There are several other posts I’ve been meaning to make but not quite gotten around to, but this is going to take precedence because it’s been on my mind all week.
I’ve become quite bad at remembering to check my Twitter account and updating / reading my feed, but on Sunday morning I had some time while I was getting ready to go out, so I happened to have a quick scroll through what the people I’m following have been tweeting about. And in doing so, I came across this article.
The opening paragraph is what really stuck with me:
“Historians and campaigners have also criticised the tone of the plans unveiled so far; they believe politicians and officials are focusing too much on British defeats and the carnage and futility of the war, because they are too anxious to avoid upsetting Germans and want to make sure the events are not considered triumphalist.“
It’s almost humorous in its sheer Britishness. The stereotype that we are a people whose attitude is one of, ‘winning doesn’t matter, it’s the taking part that counts!’ is something that usually results in a good giggle. But in this case, I really think it’s political correctness gone too far. Marking the centenary of one of the most significant and society-altering events in modern history isn’t Britain being triumphalist. It’s not the victory we’re commemorating; it’s the sacrifice of the hundreds of thousands of soldiers who fought and died or were wounded, and the memory of every person who was involved, whether they were soldiers who died, soldiers who survived, or civilians who may not have fought in actual battles, but did ‘Their Bit’ in some other way.
I have a mental image of politicians sitting around a table, discussing what to do for the centenary, and insisting it wouldn’t be ‘proper’ to focus on anything other than the huge casualty numbers and the defeats Britain faced. It’s a scene that belongs in a parody, a comedy show. Not real life.
Yes, it is important to remember that there were many battles that did not go as planned, and the casualty rates were far higher than anyone at the time could have imagined or predicted. But if that’s all you look at, you’re ignoring the fact that those men died for a reason, and a bloody good one at that. Read the article.
I’m no historian, but I studied First World War literature as part of my English Lit A-Level and became fascinated by the subject straight away. It turned me into one of Those Students…you know the type: devours every book on the recommended reading list with the hunger of a starved animal, then finds other books to read and websites to look at to get as much knowledge on the topic as possible. That was seven years ago and even now I love coming across new titles I haven’t read before, or rereading old favourites either from, or set during, the war. I’ve been on several trips to Belgium and France to visit cemeteries, memorials, and museums, all of which resonated deeply. I convinced my mum to drive us half way across the country to see a performance of Journey’s End (luckily we had friends who lived in the town it was performed in so we could stay with them overnight) just because it’s such an incredible play and I was desperate to see it again. My uni dissertation was a story centred around a character’s experience at the Front. When I was considering going back to uni several months after graduating with a BA, my first choice was an MA in British First World War Studies offered at Birmingham University.
It’s pretty safe to say I’m very passionate about this subject and am disappointed to see that the UK is letting itself down when it comes to plans for next year’s anniversary. There’s nothing wrong with showing pride in our achievements and commemorating our victory; I doubt that 21st Century Germany will be offended to see us remembering it – after all, it’s not like we’d be actively rubbing it in their face. The fact that we won isn’t the most important thing about this anniversary…not that it’s not of any importance at all, of course, but it shouldn’t – and wouldn’t – be the sole focus.
TARBA 