No they don't, some schools won't teach about the 1st and 2nd world wars either.

back again, I just remembered when I got told off at work for explaining to a child why I was wearing a poppy

Jack, my nephew, was telling me how they are being taught about Islam at school, and they had a tour of the local mosque a few weeks ago. He said it was great, and they were given green tea and some "funny tasting cakes" afterwards, but he didn't like the tea.

Perhaps one day they will take them to Leicester Cathedral, and give them a coke and a whopper-burger afterwards? I'm sure he'd like that!

When I went back to art school a couple of years ago, we would listen to music while drawing to help pass the time. One day, we were listening to an oldies station and some song from the '70's came on. I recognized the song, and made the remark that I used to have that song on a 45. The 18-year-old boy next to me turned to me and asked, "What's a 45?" I had to do a "back in the day" speech similar to yours...

He obviously hasn't seen the film of Titanic then - or maybe it just went over his head when they sent the SOS message.

Sandy - Young lads don't watch sloppy love films like that. Jack watches war films. He says he going to be a marine when he grows up and go and "blast the sh*t out of the commies". Yes, he plays too many violent games on his Nintendo thingy.

lom - Last Rembrance Day the local college told the kids that the wearing of the red poppy was banned in school; it would cause offence to certain other pupils from other countries. Apparently they could wear a white poppy. I fail to understand why! What's the difference, apart from the colour?

Er.. this is still our country isn't it? Or have I missed something along the way?

A morse key? What's one o'them?

(Says he, having held an Amateur Radio transmitting license now for Thirty Seven Years!!)

Who is this fella 'Morse' anyway?
Oh, I remember. In't 'e that detective geezer on't telly?

No, young Jack's right. These days, under normal circumstances, if you want to speak to someone else regardless of where they are in the world then just pick up your mobile phone.

However, I remember well the situation in the early 1990's in the former Yugoslavia as all their communications with the outside world were shut down. Amateur Radio came into its own then, similar to the clandestine radio of WWII. Certainly I heard on the SW Amateur Radio bands several voice pleas for help, and I wouldn't like to guess just how much more morse code was also used.

SOS? These days you just press the Red Button!!

Poppies? There's only one kind - that's the one grown in the fields of Flanders. Not that anyone took any notice - we went headlong into an even worse War some twenty years later!

Islam? Meet and understand the person first. Respect for another human being is far more than their colour or religion. White is just as much a colour as black is.

"The commies" games - Oh dear! Still the old traits from the 1950's/60's USA propaganda. No way should this be in 21st Century kiddies games, even the USA has moved on since then! Mind you, China seems to be the only country currently riding through the World Recession. And China is..........?

Hey, are the Almshouses still there in Leicester, Keith? When I was a young lad my father took me for a good look around them - I learnt a hecka of a lot that day!

No, it isn't Our country - it's one of America's major Allies.

No, they don't teach kids anything useful at school these days. A youngster at our local Village Fete didn't know what a Coconut Shy was!
(And if truth be known, probably didn't even know what a coconut was either!). (Hey, that takes me back, coconut milk - the best nightcap drink I've ever had!)

Next question?

:)

Kevin - To tell you the truth I went along the Newarks last week, but I can't remember seeing the old almshouses, there are several new office blocks and college buiding along there now.

Now my old man is long gone to the big shack in the sky (I think!), I can remember his illegal transmitter and coms receiver hidden under the stairs that he used to talk to the world with during the war years. We only had gas lighting then so he used several high-tension batteries and a lead-acid cell for the receiver and lorry batteries (charged up on his Sketchley Dye Works delivery van) to operated a vibrator (?) to get the high voltage for the tx!

If he had been caught he would have gone to prison. He used to have QSO's with German Amateurs in 1940 - 44. I was 7 in 1944. He warned me on pain of death never to breath a word at school about his nocturnal transmitting!

He wasn't even a licensed amateur in the first place. He pirated the call of a dead amateur. I think it was G2NM, but I can't be sure.