On this particularly poignant day id like to recommend to any of my friends that they read Charleys War, a graphic novel about a boy soldier in the great war (why dont we call it the shit war eh?) and it was groundbreaking at the time for being an anti establishment, anti war story in a boys action comic. Its still just as good, if not more powerful today and will bring tears to your eyes. Well researched by Pat Mills and beautifully illlustrated by Joe Colquhoun. Its pretty horrific in parts and totally non jingoistic and made me realise as a child that the only people who won world war one (and to a lesser part two) were the munitions manufacturers who sold the same shells, machine guns and wire to both sides via neutral countries. Remember those who died, on both sides but also remember they were boys led to it by politicians and its still being don today. My great grandfather fought at gallipoli. I think if hed had realised the truth behind it all hed have been less enthusiastic about fighting (he was a career soldier) When you remember those who fought and died in the great war (and others), remember those shot for refusing to take part in it as well. remember the French army mutineed to try and stop it, so did the British at etaples (but you get a lot of it hushed up). The russian front stopped because of social collapse and germanies 1918 offensive failed partly because the lead element realised they had been lied to for four years when they stormed trenches of the tommies on their last legs with no supplies and saw food stocks in bulk and things like bananas they hadnt seen in germany for years.... people were starving at home and in the trenches but they were told we were doing worse. Dont get me wrong, im in rememberance but im also pretty pissed when it gets all jingoy. remember none of it was needed. The last surviving Tommy, Harry Patch said WWI was finsihed around a table by talking in 1918, why couldnt they have done that in 1914 and id still have had my mates
Posted on: Sun, 09 Nov 2014 11:28:13 +0000
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