The Passing of an Era

Yesterday I heard on the news that Harry Patch, the last veteran from the First World War and the last to have experienced at first hand the horrors of Trench Warfare, had passed away, scarcely a week after Henry Allingham, the oldest man in Europe and also penultimate World War one survivor, also passed away.

It seemed a moment to reflect on the significance of this. No Briton now survives who actually fought in the First World War. ( I'm uncertain if there are any survivors from other countries). As far as we as a nation are concerned the experience of fighting in that war is now outside living memory. What a horror story this was, by all accounts, and all for what? There wasn't the obvious moral crusade in fighting the evils of Naziism as in the Second World War. The Great War always seemed like an overdue longed-for 'punch up' between rather arrogant public schoolboys, each trying to prove who was the best and the strongest. It was a show-trial of rival national strengths.

True, Britain entered the war as Germany violated Belgian neutrality and the war began originally because of the threat posed to an anachronistic multi-national state called the Austro-Hungarian Empire by Balkan, and in particular Serbian, nationalism, but anyone who knows anything about the history would realise that with sufficient resolve diplomacy could have prevented the conflict. You see I was once a modern history student so I know about these things.

I feel really angry whenever I think about this war. I remember visiting a war memorial in Northern France a few years ago. I forget its name but I'll look it up. It began I think with a 'V'.

I was with a party of young Christians who had been holidaying in the Loire Valley in 2003 I seem to remember. I remember how angry I felt then at the appalling loss of life. How much of a who-ha there would be now. No government now would be allowed to get away with such losses as the combatants endured during that conflict.

Yet we are still fighting wars in far off places in countries which we scarcely understand still less really care about to make the world a safer place we are told. But are we, I ask. When has war ever really solved anything? It's said that allied vengeance towards Germany contributed towards the Second World War. Wars, like punch-ups in a school playground, often seem merely to increase rather than abate enmity. When will we ever learn, I ask?

Frankly, if it weren't for my faith I would despair of life. It makes me wonder how any thoughtful person remains cheerful with such a bleak history as this. Perhaps you could let me know your thoughts, whoever reads this.