RHYS BOWEN: Today is Veteran's Day, or Armistice Day as it’s called in England. It celebrates the signing of the armistice—the official end of WW1 on November 11, at 11:11 in the morning. In England there is a moment of silence at that time every year. Poppies are sold to raise money for wounded veterans as they have been since 1918 and there is a beautiful ceremony at the Royal Albert Hall at the end of which thousands of poppies fall from the ceiling.
In 2018, the centenary, the Tower of London was flanked with thousands of poppies.
Maybe it means more to people in England because it was such a devasting war for us. I know the Americans came in 1917 and helped to bring the war to an end, but Britain and its allies had been fighting up to their necks in mud in trenches for three years before that. The costs were horrendous—a whole generation of young men wiped out. The chances of marriage for a young woman at that time were one in ten. And the men who returned were so damaged physically and mentally that they bore scars for life. Many were gassed and could never breathe properly again. Others had what they called shell shock, which we would now call PTSD. And it’s no wonder. The battlefields were a couple of hours away from home. A soldier could be on leave, sitting in the garden eating strawberries and cream and later that day in a rat-infested trench with shells raining down on him, or ordered to go ‘over the top’ to be met with a hail of bullets.
It’s no wonder minds snapped.
One thing that happened during WW1 was that women had to take over many jobs from men who were away fighting or would not return. They became bus drivers and blacksmiths. They worked in factories and fields. And because these were hard physical jobs they were given uniforms—trousers and boots. So they discarded their corsets and layers of skirts and cut their hair short. They emerged from the war knowing that they could do anything a man could do and that the country owed them a debt of gratitude. This gratitude led to women being granted the vote.
I wrote about the role of women in this war in my book THE VICTORY GARDEN. It’s about a young woman who becomes a land girl and shows how women stepped up to do what was necessary—far beyond the limits they thought themselves capable of.
Another thing we must remember on this day: It was called THE WAR TO END ALL WARS. But it didn’t work out that way, did it? Having been through a most contentious election it seems to me that humans are essentially tribal beings. If we are given a chance to hate and attack those who are different from us, we will do so. Every year on Armistice Day I pray that we might have learned a lesson, but I don’t think we ever will.
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ReplyDeleteOne can only hope there will be a day when we all choose to work together for peace. Meanwhile, on this Veteran’s Day, a heartfelt thank you to all who served . . . .
ReplyDeleteEchoing Joan, thank you to those who have served, on Veteran's Day and every day.
ReplyDeleteTurning guns into plowshares.
ReplyDeleteRhys, I never thought about them living so close to the front.
I never fully appreciated this. Thanks Rhys. Right now the only salvation seems to be the simple acts of human kindness we have the power to bestow on each other, one on one.
ReplyDeleteThe closest we came to such a horror was the Vietnam era, and even then the battle was far away from American lives. Losing an entire generation of young men, though. What a cost.
ReplyDeleteAnd look how the Bietnam Vets still bear scars!
DeleteRemembering my father (USN, Pacific theatre) and grandfather (USN, Atlantic convoy duty) and all those who died or had their lives permanently altered/destroyed after combat duty.
ReplyDeleteThank you for this powerful reminder Rhys...and sending appreciation to all our veterans...
ReplyDeleteJoining my voice to thank those who served then and since.
ReplyDeleteEveryday I pray for peace in the world and this year, I added for health in the world.
Danielle, I am certainly with you in these sentiments. And good health to you and yours.
DeleteBest,
Melanie
Thank you Rhys.
ReplyDeleteThank you, Rhys. One of my husband's favorite movies is Twelve O'Clock High. He hates seeing the abandoned air field following the war. Each time we watch it, I share with him my memories of being in England in the early 1970s and seeing the former air fields being lovingly cared for with volunteers tending flower and shrub gardens on the properties.
ReplyDeleteI'm sure these fields are long gone, but the contrast between the UK honoring the remembrance of what these fields stood for and the unrest in the US against the military at the time was stark.
Thank you to all veterans for your service.
The war cemeteries in France are so poignant. Rows of simple crosses or stars and the words Private A Jones. Aged 18. Or Unknown.
DeleteI appreciated Armistice Day -- I have always called it that -- most in 2020 when I was in England. The poppies were everywhere, and all around Westminster Cathedral were little crosses with names on them, separated into regiments so families could find their their great granddad or uncle. There were American regiments, too. We walked among them, so many, so very many, who died hoping they were ending all wars. As Rhys said, that isn't how it worked out. We both wore poppies during our entire stay there.
ReplyDeleteWe were in Gatwick on the 11th, at 11:00 am. We observed the silence and heard Big Ben piped in. A hush fell over the international terminal. It was nothing like anything I've ever experienced. And not a dry eye.
My godfather and a few great uncles were WWI veterans. One uncle had been gassed, was never well again. But What America suffered was nothing to compare with the devastation of France and England. We just helped out.
Today we see our Dictator in Chief kicking and screaming at the thought of having to leave the While House. It is a dangerous time.
Peace, democracy and freedom are all things that must be worked for, fought for, every day. Today we remember. Blessings on those who served, on every front, in every way.
ReplyDeleteYou are right, Rhys, that Americans experienced WWI very differently than our Allies in Britain. For one thing, we could ignore it for the first three years. Over here we lost more people to the flu epidemic than we did to the war, or at least it felt that way. My grandfather joined the Army in WWI, but never even made it overseas. He was still training at Fort Dix when the Armistice was signed, and all his war stories were the funny ones.
