Sunday 11 November 2007 will see the 89th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I. A politically inspired exercise in pointless butchery if ever there was one. It resolved nothing and sowed the seeds for an even more gruesome reprise between 1939 and 1945. Here in the UK, the many casualties will be remembered at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month with a two-minute silence. Up here in Lewis, the death-toll in relative terms has been particularly high. Every second man joined up. Of those that joined up, one out of every six did not survive the war. In absolute numbers, 1,150 may not seem all that much, but 1 out of every 12 men speaks rather louder.
Over the past few months, I've been attempting to compile an on-line record of the fallen. I've mentioned my Faces from the War Memorial site before. Over the next 10 days or so, I'll feature one name out of every of Lewis' 100 villages in an entry. I'll also include a picture from the village or its immediate area if I have one.
Yes, what a senseless slaughter it all was. Still those men were brave and did their duty. I have visited war graves in France and it is heartbreaking. We must never forget, nor all those of our servicemen who have died and are still dying in countless conflicts.
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Looking forward to those entries....I learn so much from you....June:)
ReplyDeleteWe do good to honor and remember those who paid and pay our way to freedom. - Barbara
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Looking forward to these entries. My former father in law and my dad's father both served in WWI. Linda in Washington state
ReplyDeleteThis is a phenomenal tribute, the best I've ever seen. Last year I wrote about it and included some music and the only response I received was comments about the American song. I do not have the vernacular to express things politically as my husband nor am I very educated in the matter, (Which is WHY I do not speak on it, or history) but I can be taught. This is helpful and thank you for sharing and making this memorial.
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http://journals.aol.com/nelishianatl/PrayingandBelieving/
Guido, this is a stellar tribute. Kudos to you!
ReplyDeleteLisa