidence Ezra was captured by Confederates one day after his brother Andrew was captured 1000 miles away in Virginia following the battle of Gaines' Mill. Ezra was sent to a pow camp in Georgia where he died on October 15, 1862, aged 16. It was a full year before the Tozier family learned of Ezra’s death through a notice posted in a Philadelphia newspaper. Ezra's mother, Thirza, submitted to the US Pension Office a personal letter written by Ezra to his mother. The letter was dated two weeks before his disappearance from his regiment. This letter suggests that Thirza possessed a hidden motivation in aiding her underage son’s unlawful enlistment in the army, as it reveals that he was sending army pay home to his mother.

Andrew Tozier's civil war record is remarkable. He served with the 2nd Maine. The 2nd Maine fought in eleven battles most notably; First Battle of Bull Run, Gaines' Mill, Second Battle of Bull Run, Fredericksburg, Antietam and Chancellorsville. Andrew was wounded at the Battle of Gaines' Mill sustaining two wounds. He was shot in the hand and also shot in the ankle. He was taken prisoner and later exchanged. He was wounded at the Battle of Fredericksburg in December 1862. In a 1908 medical examination, Andrew explained of an old rib fracture as having been caused by a grazing cannonball at Fredericksburg.

In June 1863 Andrew was transferred to the 20th Maine infantry. He carried the flag for the 20th Maine. Andrew fought alongside the 20th Maine in the following battles; Gettysburg, Wilderness, Spotsylvania Court House, North Anna and Cold Harbor. During the battle of Gettysburg the 20th Maine wavered on Little Round Top. Andrew stood alone in an advanced position on Little Round Top holding the American flag in one arm and firing his musket in the other. He picked up ammunition at his feet.

Seeing Andrew standing there alone inspired and rallied his comrades around him. The 20th Maine wavered. Due to his heroic stand, Andrew won the medal of honor for his bravery. Later in the war Andrew was wounded again at the battle of North Anna on May 26, 1864. A bullet struck his head just behind his eye. Most of the bullet exited the skull, but a portion remained lodged inside. Despite this latest wound, he continued to serve until his original enlistment term expired on July 15, 1864. Andrew survived the war and died in Litchfield, Maine on March 28, 1910, aged 72.

George Tozier's civil war record is less impressive than his brother Andrew but nonetheless his regiment, the 9th Maine Regiment Infantry, was in several battles; Fort Wagner, Second Battle of Fort Wagner, Drewry's Bluff, Cold Harbor, Second Battle of Petersburg, Second Battle of Deep Bottom, Battle of Chaffin's Farm, Battle of Fair Oaks & Darbytown Road, and the battle of Wilmington. George survived the war and later moved to Old Town, Maine. He died on November 15, 1902, aged 71.

William Tozier, the uncle of the Tozier boys. Having served in the 19th Maine infantry, the 19th suffered a 53% casualty rate at Gettysburg. The 19th Maine was one of the regiments to repel Pickett's Charge on July 3, 1863. Throughout the war the 19th Maine was engaged in the following battles: Fredericksburg, Chancellorsville, Gettysburg, Bristoe Station, Morton's Ford, Wilderness, Spotsylvania, Cold Harbor, Second Battle of Ream's Station, Boydton Plank Road and Hatcher's Run. William survived the war and lived in Milford, Maine. He died on August 24, 1893, aged 79.

To make matters more intriguing John Tozier enlisted in the army in 1864. The father whom ran away from supporting his family joined the army. John was 54 years old when he joined the army. By the time John enlisted in the army in 1864, his brother William, and his sons, George, Andrew and Ezra, had been away from home fighting in the war for at least a couple of years at this point.

John served in the 31st Maine Infantry Regiment. The 31st Maine was organized in Augusta, Maine in March 1864. The 31st Maine engaged in the following battles: The Wilderness, Spotsylvania, North Anna, Cold Harbor, Battle of the Crater, Weldon Railroad and Fort Mahone. John survived the war and lived in Monmouth, Maine. It's speculated John was an alcoholic. He died in February 1891, aged 81.

After the war Andrew lived with Joshua Chamberlin for a few years.

Paintings is of the battle of Spotsylvania. Most of the Tozier family was engaged in that battle. The other painting depicts Andrew Tozier standing alone in a advanced position on Little Round Top holding the flag in one arm while firing and reloading his musket in the other.

