Remembrance and Respect

Preface:

 I wanted to write about this subject as I felt particularly moved by the memory of of the Great War as we reach 100 years since its end. It’s not a subject I think about much. Maybe because it’s easier not to think about the horrors of this war. However, when I thought about it recently and considered how little we really remember of how bad it truly was I felt compelled to write something. I always remember feeling particularly humbled by the trenches and war graves in Flanders and from what I studied at school and wanted to try and put that into words.

The annual poppy pile-on

It’s poppy season, that strange time of year where people manufacture crises over people not wearing poppies disrespecting poppies or claiming Muslims want to ban poppies.

I’ve had a strange relationship with the remembrance poppies myself, as they’ve seemed hijacked by nationalists of late. This has always seemed an unfair reflection on these somewhat benign symbols of memory. Although much of my unease has come from a loud “moral majority” that seemed more obsessed with policing poppy conformity than by promoting the sobering remembrance they stand for. In a free country where we often claim cultural capital by the fact we fought for freedom that would appear a bit oxymoronic. Perhaps this feeling that’s more to do with my awkward relationship with British society than it is with the poppy itself. It’s worth noting however, that the poppy is not intended as a symbol of militaristic support, something the Royal British Legion who runs the appeals emphasise themselves on their own website.

That said, I got to thinking recently about how the war was and how it ended. I learned much about this at school. However, for once this year I actually feel motivated to remember and also encourage people to remember. I feel the poppy serves a very positive and very important thing in society, remembrance itself.

Fading memories

I grew up in a time when there were still a lot of battle survivors of the First World War to talk to and as they’ve died and as the Great war begins to pass out of living memory I’m actually prompted to reflect on things this year as we reach the centenary of the Armistice and Treaty of Versailles. In short its never been more important to remember what happened in the trenches. Even if you’re a pacifist.
It’s easy to forget just how many men died in WW1. What it did to families and communities not just in Britain but across Europe. I had the benefit of some really good history teachers at school who researched local history to show just how many people (including students from my school) died in the trenches.

However, while local history is important we mustn’t only dwell on how it affected those people closest to us. Let’s not forget how the war was a disaster for people as far away as Turkey and for people such as the Austrians, Italians and even the Germans too. Just because many of those people were the enemy doesn’t mean they didn’t experience the horrors of war as we did. We were just lucky to have the dubious honor of getting the accolade of winning. Although, it’s questionable if anyone REALLY won WW1.

Wrestling with the past

More than that military life was not just brutal in terms of the death, mud and destruction. It was also a conflict typified by idiotic higher ups on both sides and actual a catch 22 of death in the trenches vs death by court martial and firing squad. I always remember one of the films we watched that was set during World War One. The Stanley Kubrick film Paths of Glory. Among the many injustices the film portrays is the court marshal and execution of three innocent French soldiers for Cowardice by the French general staff. The most ridiculous part being one of the three being grievously injured and unconscious on his day of execution and being tied to the stake whilst still on a stretcher. During the whole film attempts at moral decision making is always quashed by blame deflections and promotion ambitions of those in command and this has always resonated with me (I of course accept that the film is a work of fiction but the war was full of silly moments like this).

However, there are still people who attempt to aggrandise what happened in the war. One of the things that always bothers me about people - politicians especially - who want to try and reframe the history of the Great War of 1914 to 1918 as something more glorious than the disgusting waste of life that took place. People like Michael Gove especially try to re-invigorate ideas of patriotism and the glory of Empire (is it any wonder he was a leading campaigner for Brexit) . I always find this laughable as the idea of Michael Gove serving in a military campaign as anything other than a desk clerk seems unlikely. These sorts of people are very eager for a glorious war in the name of Britain if they aren’t the ones doing the fighting funnily enough.

I still think Blackadder was one of the best portrayals of WW1. Finding some humour in the ugly conditions of trench warfare at the time and attacking the waste of earnest young men. Men who in many cases wanted to serve their country willingly that had their loyalties betrayed by a group of upper class know-nothings who only worried about matters of status and not the mass slaughter of many thousands of soldiers (this was the case on all sides I might add not just Britain). It was a series that didn’t pull any punches from its anger at the heartless stupidity of those in charge of the military manoeuvres. Lions led by Donkeys, a phrase often used to describe the pure unfeeling incompetence of the military leadership during WW1, still applies to a lot of ways we are led today.

Poppy positivity

This rather nicely brings me back to poppies as perhaps one of the most bittersweet ends to a sitcom ever filmed is the final scene of Blackadder (and if you haven’t seen Blackadder Goes Forth I highly recommend you watch it). As the trenches fade away into a bright red field of poppies with birds chirping. Despite the strange cultural battle that seems to be taking place for the soul of the Poppy Appeal it’s still something I can safely tell people to support. When you get away from the people who want to force you to wear them because of some chip on their shoulder about national pride or whatever, it’s still a worthy cause. We desperately need to remember.

Ultimately Remembrance Day is about remembrance and we shouldn’t forget just what happened 100 years ago, so we never feel tempted to repeat those mistakes ever again. Wear your poppy with pride whether you prefer the white or the red, or don’t wear anything, but whatever you do never forget.