Worrying development

[Steven Broomfield]

I hope it will be over by Christmas !

Three years or the duration.

[Guest exuser1]

It will seem longer , can't wait for the Russian Intervention stuff , Third Afgan War , god forbid Amritsar can't wait to see the politicos stepping forward for those ?

[Staffsyeoman]

Now, now Hesmond, as 'any fule kno' ( © Molesworth) World War One ended at 11 O'Clock on the 11th of the 11th. So those dangerously exotic things like India, Russia, Army of the Black Sea, Army of Occupation and so on are nothing to do with the war....

[Guest exuser1]

Did we not have a little bit of involvement in Russia befor the larger commitment ? Ok was a bit tongue in cheek so how about entrance in to Damascus , And dare we mention Easter 1916 that will cause a dose of the vapours ? Oh and that reminds me do you reckon the Mexicans will be doing any thing in 2016 ?

[Moonraker]

Then there are the Arabs, as in Lawrence. And China, as in labourers. And former colonies (whether, French, British, German or whatever) who have thrown off the Imperial yoke. And India. Wonder what they're thinking of doing. I guess they'll have may have memorial services for those who died - I wonder if representatives of the former Imperial power will be invited?

Moonraker

[Guest exuser1]

Then there are the Turks , interesting to see how they will view this ? Will any one rember the Armenians ?

[dksck]

Please accept my apologies for intruding, but I thought that the comments of an outsider might be of interest. Many of your concerns about the direction and temper of coming events surrounding the anniversary of the Great War have been paralleled in the experience of those of us here in the United States interested in the anniversaries of both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Several years ago a variety of groups, historical sites and individuals began planning for anniversary events. We began a campaign of finding public and private support, raising funds, increasing awareness and generally trying everything that we believed would make for successful events. Then "things" started to fall apart. The problems seemed to begin with a huge and convoluted debate about what to call these events. People began to agonize over whether these were commemorations, memorials, celebrations, honors, tributes, remembrances or something else. Then racial and ethnic groups waded in, threatening boycotts, demonstrations and in some cases physical violence. As the debate depended and the threats increased, the number of public groups that initially had agreed to lend support and be involved with these events began to fade away. Here are two examples of what can happen. First is the example of the anniversary of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Much of the original enthusiasm and commitment disappeared during the debate over what to call this event. Then some of the racial groups voiced their opposition but not all of them because it was, after all, part of the abolitionist movement and that made it politically correct. Then the political parties became involved, each trying to position itself to take credit without awakening enough interest in historical facts to place blame or responsibility. As close as six weeks before the event, some people were still predicting crowds of as many as "250,000 people." In reality, fewer than 10,000 showed up over the three day period. "Official" records put the number higher, but that would be political correctness raising its head yet again. Compared to the anniversary of the attack on Ft. Sumter, this was a rousing success. This second example of the problem of political correctness shaping anniversary events is more devastating. In this case, the anniversary of the attack on Ft. Sumter, when the planning started, all the local media were enthusiastically on board. By the time the weekend of the event arrived, largely they were no where to be found. A week before the events, estimates were that 100,000 to 200,000 people would attend. US Park Rangers were brought from around the nation, the state assigned National Guard units to control the crowds and they paid for countless portable bathrooms to be located along streets, parks and any other place they could find. In reality, the opening event saw fewer than 250 people attend. It was pathetic. Admittedly it was a little early for most people, being held at 5am, but it had been changed countless times as a result of the demands of political correctness. There is some hope, however. It has been my experience, after having attended dozens of these events, that the best and most successful ones are the ones that are locally organized and controlled. Those that are the most successful, often have the least government support. Best wishes in all of your efforts because I hope to be attending at least some of them.