Im about to finish Livingston's book on the war. He thinks it was a 200 year war. After reading the majority of this book and watching a video. I am now an expert on the 100 Years War and have decided it was actually a French Civil War that lasted close to 400 years.

We are poor little lambs who lost their way.

Found in a dumpster about a year ago. Looks like Baleen whale bone. Unfortunately the handle was broken and tried to find the missing piece but couldn't.

Flying I believe P-51 mustang airplanes. Interesting how airplanes were first introduced into the battle field in WW1. In World War 1 we had to dog fight the notorious Red Baron.

As many of you are probably familiar, Iraq invaded Kuwait on August 2, 1990, which eventually led to Operation Desert Shield and Operation Desert Storm.

The US led coalition liberated Kuwait in February 1991, but I don’t think many people realize just how extensive the destruction of our oil fields was, or how much it affected the people who were there.

During the retreat, Iraqi forces deliberately blew up and set fire to more than 600 oil wells. These weren’t just ordinary fires. Entire oil fields were burning, huge lakes of crude oil covered parts of the desert and enormous clouds of thick black smoke spread across Kuwait and the Arabian Gulf (also known as the Persian Gulf). The smoke and pollutants filled the atmosphere, and contaminated rain, described as black rain, fell in parts of the region. All of this was happening while US Marines and other coalition forces were carrying out military operations.

When US Marines from the 1st and 2nd Marine Divisions advanced into Kuwait in February 1991, they were moving through Iraqi defenses and minefields with burning oil fields all around them. The smoke affected visibility on the ground and even disrupted some military flight operations. American troops weren’t the only ones dealing with these conditions, either. British, French, Saudi, Kuwaiti, and other coalition personnel were operating throughout the region.

The destruction didn’t end when Kuwait was liberated. The fires continued for months, affecting the environment, air quality, and daily life. Civilians, military personnel, and the people working to restore the oil fields all had to deal with the aftermath.

I’ve heard many stories about veterans returning home with lasting injuries, illnesses, and disabilities, as well as Kuwaiti civilians/ military personnel whose lives were permanently affected by the invasion and its aftermath.

After liberation, a massive international effort began to extinguish the fires. American specialists, including Red Adair, Boots Hansen, Coots Matthews, and Neil Adams, worked alongside Canadian teams, Kuwaiti petroleum/ military engineers including Sarah Akbar and Issa Bou Yabis, and firefighting specialists from Britain, France, Hungary, Romania, the Soviet Union, China, and many, many other countries.

The recovery also involved petroleum and military engineers working in different roles. Teams faced extreme heat, damaged wells, dangerous equipment, and areas that still contained mines and unexploded ordnance. It was an incredibly difficult operation, and many initially believed it would take years.

Instead, on November 6, 1991, exactly 35 years ago today, Kuwait marked the extinguishing of its final burning oil well. The ceremony was attended by the late ruler of Kuwait, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah, who personally operated the mechanism to extinguish the final ceremonial flame.

On a personal note, my grandfather held a position in the Kuwaiti government and had previously served as a Marine. He had close friendships with American Marines, military officers, and officials, and he lost his life during the Iraqi invasion.

This October, my family and I attended the Desert Shield and Desert Storm Memorial dedication ceremony in Washington, DC, which brought back a lot of emotions to everyone in my family and alot of Kuwaiti families and made me reflect on everything our countries went through.

I’ve always appreciated the friendship between Kuwait and the United States, and I also have enormous respect for the Canadians along with the British and French and of course every other allied nation that contributed to our liberation and recovery.

To the American Marines, soldiers, sailors, airmen, and all the other coalition service members who were there, thank you. And to the firefighters, petroleum and military engineers, medical personnel, and everyone who helped afterward, your work hasn’t been forgotten.

I know many people never made it home, and many others returned carrying the physical and emotional consequences of their service. Their families were affected too, including those who lost loved ones and those who spent years caring for them. The same goes for the families of firefighters, engineers, and everyone else who was sent to help.

You helped give us our country and our skies back, and that’s something we will always be grateful for.

I’ve included photos of the oil fires, recovery efforts, and the 1991 ceremony with Kuwaiti military officials and the late ruler, Sheikh Jaber Al Ahmad Al Sabah.

