Remembrance

The nation stopped for a few moments today to remember the war dead.   The Queen led the tributes, willingly as she will remember the war clearly, Prince Phillip followed, and he knows war having won an award for his work in one naval action long before he was important.  In towns and cities up and down the land groups large and small commemorated the dead.  Many people concentrate their thoughts on friends and families from major wars of the past, some young women think only of fallen husbands and brothers from recent days.  Men wounded in action pass by the Cenotaph glad they still can, others recently injured watch on TV.  

Someone unknown remembered Leslie Eley Wall who died on the disasterous Dieppe raid in 1942.  He is not on our memorial and I wonder who placed this cross here today.  Most of the 6000 participants who landed at Dieppe that morning were Canadian.  Half the force was lost.  Because the smart, often ageing, soldiers who pass by the memorials surrounded by bright red poppy wreaths do not convey what many servicemen know to be the truth of war I post two pictures from the raid. 

I don't post for 'shock' effect merely to show what many men endured.  Dead men lie around as if sleeping.  Some died immediately some died slowly possibly in pain, maybe concussed.   It is a sight that contrasts with the neat memorials which often hide the terrors of war.  The sight we can see, the smell, the fear, the pain we avoid.

War will always be with us, human nature will see to that, however we must show what the real cost is.  Too few politicians today know the cost, ours were youths in the 'Punk' era!  The constant flood of war films and games and television coverage of battles far away tend to take from us the reality of war, a reality our mothers and grandmothers understood without actually well enough.   My great nephew was lucky enough when in his last year at school they visited the war cemeteries in France.   While he is unlikely to begin a major war himself, a few minor ones possibly, all will remember what they saw and the cost of war.  Recruits to the British Army are now taken on such a tour I understand to ensure they realise just what service may mean.  Few can enlist with any misunderstandings about that today.

I wonder however about our remembrance.  Almost all football teams in the UK now wear a poppy on their shirt.  Every game has a minute silence, soldiers at most grounds get free entry, all pay respects.  Only occasionally does a player refuse to wear the poppy, one was hounded by the Daily Mail for this today.  This man, an Irishman, felt it wrong for him to do this, the paper decided to pick him out as if he was a criminal.  How strange I thought, we saw millions die in a fight for freedom from Fascism and a paper with Fascist sympathies attacks a man for taking that freedom to think for himself!   Too often people join in because it is a passing fancy, in a few years they will once again fall away.  Emotional blackmail helps no-one.  Today there is great support for the fighting men we ought to encourage this and demand our governments do more to care for such when they return broken, but maybe that is asking too much.