Saturday, July 25, 2009
State funeral for Harry Patch?...
Harry Patch the last surviving "Tommy" to have fought in the trenches of World War One has died at the age of 111. This man could have been killed in 1917, like over 70,000 of his comrades in arms were in the Battle of Passchendaele, but for fluke, keeping his head down, not being the first one over the top, falling over, being slightly more alert that day, he could have died a young man's death. But he didn't, he went into the living hell of the mud, the filth, the fear and the stench of death and passed out the other side to live a long and peaceful life. If this man doesn't deserve a state funeral then I don't know who does! I don't care what sort of a man he was, whether he argued with his wife and family (and I not suggesting he did by the way) none of that matters. What matters is the fact that this man was the last man to survive the horrors and therefore represents all the others thousands of poor young men who weren't so lucky. They never had lives, most of them hadn't even had meaningful relationships, never mind wives, families, grand children and great grand children. Lives ruined, families ruined, experiences that never were. For Harry's sakes, for Gods sake and for all our sakes let's have a massive state funeral and then draw a line under the whole damed war....
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I'm not sure I agree with you on this one Tonbridge Blogger. No one doubts the bravery and the sacrifices shown by the troops in the First World War, but what was the "War to end all wars" really about?
From a cold, analytical point of view, it started as a "falling out between a few royal cousins". Unlike WW2 (which incidentally came about as a direct consequence of WW1) the country was not in danger of invasion, yet tens of thousands of brave young men, "the flower of a whole generation", were sacrificed on the fields of Flanders for what? A few hundred yards of muddy, shell-shattered ground.
When the First World War kicked off, men flocked in their droves to enlist, fearing that they would miss out on the action. "It will all be over by Christmas" was the popular phrase at the time. Four dreadful years later and although Germany eventually asked for an armistice, (following revolution at home), no-one had really won.
You suggest giving this last surviving "Tommy" a massive state funeral, and then drawing a line under the "whole damed war". I say no on both counts. 90 years on is 90 years to late. We already remember the sacrifices of that generation in the annual Poppy Appeal, and should continue to do so. I may be wrong, but I think that the "Unknown Warrior" was afforded a state funeral when his body was laid to rest, shortly after the end of the war, so in effect, the country has already accorded this honour on one of the fallen. To repeat it 90 years on, would be a rather hollow gesture and is the sort of thing todays' politicians dream up.
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