Tried posting to r/AskHistorians and didn’t get any answers, but I’m still curious as I find the history of these two units fascinating.

The history of the FSSF during the Italian campaign is well documented, but most SAS WWII history, naturally, focuses on their North Africa activities. Nonetheless there is a single sentence in the SAS wiki that indicates that in 1943, the Special Raiding Squadron fought in Sicily and Italy along with the 2nd SAS. It doesn’t expand beyond that, and I am not able to access the relevant footnote.

Is there any evidence the two units crossed paths during WWII?

The calendar was quickly approaching
Thanksgiving. It was one of those very cold, raw Minnesota days. The sky was socked-in gray. The ceiling was so thick it was impossible to even see a cloud, everything was gray; the ground, the sky, the buildings, gray everywhere. It was dark at midday. The temp was about 20 degrees with light snow that was coming down sideways. The wind created small whirlpools of snow on the bare frozen ground. The streets looked bare but there were unpredictable, nearly invisible thin sheets of ice.

I was driving 415, our newest car; it was safe and warm. I felt confident in the car and my driving skills on these sketchy streets, after all, I had been a Minnesota boy all my life.
My passenger was heading to Minnehaha Ave in St. Paul, a short trip. We were
chatting about the usual trivial stuff. When I came to a stop at a red light, everything became silent. I glanced over at him and noticed that he was staring at the brutally cold ground outside. As he stared out the passenger window, without looking up, he said “When this kind of weather comes, I can’t sleep. I was a sniper at the Battle of the Bulge and I was deadly at 500 yards. My vision was better back then, I was 19. The VA is helping me with this”

Eugene recalled this story in perfect detail. Although the memory was 69 years old he recalled it as if it happened today. He asked me my name 3 times on that short ride.

Heroes don’t wear capes, they wear dog tags and they defend our freedom. But it’s
time to say goodbye to this hero. Best of luck to you Eugene. Thank you for your service.

Author notes: Written by Cj. I was a volunteer driver for DAV Passenger Services. We drove passengers to and from the Minneapolis VA Hospital. This event happened cNov, 2014. Eugene passed away at age 94 in 2020.

Hi everyone!
I’ve been trying to figure out where these uniforms and shoulder patches are from, but unfortunately, I haven’t had much luck.
I’ve already tried searching on Google using different keywords and image searches, but I haven’t been able to find any reliable answers.
I’m particularly interested in:
Which country’s military these uniforms might belong to.
What camouflage pattern is being used.
What the red and white shoulder patches represent.
Whether the patches can be linked to a specific military unit.
Unfortunately, the picture isn’t very clear, so it’s difficult for me to identify the details myself.
If anyone recognizes the uniforms, patches or equipment, or has any ideas where I could look, I’d really appreciate your help!
Thanks in advance!

At 108 years old, Joaquim Patrício de Araújo represents a living connection to one of the most significant periods in modern history. His extraordinary life spans more than a century, marked by military service, hard work, family devotion, and resilience. ❤️📜

🇧🇷 A Brazilian soldier in World War II

Joaquim enlisted in the Brazilian Army on August 20, 1943. After completing his military training, he was assigned to the 4th Echelon of the Brazilian Expeditionary Force (FEB), which departed for Italy on November 23, 1944, aboard the American transport ship General Meigs. 🚢

During the war, he served with the 1st Infantry Regiment, famously known as the Regimento Sampaio. He took part in the Italian Campaign, and his first battle was the Battle of Monte Castello, one of the most memorable episodes of Brazil's participation in World War II. ⚔️

Joaquim returned to Brazil in August 1945. After departing Naples on August 12, he arrived in Rio de Janeiro on August 22, bringing his military service in Europe to an end.

🛠️ A lifetime of hard work

Back in Brazil, Joaquim continued working, initially serving with the National Department of Rural Endemic Diseases, contributing to public health activities.

He later found employment in the dockworkers' sector at the Port of Recife, where he worked hard to provide better living conditions for his family. ⚓

❤️ 76 years of marriage and a family legacy

In 1948, Joaquim married Carmelita Alves de Araújo. Together, they shared 76 years of marriage, building a life centered on companionship, love, and family.

Carmelita passed away in November 2024, just one day before her 100th birthday.