ReplyDeleteThere is a long history of military service in my family, going back to the Civil War. My grandfather, father, aunt, uncle, husband, and now grandson all fought for their country in whatever war was going at the time. I salute them for their courage and their service but, as a civilian, I think the best thing we can do for our servicemen and women is to give them the support they need once they come home again. Many have no trouble slipping back into their civilian lives, but many do. From education to healthcare--including mental health--to housing, we cannot, as a nation, treat our veterans as disposable. They volunteer to risk their lives for their country. We, as a grateful nation, should repay that debt by being there for them in their hour of need.
Gigi, my Maxwell grandfather was on the boat going over to serve when the Armistice was signed.
DeleteThat’s another thing to remember, Gigi. The flu was just taking hold across the world. Returning soldiers brought it with them and it ended up killing between 50 and 100 million people world wide
DeleteI have always admired the British tradition of the poppies -- it's such an excellent symbol.
ReplyDeleteI honestly had never thought about the devastation WWI left on a whole generation of British citizens until I read the Maisie Dobbs series. After reading those I did some non-fiction reading to better understand. I just can't find words profound enough for my awe and admiration and dismay.
My son took a class on conflict literature when he was a senior in high school and did a paper on war as his big project of the semester. He was horrified when he really dug in to what happened during WWI.
ReplyDeleteMany thanks to veterans everywhere.
That's lovely, Rhys.
ReplyDeleteAs the daughter and wife of veterans, the day has always meant a lot to me. It does feel different in the US then in the UK - I suspect because our "Remembrance Day" is Memorial Day. Which makes sense, because the war that shattered a generation came earlier to the states, in the form of the Civil War.
No one ever seems to cause as much damage to Americans as Americans...
As my daughter who graduated from a military college always says, Memorial Day is to remember those we lost. Veterans Day is to celebrate those who served.
DeleteRhys, like Susan's comment above, WWI was a series of maps and dates to me--I knew the figures but never processed the emotional weight of those figures until I found out that my Grandfather Church had fought on the Western Front during WWI--and when I read the Charles Todd books--fiction illuminated the horrors for me. I've tried to grow those red poppies, to remember, maybe this coming year I'll succeed.
ReplyDeleteThank you to all who serve! Rhys, your observations are so on point. I fear you're right, that humans are tribal beings, but also it seems to be the nature of man to be aggressively ignorant when challenged with facts. I truly hope we do not have to learn things the hard way again.
ReplyDeleteThank you for such a beautiful piece, Rhys, and thank you to all who have served. I think it was reading the poets of the Great War that first brought home the magnitude of the loss to me. And then the novels set either during that war or afterwards, dealing with the consequences. It's interesting how fiction has the power to move us in a way that history books do not.
ReplyDeleteAnd I love The Victory Garden, Rhys. It is among my favorites of your books. I love how the women were able to remake their lives out of such tragedy.
Thank you to all who serve!
ReplyDeleteRhys, thank you for this timely post. I just posted on my Instagram feed about Armistice Day.
My American grandfather was stationed in England on Armistice Day. I was reading his diaries. They gave a luncheon for the American soldiers at the Grafton Hotel in London. We have many family stories about my grandfather in England. I found many photos in the diaries.
On another note, the Queen Mother started the tradition of putting flowers at the tomb of the Unknown Soldier as a wedding tradition in the Royal family. Her older brother Fergus died in the war.
Diana
This day has such a split personality to me. I honor the veterans for their service. I honor that long ago Armistice Day. I was in London for the 11th back in 2000. My mother-in-law and I attended the church service at St Paul's Cathedral and it was moving. Our families have a long tradition of citizen soldiers. Stepping up when called. I've got two war veterans in our household. I'd like to honor the families of soldiers. I know how hellish it is to have someone you love in danger. I know the sacrifices military families make putting up with the moves, the inadequate pay. On a different note here is a paragraph from my Great Uncle Lowell's letter from France after WW1 was ended. He was 23 at the time:
ReplyDeleteMaybe you read of the 7th Division being in action when the war stopped. I was on the front dodging G.I. cans-I think I dodged the last one Fritz fired and heard the last one we fired. I can always remember 11-11-11-'18. By French time the armistice began at 11:00, November 11. Up to the last second we could barely hear ourselves from the noise of our own artillery and it was "keep your head down" from Fritz's. Then all at once the silence was almost oppressive, not a shot was fired and it was finished. I could scarcely think that the hell that has been loose here for so long could become silence in one second.
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DeleteHow moving, Pat. That really brings it to life, doesn't it?
DeleteRewritten with date corrected: I was there on Nov 11 2000 also! A work meeting (lucky me) and I stayed a few days. The holiday was observed for a few days, everywhere I went, and with great respect, far more than in the US. Heathrow Airport(!!!) came to a dead stop, completely silent, at 11AM. Unforgettable.
DeleteIn a poetry anthology we used in high school, there was a World War I poem by Walter de la Mare, once a very popular English poet. He wrote beautifully about a quiet summer night: "Night arches England and the winds are still" and then about "the gun's low thunder drumming o'er the tide, the anguished pulsing in her stricken side..." and "Ah, never heart forget..." that "these brights dews were mixed with blood and sweat". Gave me chills at 17, and still does, a whole lifetime later.
ReplyDeleteAnd all the war poets too, Trisd. Rupert Brooke etc
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