WW1 fallen remembered by ceramic poppies

[Yan Taylor]

Each one of these ceramic red poppies count for a soldier killed in WW1, just shows how many died just from Britain and her Empire, really sad.

link

Ian.

[Beth]

It really brings home the cost of a war. Each one of those poppies not only stands for a lost soldier, but also a family whose life was forever changed as well.

Beth

[Dark Cloud]

What a simple, moving, and beautiful display. It's both superficial and gripping, and the last generation of Windsors knew many of those poppies, and the Queen - whose father was in the front line (fore turret of a battleship at Jutland) - grew up in a nation devoid of young men and wealth. From on high, yes, but there was a lot of guilt to reign over such losses in only four years.

The US never understood or came to grips with what Europe went through for, in large measure, our benefit. We raked it in. Our right and duty, in a way, but the charge can be made it was our war from the beginning and we should have entered sooner.

What a god awful war that was. Mentally, from cowboys and Indians to planes, gas, tanks, and week long shelling by huge guns. And 'wastage.'

[Beth]

My grandfather was with some of the first Americans to reach Europe. He is 'somewhere' in that picture of the National Army troops marching in front of the King and Queen. He seldom would talk about his experiences in the War, only that he had met Sgt. York and an antidote about donuts. He was at one point lost behind the lines and had to work his way back to the friendly side that took a number of days long enough that the family had recieved a missing and presumed dead telegram. At some point when he finally reached safety, he met a doughnut girl who offered him one. It was stale but he hadn't eaten in days. He alwasy refered it to the best and worse doughnut he ever had.

we didn't know until after he died that he had written a series of letters in the 20's after the birth of his first son about his experiences. Unfortunately for some reason he never finished them but it's enough to give us a small glimpse of what a hell it must have been.

Beth

[Yan Taylor]

Here is a photo of the Stockbroker battalion (I think) as they formed up to volunteer;



This is the same place today, filled with poppies;



Ian.

[Yan Taylor]

I suppose the ladies could put this down to ignorance as they had no idea what their men would face in the trenches, still it was a stupid thing to do and I wonder how many of them regretted it later.

link

Ian.

[Dark Cloud]

The MEN had no idea what they would face in the trenches, and when they finally did they rarely accurately described the horror to the folks. So, no wonder the women had no accurate sense of the war. Hyde Park was dug up with trenches for the public to see, and they look solid and nice and clean and you could probably have time shared them. Of course, nothing remotely like what was on the actual front.

The white feather was the brainstorm of an olde man, a retired admiral, who never was in any sort of combat himself. Ain't it always.

[Yan Taylor]

I know it’s easy for people now to say that the war could have been avoidable, but there are a couple of short movie clips here that say maybe, maybe it was avoidable, everyone will have a different take on this, and its worth a look;

link

Ian.

[Dark Cloud]

Germany was churning out books about "the next war", their navy discussed "der Tag" - the day of battle with England - and the Kaiser really wanted a war if, somehow, he didn't have to fight it. He wanted to bluster and bully without risk and to be admired and envied. That sums up Germany in general, back then.

Given how close we came to another near exact replication of this when Yugoslavia dissolved, with Russia supporting Serbia, Germany the Croats, and nobody caring much about the Muslims except - go figure - Turkey, it is very difficult to say peace could have been maintained. Different, maybe, but still a huge war and horror. If the US hadn't kept its European air bases, it might well have happened. The Pax Americana needs to be admitted, but won't happen.

[Yan Taylor]

I watched this on the news this morning, apparently the guy who works for the war grave commission said that that every year they find the bodies of around twenty soldiers that were killed in WW1;

link

Ian.

[Dark Cloud]

www.theatlantic.com/infocus/2014/11/-blood-swept-lands-and-seas-of-red/100851/

Better photos. What a production, and how effective it is. Well done.

At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month........

"Here's to you, boys.

To Ryan, who died in the War to End All Wars........
To Gianelli, who died in the one after that.

To Stein, the joker of the crowd.
And to Gresky, my best friend who just passed away in Tokyo.

You were the friends of my youth.
My comrades through thick and thin and everything in between.

I drink to your memories.
I loved you fellows, one and all." - Col. Potter MASH episode

The Brits do it best. But then, they lost so many more.

[jodak]

Not exactly on topic, but I couldn't find a better place to put this. Today, May 31, is the 100 year anniversary of the Battle of Jutland - one of the seminal events in world history.  The British suffered about 6,100 and the Germans about 2,600 deaths.

[dave]

I had never seen this thread and soberly read all the posts and viewed the pictures. I immediately thought about the over 700,000 Americans who died in the War from 1861-1865. The poppies bring home the tragic loss far better than statistics.

Robert Burns said it so well:
"Man's inhumanity to man
Makes countless thousands mourn!"
Regards
Dave