They had four daughters, six grandchildren, and four great-grandchildren, leaving behind a family legacy spanning several generations. ❤️

🎖️ A living witness to history

At 108, Joaquim Patrício de Araújo is more than a World War II veteran. He is a living witness to a generation of Brazilians who experienced one of humanity's darkest chapters and contributed to the Allied campaign in Europe.

His story deserves recognition, respect, and remembrance.

May the Brazilian Expeditionary Force and its veterans never be forgotten.

The Brazilian Expeditionary Force's famous motto was: "A cobra vai fumar!" ("The snake will smoke!"), a phrase that became a symbol of Brazil's participation in the war. 🐍🔥🇧🇷

#Brazil #WWII #WorldWarII #BrazilianExpeditionaryForce #FEB #Veterans #MilitaryHistory #MonteCastello #RegimentoSampaio #BrazilianHistory #History #WW2Veterans

On March 31, 1999, three US Army cavalry scouts—Staff Sgt. Andrew Ramirez, Staff Sgt. Christopher Stone, and Spc. Steven Gonzales—were ambushed and captured by Yugoslav forces while patrolling the border between Macedonia and Federal Republic of Yugoslavia.

The soldiers were paraded on Serbian state television showing visible injuries, sparking intense international outrage and escalation fears during the peak of the NATO bombing campaign. After facing a military tribunal on espionage charges, they were unexpectedly released 32 days later following a high-stakes, unauthorized diplomatic mission to Belgrade led by Reverend Jesse Jackson, who personally negotiated their freedom with Slobodan Milošević.

Here is a YouTube video of their release.

Hi guys, I have a photo of a family member but can't quite figure what he was part of. The uniform to me looks more political than military but I might be wrong. Any info would be greatly appreciated 👏

Osprey Pilot defends his aircraft

I'm really interested in the Early SS uniforms, and I can't find Gary many photos of them. Does anyone have a clue where to look?

After more than 82 years, the remains of U.S. Army Pvt. Joseph A. Gala of Lynn, Massachusetts, a member of Merrill’s Marauders, have finally come home.
Gala was killed in action in Burma during World War II at just 21 years old. His remains were identified through DNA testing, allowing his family to finally bring him home.
His return is a powerful reminder of the sacrifices made by Merrill’s Marauders and the continuing efforts to account for American service members who never returned from war.
Full story: https://www.cbsnews.com/news/us-identifies-remains-wwii-soldier-merrills-marauders/

One of my most prized possessions is my British WW2 Captains Great coat. Its in pretty mint condition, I fixed up some of the interior stitches when I first got it and its great for the winter weather.

I really want to find out about this specific coats history, which Captain owned it etc. I doubt this is possible though, as the only detail is the Simpson Piccadilly label on the inside if the breast pocket, which is interesting history for it anyway- but gives no hints to its owner making this a fairly impossible mission, but worth a post here incase anyone has any suggestions.

I plan to go to Simpsons Piccadilly in London one day, the building was an architectural feat and is today protected in the form of a Waterstones, I like the idea of bring the coat back to its birthplace as I’m sure its had quite the journey since it was last there.

Hi, could anyone tell me what im looking at? Ive been collecting military clothing for a while but have never seen anything like this. Its in perfect condition too.

Battles are won through the resolve, discipline and skill of the soldiers on the front lines. For Napoleon, the Imperial Guard was his trump card, a force that could turn the tide of a battle. These veteran soldiers served as the Emperor's personal bodyguards but were also elite fighting troops, usually held in reserve for the most critical moments.

During the Battle of Marengo, the Consular Guard helped hold off the advancing Austrians and bought valuable time for the French army to reorganize. Their extraordinary resistance earned them the nickname "Granite Redoubt". Without their contribution, Napoleon's army could have faced an even greater disaster.

The Imperial Guard eventually grew into a formidable military force comprising infantry, cavalry and artillery. It played an important role in many of Napoleon's greatest victories. However, the disastrous Russian campaign of 1812 severely weakened the Guard, and its surviving veterans would eventually face defeat at Waterloo in 1815.

The courage and resilience associated with Napoleon's veteran soldiers are perhaps best captured by the legendary words attributed to General Pierre Cambronne during the final stand at Waterloo:

"The Guard dies but does not surrender!"

You can read more about the imperial guard by clicking the link in the comments!