Whilst I sit here late on a Tuesday afternoon with the sun going down through one window and the near-full moon rising in the other, I realise that it would be good to take a break from philosophising over socio-economic and political issues and spare time to respect those whose day this is.
We had rememberance Sunday two days ago and today is the 90th anniversary of The Armistice. At the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month in 1918 the guns fell silent and the bloody First World War came to an end – 20 million people were dead after 4 years of fighting. Of the military losses nearly 1 million of those were British and a further 4 and a half million Britain’s allies. Germany and her allies lost another 4 million men. Civillian deaths amounted to another 10 million and the number of wounded reached around 20 million people.
That’s a great deal of death and wounding and for men from all countries to go to a war that “would be over by Christmas” and to be caught up in a 20th century war fought with 19th century tactics, with ever more devious ways of killing being dreamt up (machine guns, gas, tanks and planes)
So to all those brave people who fought for our country and it’s values, to all our friends and allies and to our former enemies; you are not forgotten.