Reflecting on Armistice

[susieroe]

Yes, it would have been 10 o'clock here at the time. But it is the actual event that we commemorate, which happened in a particular place at 11 o' clock. After that moment in history it doesn't really matter when we commemorate it, it can only always be 11 o'clock. After all, most years Remembrance Day doesn't fall on the 11th day, yet we have a 2 minute's silence, the same at the Festival of Remembrance in the evening.
I think I'm labouring my point somewhat, sorry !  The time difference wouldn't have made much difference to my 2 relatives killed, my Grandad longing to get home, or my Dad's uncle who was gassed, and shot and blinded himself when he got home.

[Skoosh]

While all this remembering is going on, don't forget who is supplying the bombs which are wiping the people of the Yemen off the face of the earth!!

Skoosh.

[Regorian]

True, Bae are one of the prime suppliers of armaments to Saudi-Arabia, although probably planes rather than bombs, I don't know. Then there's Blair who took us into the Iraq war and Iraq had nothing to do with 9/11.

Same old, same old, nothing changes.

I'm not a pacifist, I don't condemn our governments in any way, and remember, Britain was the original evil empire. It's just the way it was and is.

[radstockjeff]

I've noticed many more young children are aware of Remembrance Day now.  I didn't know about it until I joined the Brownies and we had to march with other Brownies and Guides (as we did on Founders Day - Baden Powell's birthday?), however, my 7 year old granddaughter knows all about it and why it's held etc.  she'd learned about it in class.  Older children learn about it in modern history. 

I don't know about the rest of you but I think History should be taught going backwards - ie from modern history to ancient history and not the other way round.  When I was at school we never seemed to get past the Roman invasion in 1066, each year we started with the ancient Britons and ended with 1066.  Now young people know much more about modern history which can only be a good thing.

Last year we were in Australia at the time of their ANZAC Day Parades in April. It was quite moving to see young folk proudly taking part in the parade in the little NSW town of Wolumla, many of them wearing medals of their fathers or grandfathers.
There seems to be a growing awareness of the sacrifices made by people of every nation amongst the younger generation.
On a slightly different perspective, on Sunday my OH was taking the Remembrance Day Service at a local Methodist Church. During the course of this she showed her dad's campaign medals for WW2 which included the Atlantic Star. He had been torpedoed and survived and then subsequently invalided home after being taken ill whilst serving on a refridge meat ship in South America.
After the service one of the church members came up and showed us one of his father's mementoes from the first war. It was a serviceman's Pocket Methodist Hymn Book with various annotations by his dad at certain points in his service in the trenches including a note regarding the Armistice. He was gassed and sent home but returned again to France. He subsequently became a Methodist Minister. At the time of his application to become ordained there was some doubt by the hierarchy of his medical suitability to serve a full stint. He lived until he was 100!

[Gillg]

I think schools have been making a special effort to discuss WW1 with their children, maybe by design or maybe because they have been instructed to do so because of the centenary.  My grandchildren, aged 7 and nearly 5 years old have been talking quite a lot about it and were very interested to hear that my father had been a soldier, albeit in WW2.  "Did he die?" asked the younger one quite matter-of-factly.  I think perhaps the emphasis in her lessons may have been on the huge number of deaths in WW1.   

[barryd]

Diamonds, uranium oxide, gold, natural gas,
tin, lithium, lead, cadmium, zinc, copper, tungsten and silver. German South West Africa. (Namibia).


Germany lost all of its Colonies at the end of the war. The Kaiser lost his throne. The world lost millions of people. Goodness knows why Holland gave him sanctuary!

[mike175]

... Britain was the original evil empire ...

Bit controversial    I would have thought there were plenty of stronger contenders for that title over the last few thousand years, sadly 

It seems to be a continuing weakness of the human condition that people are only too ready to savagely attack each other at the drop of a hat. In this centenary year, all over Europe now people seem to be trying to lay the foundations for a resurgance of nationalism despite all the tragic history associated with it. We can only hope sanity retains the upper hand . . .

[pharmaT]

When I was taught history at school we did history of the school, the town, the county, the country and then World history.

As to understanding Remembrance day both my daughters have an idea with the younger one only very basic idea at the moment which I feel is understandable due to her age.  I know many of my older (teenage) daughter's friends have a good understanding.  Having said that I overheard a bunch of teenagers (slightly older than mine)  say things that revealed they had zero understanding and zero respect.  A few days later I am still kicking myself for not challenging them.

[Regorian]

Mike 175, one needs to have a broad knowledge of history. England/Britain was an agressor nation until WWI. Nothing controversial, just a matter of fact. First stage was 'get the French'. Ever heard of Agincourt 1415? The Royal Coat of Arms was quartered red and blue, the three English gold lions on a red background and the French gold fleur de lys on a blue background. We won, but luckily Henry V died young because we could not have dominated France and the opposite would have probably happened, as pointed out by Max Hastings recently.

England was on the up again in Tudor times, Europe certainly took us very seriously indeed. Then came the dross of the Stuarts. Once they were gone, 1694, formation of the Bank of England and the National debt. The main reason for the latter was to attract investment of cash for which annual interest was paid to pay for a vast increase in the strength of the Royal Navy to project commerce and power across the World.

Marlborough's Wars to get at the French again 1702 to 1714, The War of Austrian Succession 1741 to 1748 against the French and Spanish, and the main attack for World power, the Seven Years war, 1756 to 1763. Britain and Prussia versus the rest. 1759, the year of victories, Canada and India.

It went on until 1900 when the rot started. Are you aware of any of this?