I went down to the new War Memorial off Bradford Street yesterday morning on my way in to work. As it was November 11th and the centenary of the start of the Great War it seemed appropriate. I didn't plan this trip but I'm very glad that I went. It was very peaceful there first thing in the morning and the various societies and the council who helped in the design have done a good job in creating a space where you can be alone with your thoughts for a little while. It's years since I last went to see the memorial to the soldiers who lost their lives, and I'm sure the newly cleaned stone walls made it feel that bit more immediate, but I was thinking that one hundred years is no time at all really. Still in living memory for a few; shaping the lives of our grand parents, parents and therefore ourselves. I don't remember noticing them before but there were three soldiers names which stuck out for me. All of them called Richardson, just like me. Names calling out down the generations. Lives lost on a muddy battle field on a misty field far from their homes. Leaving behind them despair and tragedy, hopes and dreams. Dreams of what might have been, could have been, should have been. We'll never know the contribution that some of those lads who had their lives cut so short would have made. I went to John Ray's excellent talk at Tonbridge parish church the other day and, when asked the question, he was in no doubt whatsoever that both world wars were necessary and justified from a British point of view. Seeing those names in cold stone at the war memorial leaves me in serious doubt I have to say....
7 comments:
So what was the alternative in 1939 TB?
Allow Germany to eventually invade the UK followed by setting up death camps here and sending the country's youth to work in labour camps across Europe etc?
Anonymous, WWII was a direct consequence of WWI, but the dangers posed by Germany towards Britain were completely different.
In 1914-18, Germany posed no threat to Britain whilst, as you rightly point out, the country was in danger of a German invasion in 1940.
Two very different conflicts; but the second undoubtedly caused by unsolved problems arising from the end of the first.
I also stopped by at the new War Memorial, TB and like you was glad that I did. My visit was on Remembrance Sunday, after the crowds has dispersed, but fairly soon after the wreaths had been laid, along with some of the more individual, and very moving, tributes. I certainly agree with your comment about the excellent job which has been done there by all parties concerned. It is now a quiet and peaceful place in which to reflect on lives lost far from home, in foreign fields fighting often pointless and futile wars brought about by power-hungry politicians.
I don’t know who John Ray is or what the talk you refer to was about, but from your final comment I gather part of it at least was trying to justify Britain’s involvement in the two World Wars. Although just over twenty years apart, the two conflicts were very different in nature, and whilst there’s no disputing the fact that we had little choice but to get involved in the Second World War; (either that or face annihilation as a country), the same cannot be said of the 1914-18 conflict.
There was no need for Britain to get involved in 1914, unless one takes the view that there were people in this country who actually wanted a war! When on that fateful August 4th, the cabinet declared war on Germany the popular view was “It will all be over by Christmas”. Many saw war as a great adventure, or the chance to escape from the drudgery of work whilst doing their bit for King and Country.
The ironic truth is that if Britain hadn’t got involved, the war would almost certainly have been over by Christmas; particularly on the western front. Committing land forces to the conflict ensured four years of bloody stalemate, in which each side tried to bleed the other dry. In the end it was not force of arms on land which brought Germany to her knees, but British sea power. The blockade imposed by the Royal Navy, deprived the enemy of vital raw materials, as well as literally starving its people and sapping them of the will to fight on. The result was revolution, followed by the abdication of the Kaiser and the signing of the November 11th armistice.
It is no exaggeration to say that a century ago, in the muddy fields of Flanders; this country lost the “flower of a generation”. The term originally referred to junior officer casualties, drawn primarily from the upper-class, who were perceived to have died disproportionately in the war, robbing the country of a future elite.
But the ordinary British “Tommy” also suffered horrendous casualties; perishing in their tens of thousands. The phrase “Lions led by donkeys” is well known, and refers to the bravery of ordinary British soldiers, sent to their deaths by uncaring and incompetent generals, who sat in safety behind the lines. Whilst the top brass were billeted in the comfort of their French chateaux, the troops had to endure the mud, filth and squalor of the trenches before being “sent over the top”, charging against machine guns and barbed wire.
Whilst the fighting was at its most savage, politicians back home were promising the troops that, should they prove victorious, they would return to “a land fit for heroes”. Like most politicians’ rhetoric, these words turned out to be empty promises, and the men returned to a country that was broke, and where jobs were hard to come by. The war had not only bled the nation’s manpower dry, but had also emptied the country’s coffers. In 1914, Britain was the richest country in the world. By 1918, the country was bankrupt!
The poignant ceramic poppy tribute at the Tower of London sums up the slaughter of a century ago, far better than any words I could write. The countless names etched upon war memorials, up and down the land do the same thing. No one could doubt the dedication to the country’s cause and the selfless sense of duty of these brave men, and women; not just in the First World War, but in all conflicts since. But as in all wars there are no real winners, a point which takes me back to the very beginning of this post, and my visit to the Tonbridge War Memorial Garden.
PB: John Ray is a military history writer of around 40 books. Formerly deputy head of Hugh Christie and History teacher he has become somewhat of a world war expert since his retirement from teaching. He holds a talk around Remembrance Sunday every year at the parish church and it's well worth attending. Usually a display of wartime weapons and memorabilia as well...
Thanks, TB. I'll look out for his talk next year.
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Anyway, back to topic - have seen pics of the memorial and i t looks just as it should - quiet, calm, tranquil place - looks like a good job done by all...
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