August 2014 100 years anniversary of 1st world war

[Northern Lass]

http://www.1914.org/why_remember/

[dudleytaylor]

Me and mine have been watching " The Village " on Sunday, its been really good ,and tells the tale of a village caught up in the 1st world war . It is very good and they showed the woman making boots for the soldiers.

[MarkCDodd]

Sometimes 100 years seems a long time ago.

Then you look at photographs of some of the men from the front trenches holding yourself or other family members.

You realise the influence of WW1 is in their eyes and demeanor.

I would love to have asked some of them, such as my wifes Grandfather and my own Grandad, how they felt surviving 4 or more years of trench warfare only to see their own children fight for the same pieces of ground 20 years later.

I think this generation of children is fa more aware of the war than last.

I think this is due too people realising the front line men and the civilians who survived the mayhem are a vanishing race.

[Margarett]

I think you are right, Mark. But one of the reasons this generation of children are more aware of the First World War is that it is taught here as part of the national curriculum to 12/13 year olds.
Two of my grandchildren, one fro Mid-Wales, and one from the English Midlands have been to Normandy as part of this in the last year. They both felt the visits moving and worthwhile, and made more so by the fact that they are encouraged to find family members or soldiers from their own locality whose names are on the memorials. I was able to help with this, being the family historian. My Granddaughter "found" my Grandad's brother's name on one.
They both attened the Last Post which is played every night, and my Grandson laid a wreath, on behalf of his school in memory of the poet/soldier that they had been studying from their area, and whose name they were able to find.
Long may trips of this kind continue.
We will remember them.

[dudleytaylor]

My 16 year old granddaughter has been doing her GCSE's on World war 1 ,and 2 , she has been learning about the politics as well as the battles. She finds it very interesting , and knows more about it than we do. My grandfather was in the first world war but I never knew him ,he died in 1932 ,my mother told me that he was gassed so bad that it contributed towards his death. He died from Bright's disease,today we would call it Nephritis chronic kidney disease. She said he never spoke about the war ,but two of his cousins who were brothers were killed. So may be thats why he never wanted to discuss it.

[MarkCDodd]

I listened to my youngest do a speech about the rise of Hitler and how the allies were partly to blame.

Her depth of knowledge was astounding and I never knew she had such interest in 20th century history.

Unless Aussie kids take 20th Century History as one of their elective in Year 11, both wars are only briefly covered in the general curriculum.

The ANZAC troops are given a mythical status and Gallipoli is about the only WW1 battle most of them could name.

There is a push to have the far more detailed history made part of the standard classes.

I think it was originally removed due to some PC rubbisha bout not offending some of our ethnic students.

Today they have to show some knowledge of Australia's action in both wars to get citizenship.

[dudleytaylor]

I did not know that it was the Allies that were to blame, until my granddaughter spoke about it to her grandfather. We were not told very much at school about the war ,we had one teacher that was captured by the Japanese,and he would tell us of how they would pull your toenails out for information.