It's remembrance Sunday.
The First World War dramatically changed the way we think about and
remember war. Largely, this was a result of the scale of death.
D-day, 1944 is rightly remembered as a day of great loss, There
where around 10,000 Allied casualties at the end of the day.
However, on the first day of the battle of the Somme there where
over five times that volume of allied losses.
Around 1/8 of the allied forces did not survive the war and 1/3
suffered serious injury. Only around half the dead have known
graves. Europe was deprived of the best of a generation. It's hard to
find a family that was not effected. Two of my great uncles where
killed, one whilst winning the VC. Arguably, the conflict did not end
until 1945.
For the first time, Europe became covered in war memorials, often
with lists of names carved in them and, for the first time, a day was
set aside each year to remember what had happened.
Since 1919 countless conflicts have been added to those we
remember and the motto "Never Again", that was often repeated at
the memorial services at the end of the First World War has come to
ring a little hollow.
Spend a few minuets to remember the fallen today; for our sake, if
not theirs.
Send a little money to a veterans charity if you can as well.
http://www.poppy.org.uk/support-us/give-money