In one hour from when this post goes up it will be 100 years, to the hour, that WWI ended. The guns stopped and there were no more orders to charge (though for reasons I cannot understand these orders were still being given earlier that day leading to completely unnecessary deaths). It should be a particularly momentous memorial Sunday this year, but there are two specifically interesting things that seem to have come up which I thought I would write about here.
Firstly, there are many that have decided that we should no longer wear poppies or have a moment of memory because they believe that it in facts glorifies war. I'm not sure if they've ever been to a memorial service or event, but there's nothing more depressing and un-glorifying then listening to or reading the very long list of people who have died in war, especially when you realise that most of these were very young men and women. This is particularly true for WWI where the numbers are just staggering. It is not a glorification but a reminder of the very heavy cost of war and fighting, and that we should never go into them lightly or allow our politicians to drag us into easily.
Secondly, there are those who worry that it will have a negative impact on our Brexit negotiations by offending some of the nations we are in talk with. It is a strange and just a little insulting an idea as it implies that we are only remembering those who have died during the first and second world wars, and that all the countries involved are exactly the same as they were 100 years ago, with the same ideologies and tactics. Of course they are not, we have all moved on since then and it's not exactly that Britain can pretend we hold the moral high ground here - we have a dark past too. If anything this Remembrance Day is a unifier. Every nation involved has bared the loss of a large number of men and women to war, with significant consequences to their society, and it highlights that it is possible for different nations with different ideas and causes to come together and work towards a common outcome. To me that is a hopeful idea, not just for the outcome of Brexit, but also for the fight against climate change.
On the 100 years anniversary for the end of WWI I have decided to do something a little bit differently this year. I have absolutely no qualms about supporting The Royal British Legions, and therefore supporting our service personnel who need it, but I always felt a little bit guilty getting a new disposable paper and plastic poppy every year. So this year I decided to get a badge that I will wear every year instead of picking up a new one. I will of course keep donating every year as usual.
I also thought I would introduce you to my great-grandfather (the not so happy looking one on the bottom right) who fought in WWI and, though survived himself, lost his brother (aged 27).
Anyone who knows me knows that I hate war. As far as I can see most of the time it is a decision made by people who are stubborn or arrogant (or both) enough to not be able to compromise or see a different route, and who won't be the people facing the actual consequences of their decision. Personally I think that anyone who makes that decision should also go to the front, though not to be in charge of anything - that would be awful. However, that doesn't mean that I don't think that we should remember and show gratitude to those who have fought in these wars. Rightly or wrongly, they have given to ultimate sacrifice which has allowed us to live the life we now live today.
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