In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row.A red poppy commemorates those who sacrificed their lives in World War One and all subsequent conflicts.A purple poppy commemorates the horses, the mules, the dogs and other animals who died in our stupid wars. The white poppy is to commemorate everyone killed or injured, but in particular the civilian populations.All the poppies matter.Lest we forget: These reflections focus on WWI but they encompass the tragedy of all wars.Lest we forget – the heroism, the astonishing acts of personal courage, the selfless sense of duty. Lest we forget the sacrifice of grinding daily toil and the misery of filthy conditions; the hunger and the disease. Lest we forget the home front and the bereavements and the losses. Lest we forget the agonizing wait for news of loved ones and the pain of separation. Lest we forget the degradations, the mangled limbs, the loss of sight, the loss of minds and the cruel disfigurements. Lest we forget the shell-shock and the shaking. Lest we forget the loss of close friends.Lest we forget the witness of unimaginable horrors – the life-enduring nightmares. Lest we forget the ingenuity, the boldness, the daring and the jeopardy of great military initiatives from sabotage by lone groups of resistance to major battlefield assaults. Lest we forget the skills, the discipline, the fitness and the strength of fighting men. Lest we forget the honour, the guts, the grit, the pluck and the uncomplaining fortitude of those called to fight for history’s great causes. Lest we forget the spirit, spunk, tenacity, mettle and outright character of those thrust into these debased arenas. Lest we forget those from beyond Britain’s shores who came to her assistance – the 140,000 troops from the Indian sub-continent and the 15,000 from the West Indies, as well as great armies from Canada, Australia and New Zealand. After 1917, over 2 million troops from the United States of America were sent to fight in Europe. Among them were 200,000 black Americans, such as the ‘Harlem Hellfighters’, who were assigned to the French Army and saw more continuous combat than almost any other American unit.Lest we forget the animals. It is estimated that a heartbreaking 8 million horses, mules and donkeys died in World War One alone, as well as around 1 million dogs. Lest we forget the courage, the suffering and the sacrifice of our temporary enemies. Lest we forget the refugees, well-to-do folk with their homes in a handcart. Lest we forget, we have today – Armistice Day, Remembrance Sunday, Veteran’s Day (US) . It is not a celebration or glorification of war. It is a moment of contemplation and appreciation for the sacrifice of others.We must not only remember all the inspiring human qualities of those who sacrificed, not only honour the memory of their heroism; we must also remember that it was not all glorious. It was not a game. It was mostly a wretched degradation of all that it is the best of being human. Yes, let us remember with deep respect the capacity of humans to rise above adversity with a sense of self-sacrifice for a greater good but let us also remember why we must not forget. We must not forget because we must not let it happen again. I am not naïve; military interventions will be necessary in the world from time to time but they must be a last resort and they must be contained with defined exit-strategies and narrow goals. We must never give up on speaking with civility, lowering the tone, negotiating settlements, the exercise of soft power and learning to understand each other and to tolerate our differences. Mostly though, today, we must remember and celebrate our common humanity, which comes packaged with a phenomenal weapon – our capacity to forgive, to heal and to see all that we have in common. We have an extraordinary ability to shake hands, to hug, to repair and to move on. We have to keep trying to use that; after all we have a planet to save and we need to do that together. ... See MoreSee Less
Today I have written on my SUBSTACK - Loades of History - about the story of Jack, the Airedale Terrier. He saved his battalion in WWI. loadesofhistory.substack.com/p/jack-the-dog-who-saved-a-battalionYou can read it for free - just click on the link. It is a quick 7 minute read. It is also a heroic but sad tale as befits this day of remembrance. We do not celebrate war today but we do remember the sacrifice, and that includes the sacrifice of the the horses and dogs. So many died during WWI, innocent partners in our callous stupidity. ... See MoreSee Less
