It is ANZAC Day in Australia and New Zealand, and 2014 is the Centennial of World War I, the Great War. In the U.S., there is a shocking lack of education on this war, and there is still no national memorial. My grandfather was an underaged British boy who enlisted to fight in that war, one of 250,000 boy soldiers. He survived, and years later had my mother. He passed away before I had a chance to really know him, but my mother and uncles swear he never talked about the war, except to sing the songs of that time.
This poem by Laurence Binyon speaks volumes:
They went with songs to the battle, they were young.
Straight of limb, true of eye, steady and aglow.
They were staunch to the end against odds uncounted,
They fell with their faces to the foe.
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning,
We will remember them.
They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;
They sit no more at familiar tables of home;
They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;
They sleep beyond England's foam
We will remember them.
Wishing you only good things,
Neen
Photo found at http://static.guim.co.uk/sys-images/Books/Pix/pictures/2013/12/9/1386592641829/First-world-war-009.jpg
Hi Neen. I seems to have been quite common for returned serviceman to not discuss what they saw and experienced at war. Sadly I know little about the history of our family's involvement in the war either. Sadly all these years later it seems we want to know the stories and many are being now being archived but sadly many have also gone with those that have passed. I also want to know the stories of the women left at home.
ReplyDeleteSharee, thanks for your thoughtful comment. It is such a shame that the soldiers are all gone now, and that their voices were not heard enough when they were alive. I would love to discuss the war with my grandfather. All I know is he drove a truck in France which means he had to see the horrors, and he probably carried both wounded and dead soldiers. He never drove again, probably because it brought back bad memories and because he could take the tube and buses. There are supposed to be many new books and movies about the war coming out this year, maybe some of those will discuss the women left behind. That generation had a huge percentage of widows and never marrieds because of the huge number of men killed in the war.
DeleteVery nice tribute. At first, I thought the picture was supposed to depict a guitar arm. That actually would fit with this poem and his love of songs.
ReplyDeleteThank you grandmommy, you are right, the photo does look like a guitar arm, and that does fit in with the songs!
DeleteGood to remember. Such a melacholy picture. CM
ReplyDeleteIt is a poignant photo, CM, thanks for commenting.
Deletemy father in law is still alive and he fought in WW2, my mother in law says that he still has nightmares about it sometimes. but he wont talk about what he did during the war.
ReplyDeleteI am so sorry to hear about your father-in-law's nightmares. The one truism about all wars seems to be post-traumatic stress disorder. At least today, veterans are starting to get help.
Delete