Lest we forget

It is nearly the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI, which ended on 11/11/1918 at 11:00. And a brand-new film has just been released: They Shall Not Grow Old. Directed by Peter Jackson, the film uses original film from the war recovered and colorised. Its sound track draws on period music and recordings made by historians after the war in conversation with WWI veterans. It is a technological marvel and an incredibly compelling story. IMDB has given the film a rating of 8.9/10, which is extraordinary. Check out the trailer here!

I have just had the most amazing experience at a special showing of the film, here in Greenwich (London). This was to celebrate the 100th anniversary of the end of WWI. The theatre was packed and once the film started you could hear a pin drop. The film really brings you into the scene, with all of the horror, fear, laughter, and terrible conditions. It is stunning. And, after it ended, there was silence as folks stayed until the end of the credits. Some 700,000 UK soldiers died (a kill rate of more than 1 in 10). Another 200,000 died from other parts of the British empire. Of course, this was a just a small fraction of the 19 million who died overall in WWI across Europe.

An interesting footnote is just how many of the British veterans had fond memories of the Germans captured. They got along well. In the insanity of the war, front line soldiers on both sides could not understand why they were fighting each other. Perhaps some other true enemy, but why the Brits and Germans with their shared history?

Every year, I buy a poppy from the UK veterans association in November. It is a way to honour of those who have died and the other UK veterans who have often fought alongside us Americans (e.g., in Iraq and Afghanistan). I certainly felt solidarity with folks in the theatre today.

European disunion

The film definitely registered with the audience. One of the sad points of Brexit is that — outside of Scotland, London and Northern Ireland — many folks in UK seem to have forgotten why the EU was founded. This was, in part, to prevent such tragedies as WWI and WWII from happening again in Europe. Depending on the poll and the day, perhaps 50% of Brits still want to go it alone. Though, admittedly, an increasing share are having doubts.

From my childhood, I have known folks who were alive at the time of WWI and heard their stories. During holiday visits, my grandfather would tell me stories from his time during the war in the US merchant marine traversing the North Atlantic. My wife’s great aunt Coressa impressed me with her memories of the local support in North Carolina for Woodrow Wilson during the war and his peace efforts afterwards. Mom’s uncle Joe died in France during WWI, a point that was still hard for the older generation to discuss when I was a kid. I have been to Belleau Wood in France, where the freshly arrived Americans scrambled in 1918 to plug a hole in the front line and stop the German assault on Paris. There are still bomb craters and twisted metal to be seen there.

From various conversations, first hand observations, and histories and economic studies, it seems clear that Europe is better off united than it was when it was divided.

November Poppy