Sincerely and With Much Hope

Steve

[hazelclark]

Please accept my apologies for intruding, but I thought that the comments of an outsider might be of interest. Many of your concerns about the direction and temper of coming events surrounding the anniversary of the Great War have been paralleled in the experience of those of us here in the United States interested in the anniversaries of both the War of 1812 and the Civil War. Several years ago a variety of groups, historical sites and individuals began planning for anniversary events. We began a campaign of finding public and private support, raising funds, increasing awareness and generally trying everything that we believed would make for successful events. Then "things" started to fall apart. The problems seemed to begin with a huge and convoluted debate about what to call these events. People began to agonize over whether these were commemorations, memorials, celebrations, honors, tributes, remembrances or something else. Then racial and ethnic groups waded in, threatening boycotts, demonstrations and in some cases physical violence. As the debate depended and the threats increased, the number of public groups that initially had agreed to lend support and be involved with these events began to fade away. Here are two examples of what can happen. First is the example of the anniversary of John Brown's raid on Harper's Ferry. Much of the original enthusiasm and commitment disappeared during the debate over what to call this event. Then some of the racial groups voiced their opposition but not all of them because it was, after all, part of the abolitionist movement and that made it politically correct. Then the political parties became involved, each trying to position itself to take credit without awakening enough interest in historical facts to place blame or responsibility. As close as six weeks before the event, some people were still predicting crowds of as many as "250,000 people." In reality, fewer than 10,000 showed up over the three day period. "Official" records put the number higher, but that would be political correctness raising its head yet again. Compared to the anniversary of the attack on Ft. Sumter, this was a rousing success. This second example of the problem of political correctness shaping anniversary events is more devastating. In this case, the anniversary of the attack on Ft. Sumter, when the planning started, all the local media were enthusiastically on board. By the time the weekend of the event arrived, largely they were no where to be found. A week before the events, estimates were that 100,000 to 200,000 people would attend. US Park Rangers were brought from around the nation, the state assigned National Guard units to control the crowds and they paid for countless portable bathrooms to be located along streets, parks and any other place they could find. In reality, the opening event saw fewer than 250 people attend. It was pathetic. Admittedly it was a little early for most people, being held at 5am, but it had been changed countless times as a result of the demands of political correctness. There is some hope, however. It has been my experience, after having attended dozens of these events, that the best and most successful ones are the ones that are locally organized and controlled. Those that are the most successful, often have the least government support. Best wishes in all of your efforts because I hope to be attending at least some of them.

Sincerely and With Much Hope

Steve

I'm with you on this one.

H.C.

[JOSTURM]

Most of us on the forum are VERY interested in WW1 as a subject. The general public are not so interested. I view the centenary events as an firstly an opportunity to educate the general public most particularly the young, amongst whom are the next generation of historians, politicians and armed forces of the future. What should we be educating them about...facts, opinions which vary and help to encourage learning. Secondly, an opportunity to have the general public reflect just for a while on the concept of public service, conscription, selfless devotion to ones friends and comrades, and the futility and waste of a lot of lives during WW1. The centenary for 2039 to 2045 will be essentially different focussing on the need to defeat a dangerous political ideology. I agree that the Forums lobbying and activities can be both at the national level, but also individually at the local level. The explosion in popularity of genealogy particularly amongst those over 50 in this country is our best overall opportunity to impress the messages about WW1 on today's general public psyche. Personally, I am working with my old school to republish my book on the schools Fallen ready for August 2014. I am talking to the Old Boys, the Head of History, the Head and will promote to all Parents, Children etc. I am also thinking of contacting the family history magazines to suggest writing some articles and features on aspects of WW1. I may well go to my old school and present to the History class. I'm a member of the Round Table charity in the UK and will soon give a talk on WW1 medals and awards and some case studies to my colleagues who's level,of knowledge is typically poor on the subject. So, ask not what your Forum can do for you, ask what you can do for your Forum and Centenary. A final comment, we should find a better way to engage the young. The Forum is great for us, but the young use social media (Facebook, twitter, mobile apps etc) If we could adapt our approach in time for the centenary, we could do our bit not only for remembrance but also for knowledge and awareness, to counter the inevitable simplistic banner headlines we shall see in certain part of our beloved media.

[AlisonS]

Peter I agree. If you have a facebook account try Great War 100 or IWM's page. Both have good article links and pictures. Some of the comments can be a bit anti British from the Canadians, the Americans have said how little the Great War is taught in their schools but the number of comments for some status' are high for a social network site. Oh and one of my 'friends' who likes Great War 100 is just 20 years old.

[Dragon]

Please also see my thread: a Poilu's FB page

Gwyn