WW1 Centenary

[linell]

Apparently plans are in place to honour the start of the Great War in 1914. Classes of School Children will be taken to France to visit the Battlefields and Cemeteries. I think we should all do our bit and pay our respects. Linell.

[MarkCDodd]

Children are not taught 20th century history at school. It was only this year, in Year 11 of school and in a elective subject that my youngest learned about WW1.

Australians see it a bit differently than the rest of the world as it was a major stepping stone in us becoming a nation.

It started the ANZAC legend which is a huge part of our national identity.

Only after learning about WW1 did my youngest finally understand the pride and reverence we have for our "Diggers".

There are schools and towns in France that constantly fly the Australian flag and thank our soldiers every day for their liberation.

It would be wonderful if we used the 100th anniversary to instill this sense of gratitude amongst the young of every nation whose young men participated in the tragedy of WW1.

[Antie Em]

My grandchildren have learned all about the two world wars at school. The main corridor of their primary school was decorated for a whole year with facts about the wars, including pictures of soldiers from the children's families. It's really important that our children learn about and respect their ancestors who fought in the wars and also what they were fighting for. We take them every year to the Oldbury Cenotaph for the Remembrance Day Service.

[linell]

Yes totally agree Mark and Maggie, how nice you take your Grandchildren to the Remembrance Service Maggie, my youngest Grandson who is still at Primary has also done a Project on WW1, probably all part of the National Curriculum. There's nothing like seeing the actual Fields and Graves to bring it home though is there! Linell.

[snoopysue]

I always found that bit of history boring in school, mainly because they only taught us the dry facts, once I'd started reading about people's individual stories it made a huge difference.
I've just finished Ken Follet's Winter of the World, and that as well as Fall of Giants gives a good idea of what the soldiers went through, even if it is fiction!

[peterd]

Apparently plans are in place to honour the start of the Great War in 1914. Classes of School Children will be taken to France to visit the Battlefields and Cemeteries. I think we should all do our bit and pay our respects. Linell.

first steps should be to take them to the local cenotaph and see what they can find online or locally about some of the soldiers on there, they might gain a bit more respect for the older generation

sounds like im getting old

[linell]

Yes Pete, go polish your Medals.

[nessa]

It's the ages which make an impact when you visit the WW1 and WW2 cemeteries in France and Flanders along with the sheer number of graves, most of the graves we looked at the soldiers were under 20 some as young as 16. It is all very sobering.

Nessa

[Antie Em]

I totally agree Nessa - when I think of my kids when they were 16 and 17 - they were just kids. My eldest grandson was 18 a few weeks ago, and I couldn't think of him going to war.

[peterd]

think the National Memorial Arboretum is well worth a visit, after the main memorial i would say the shot at dawn had the most impact on me

[dudleytaylor]

my granddaughter has just finished the first parts of G C S E Levels and she has done the first and second World wars . They were very detailed and she told me and her grandfather things we had never been told. She was very moved by alot she learned but also very angry. She can talk for hours on the subject. we are quite proud that our children are learning and being told about what happend.My granddad was in the first world war he was in the trenches, and was gassed he was one of the lucky ones , got home. He later died of kidney disease due to the gas . Dt

[Antie Em]

my granddaughter has just finished the first parts of G C S E Levels and she has done the first and second World wars . They were very detailed and she told me and her grandfather things we had never been told. She was very moved by alot she learned but also very angry. She can talk for hours on the subject. we are quite proud that our children are learning and being told about what happend.My granddad was in the first world war he was in the trenches, and was gassed he was one of the lucky ones , got home. He later died of kidney disease due to the gas . Dt

That's brilliant DT - my granddad lost a leg in the trenches in France, and I have always made sure my grandchildren know the sacrifices these young men made so that we could enjoy our liberty. I managed to get hold of some pages from the War Diaries, which covered his battalion. Jonathan took them to school and they were shown to all of the children in his class.

[dudleytaylor]

I never knew me grandad, but mom made sure we knew about the war and about him. I never knew what regiment he was in . I do not think mom knew she said he never talked about it much. My husbands dad was in the Royal engineers in 2ww and got blown up ,he survived but part of his thigh was injured. He never spoke about the war either. DT

[MarkCDodd]

Grandad Dodd signed up the month the war started and apart from an very brief furlough, he was overseas for 5 years.
My wife's Grandad and Great Grandad signed up together and were on the same train going into the boot camp and then were separated for the entire war. They didn't see each other for over 4 1/2 years.
The horrors they must have seen and endured.
And to think that 20 years after surviving the "War to end all wars" they had to watch their own sons march off to fight the same enemy on the same soil their best mates and Army buddies died on.
I can't thin of anything worse.