MissPrism

Today, services and commemoration ceremonies are being held in France on the 90th anniversary of the Battle of the Somme.
The BBC has news and background at http://tinyurl.com/rmsp3

Around 20,000 British and Irish soldiers died on the first day of the battle and 125,000 died over the next five months.


Over the five months of the battle more than a million soldiers were killed or wounded, including
German and French troops as well as Australians, Canadians, New Zealanders and Irishmen who were fighting with the British forces.
Sadly, it wasn't "The war to end all wars"

Nina66

Sad but true Miss Prism, and we haven't learned a thing from it except how make and use even deadier weapons.

Whenever we drive through a small European town, especially in France and see the monuments to the Mort Infants, still covered with flowers after all of these years, my heart breaks for those young men and their families.

I have also seen the graves of young German soldiers in the cemetary where DH's elders are buried.

Until I saw their graves, I had never felt any sympathy for the German soldiers. Then I realized that they were the same age our boys and the other young European boys were - mostly 19 - 20 years old.

We haven't made much progress - have we?

Nina

joe4212

MissPrism

Thank you for post.

My grandfather fought on the battlefields at Ypres and Passendale and over the last few days I've been thinking a lot about him mostly due to the television coverage of the Somme.

Last year I managed to visit 'his' battlefields in Flanders and God-willing I will be crossing those few short miles from there to the Somme late this summer.

Thank you for your thoughtfullness. It has made my morning.

Joe

logos999

>We haven't made much progress - have we?
We have! War between France and Germany (German countries) is no longer possible after centuries of fighting eachother.

jody

http://timesonline.co.uk/global/
has a series of articles on this anniversary,too.

Visits to the Somme and Ieper(Ypres) Salient have been one of the most moving experiences of my life.

a few photos..

http://tinyurl.com/rd6yq

http://www.kodakgallery.com/Slidesho...Uy=ync8dy&Ux=0

ira

>>We haven't made much progress - have we?<

Well, it is unlikely that Intra-European politics will be the cause of another major war.

BTW, the Battle of the Somme was preceded, and was a response to, the Battle of Verdun in which France and Germany sustained over 1,000,000 casualties.

Josser

BTW, the Battle of the Somme was preceded, and was a response to, the Battle of Verdun in which France and Germany sustained over 1,000,000 casualties.

Your point being?
It's hardly a competition, is it.
As it happens, there were services of remembance for Verdun on 23 Feb this year.

carylspall

My father's uncle was killed in the last week of the conflict.
I feel so sad whenever I think of the first world war and all the suffering.
I always wonder what would have happened if there had been no war and all those soldiers had lived......

God bless their souls

MissPrism

The census returns for our villafe in 1911 gave a population of 421
There are 14 names on the war memorial for WW1
It must have been devastating for a small community and echoed throughout the country.
My grandfather was killed in 1917 and my mother often told me about the day the telegram came.
They didn't have an officer coming round to break the news gently in those days.
Ira, we are remembering the Somme today, terrible as Verdun was.

Santanderazul

I recently visited the American cementery in Limburg (The Netherlands) and was overwhelmed. So many young soldiers (in their early twenties) died away from home.

logos999

There is a war going on at this moment. Young people dieing.(Americans too)
This should overwhelm you!