Your Country Needs You

[TomJoad]

The Times reports on a new initiative set up by the Culture Secretary to urge local involvement in restoration/clean-up of the nations war-memorials in preparation for the 100th anniversary.

Can't help but think that this is a great idea and would bring a real focus maintaining and building local communities. Perhaps they could even convince the lottery commission or likes to support the initiative with funding. No doubt there will be detractors but I think it's a positive move.:ok:

Extract from Times

A dwindling sense of connection with the First World War has led the Government to urge the public to restore local war memorials in the run-up to the 100th anniversary.
Maria Miller, the Culture Secretary, said it was more important than ever to remind the nation of sacrifices made during the Great War, which broke out 99 years yesterday.

Your country needs you to tidy up war memorials | The Times (http://www.thetimes.co.uk/tto/news/uk/article3834205.ece?CMP=OTH-gnws-standard-2013_08_04)

[Flash2001]

My grandfather was an officer in the Canadian Army when the war started. His diary reads "War declared, rain in the afternoon".

Could be a book title methinks.

After an excellent landing etc...

[Tashengurt]

That seems like a noble enough idea. A good way of people recalling the sacrifices made but yet, I can't help a nagging feeling that the state should be responsible for maintaining these memorials.


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[TomJoad]

I may be wrong on this but was not the founding idea, championed by King George, that the memorials belonged to the people not the state. The memorials being at a village level, adorned with familiar local family names, reflecting the very personal sacrifice that that generation made to the Great War. I am happy to be corrected on that of course.

But I take your point Tashengurt, perhaps the state involvement should be restricted to funding to help the local groups involved - maybe an opportunity for the British Legion etc to coordinate.


There could be scope in this to really tie it in at the National, indeed Commonwealth, level; perhaps the BBC could be convinced to document the effort - following village by village as each tells their story of their sacrifice to the War length and breadth of the country (Commonwealth). As so often these events do, it may well serve to remind us of that which unites us.

[Heathrow Harry]

might be useful if there is/was a website listing where they all are and who is "responsible" for them

At the moment all you can do is call the nearer branch of the British Legion I think

[mmitch]

The Imperial War Museum has a project going to record all known memorials. Having posted some photos of some local ones on a History website, I was contacted by a volunteer asking to use my photos.
Website:- UK National Inventory of War Memorials (http://www.ukniwm.org.uk/)
mmitch.

[Wander00]

What is pretty awe inspiring is the number of memorials scattered around France not only to Allied aircrew lost, but also to those shot as members of the Resistance, or military personnel (in uniform) murdered, and to those deported of whom many never survived long after arrival, let alone incarceration in German concentration camps. I can think of a dozen or so within a very few miles of our home in the Vendee.

[Basil]

I recently spent some time in a small French Alpine village and noted that the WW1 memorial had the same family names more than once and then again on the WW2 plaque.

[Wander00]

French village war memorials generally have dozens of names from WW1, often what are clearly brothers, up to a dozen names perhaps from WW2,and then one or two names from Indo Chine and Algerie. The latter often generate the greatest frisson.

[smujsmith]

I believe that responsibility lies with The War Memorials Trust, it is a charity working to preserve and care for over 100,000 war memorials located across the United Kingdom. This is their website, I'm sure anyone wishing to offer help will be welcome.

Website: War Memorials Trust (http://www.warmemorials.org)

Smudge

[racedo]

French village war memorials generally have dozens of names from WW1, often what are clearly brothers, up to a dozen names perhaps from WW2,and then one or two names from Indo Chine and Algerie. The latter often generate the greatest frisson.

Remember in rural France reading the memorials and counting the names, on one occasion it was approx 250 men in WW1, current population of area was only about 400. In many rural areas its likely that population has never recovered, nor ever will.

I understand why when you see 2 generations wiped out in WW1 it is hard to do the same in WW2.

In relation to WW1 I visited Flanders last year, Somme next month and either Normandy and somewhere else WW1 related next year or just a WW1 site.

Rather not have Govt involved, look what happened when they got involved in 1914!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

[Duncan D'Sorderlee]

wrt France in WW1; they lost (on average) 4 soldiers every 5 minutes of that conflict.

Duncs:ok: