Remembrance: Aged Statues

When I was a lad I occasionally walked across Edinburgh's North Bridge, a major thoroughfare that continues to bear thousands of passersby daily.  On occasion I woud note the statues placed upon the high walls on either side.  The walls were high to discourage desperate individuals from climbing over them and jumping into the Waverly Station below.  I noticed the individuals on this statue had what we call 'Pith helmets' on their heads, indicating service in hot countries.  It was some time before I realised this concerned th 'Boer War,' a war that occurred to much jingoist outburst during the years 1888-1902.  This means the war ended 49 years before I was born and yet I knew almost nothing about it when young.  In fact an occasional mention might have been made in the comics we read or some history book we came across, but no real information was found to my notice.  Our minds were full of the much more recent Second World War in which almost every person over 25 had served.  

Ask young folks today about the Boer War and some will have been educated concerning this during history lessons, ask them about the Great War and they may be more aquainted with that.  Ask the 'man in the street,' and I expect few would know much about the Boer War, indeed many may not even have heard of it.  

I mention this as I read that young people today, and most are young to me, are not wearing the 'Poppy' that remembers those who fell in two wars and the little wars since.   This is interesting yet not surprising.   Youth is looking for fun and joy, excitement and adventure, wars and killing are not seen as this these days.  There are of course major wars not far away and this may be a turn off for many.  On top of this we remember those who died in two wars, the last being 80 years ago, when I was young a far off war about which I knew nothing was only 50 or so years in the past, why should today's youth think differently?  

A great many adults no longer seek to wear a poppy,what their reasons are can only be guessed.  Possibly the war to them is far away now, and they have no connection to it which they wish to keep.  Those however, who were born just before, during or not long after the war still have a connection to the experience.  Many had a father who served, or even died, a great many had mothers who worked 12 hour shifts for the war effort, some remember the fighting men based near them, the aircraft above and the bombs crashing down on their homes.  

Such as these do remember well.

However, time is passing, soon these two massive conflicts whose effects are still with us will be forgotten like the Boer War.  The 'Boomers' are dying off, the memories are being crowded out with later wars, and society as a whole appears to have little interest in caring for servicemen who are disabled while serving their country.  Much of this is understandable, the third and fourth generation are far from the wars now, and it was ever thus.  

Those of us who can remember those who served, in our family or around us, will remember.  Many will join with those who now make displays for remembrance, though in fact this is all too often just another version of 'English Nationalism,' pandering to a desperate attempt at using ththese past wars to engender a patriotism for today, it is not remembrance of the dead from the past.  Since the first 11th November the date has been used and abused by many, let us remember it correctly.