something to be proud of...

My grandfather died when I was 4 years old. His name: Andrew Phillip Graham and yes, I was named after him...well I was supposed to be a boy (we all were) and clearly I wasn't, so Phillipa was the closest my parents got to a tribute to this wonderful man.
Grandfather was raised as a strict Catholic and Grandma was an equally strict Methodist, so when they wanted to marry, it was frowned upon to say the least. In the finish, they married much to the dismay of both families and they were both well into their 30's at the time! I will tell you more of that story another time!
Today is ANZAC day, so I want to talk about my grandfather.

Now my grandfather was shipped overseas to serve as a soldier in WW1.
Grandfather was a Lieutenant and served as a 'Sapper' in the Australian Army. That is someone who goes ahead and lays communication cables ahead of the soldiers arriving.
It was a pretty tough job, as he would often be digging the trenches to lay communication cables when the Germans came along and gassed the trench he was in. Sometimes he escaped the poisonous gasses, but not always.
Grandfather was gassed twice and suffered horrendous damage to his lungs. He was eventually sent to a hospital in France, spent time there and finally was sent home, but not before risking his life to defend the freedom of future generations.
Grandfather was a carpenter by trade, but was unable to work when he came home. He suffered terribly during the latter years of his life and my only memories of him were seeing him frail and coughing violently in his big high wooden bed. Of course, I was only 4 years old, so it probably wasn't all that high.
I am sad to admit that I was scared of grandfather because he was bedridden and looked so sad most of the time, but my sisters tell me stories about how gentle and kind he was. He adored his "girls" and when he died in 1964, my grandmother aged about 20 years. Grandma worshipped him and cared for him with so much love. She was lost without him.
I am so very proud of my Grandfather and at the same time sad that I was too young to know him.
He must have been very brave to go ahead of the soldiers as he did.
 I do have one keepsake of his...It is a tiny blue glass, about 1 inch (2.5cm) tall, with a handle and flowers handpainted on the side. Grandfather brought it back from France and it is beautiful! I keep it next to my bed and think of him often.
Spare a thought for all our soldiers today...without brave soldiers like my grandfather, we would not be living in such a free and wonderful country.
LEST WE FORGET