We will remember them
It has been one hundred years since 710,000 British soldiers left England prepared to give their life for their country. The sacrifice these men made was enormous. They left families, friends and loved ones in order to protect their country. But nowadays you can question many teens about the war and the chances are they will not know anything about it. Did these men all die in vain? For children only a hundred years later, not to see the point in learning about their own countries history. Many people will ask “why do I need to know about it, it happened in the past.” History is part of your culture, without it you wouldn’t be who you are. The country would not be what it is now, without the events of the past.
World War One was a key event that affected everyone in this country. The Great War indirectly allowed women to gain the vote, something that they had been tirelessly struggling to gain for years before. It showed everyone that they were capable of the exact same things that men could do, meaning they got the vote in 1918. It was an example of the country all having to work together to achieve something and the sense of unity that Britain felt during the war was something that had never occurred before. All everyone cared about was the safety of their country. They all mourned in unison when lives were lost, they felt as one. The events of the war should be engrained in every person’s brain. There should be no person in England that doesn’t know the horrific events of the war and respect and honour those soldiers whose lives were taken whilst they tried to protect their country.
It is hard to imagine the sheer number of lives lost during the war, nine million is a number far too hard to comprehend. The British, French, German, American, Russian, Italian, Austro-Hungarians and Bulgarians. They all wanted the same thing; they all wished the war would end. They all fought for peace. How ironic?
It is so important that an event so significant in our history is remembered, especially as there are no longer any living survivors. No living reminder of the horrendous torment that our country went through to protect itself. But the war is not commemorated only by historical facts; it is celebrated through many pieces of wonderful literature too. A few favourites include Regeneration by Pat Barker, an incredible novel which highlights the effects that the war had on the soldiers; Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, a brilliant novel which not only draws in those on the front line but also how people in later years reflect upon the war and how it changed their lives. Journey’s End by R C Sheriff shows how life was for the soldiers on the front line and also a selection of poems from Wilfred Owen which display war in a brutally honest way unlike most propaganda around at the time, personal favourites include With an identity disc, S.I.W and Mental Cases.
World War One is important and will always be a significant part of our history whether people choose to remember it or not.
By Jess Kraft, year 13
World War One was a key event that affected everyone in this country. The Great War indirectly allowed women to gain the vote, something that they had been tirelessly struggling to gain for years before. It showed everyone that they were capable of the exact same things that men could do, meaning they got the vote in 1918. It was an example of the country all having to work together to achieve something and the sense of unity that Britain felt during the war was something that had never occurred before. All everyone cared about was the safety of their country. They all mourned in unison when lives were lost, they felt as one. The events of the war should be engrained in every person’s brain. There should be no person in England that doesn’t know the horrific events of the war and respect and honour those soldiers whose lives were taken whilst they tried to protect their country.
It is hard to imagine the sheer number of lives lost during the war, nine million is a number far too hard to comprehend. The British, French, German, American, Russian, Italian, Austro-Hungarians and Bulgarians. They all wanted the same thing; they all wished the war would end. They all fought for peace. How ironic?
It is so important that an event so significant in our history is remembered, especially as there are no longer any living survivors. No living reminder of the horrendous torment that our country went through to protect itself. But the war is not commemorated only by historical facts; it is celebrated through many pieces of wonderful literature too. A few favourites include Regeneration by Pat Barker, an incredible novel which highlights the effects that the war had on the soldiers; Birdsong by Sebastian Faulks, a brilliant novel which not only draws in those on the front line but also how people in later years reflect upon the war and how it changed their lives. Journey’s End by R C Sheriff shows how life was for the soldiers on the front line and also a selection of poems from Wilfred Owen which display war in a brutally honest way unlike most propaganda around at the time, personal favourites include With an identity disc, S.I.W and Mental Cases.
World War One is important and will always be a significant part of our history whether people choose to remember it or not.
By Jess Kraft, year 13