where did it start?

[Guest lynsey1]

Hello everyone,just thinking what age you lot started getting interested in war and what started it,was it stories from your own families,general interest in all things military.Dont know about you but i have read about various wars/conflicts and i was very interested in vietnam and read so much,my eyes ached but i have found none so interesting than the great war and i cant put my finger on why that is.Do any of you have memories of talking to your grandfathers about their war time experiences,was it this that sparked the interest or the loss of someone.Did the death of your grandfather, uncle etc have an impact that lasted for years and has somehow made your family what it is today,hope thats not too personal.

lynsey

[Neil Mackenzie]

Lynsey

I was interested in WW1 ever since doing the poetry bit at school. But only took it further once I learned that my great uncle died during 3rd Ypres.

Then I found out that he had the same birthday as me (day and month rather than year I hasten to add ) which, for some reason, made it much more personal.

I suspect that for many people it is the family connection that kicks off the interest. Indeed (although I try not to be too much of an anorak) whenever I mention my interest in WW1 in the UK I usually find that whoever I am talking to also has a relative who fought in this conflict.

Things like visits to the Somme and the Salient plus the wealth of knowledge on this forum have only added to my interest.

Neil

[Guest Hill 60]

For me, it would have been a couple of years after my grandfather died in 1981. I had been led to believe, by my History teacher, that no Veteran would talk about their experiences in the Great War and that we shouldn't ask them questions.

When I was talking to my father about his dad's involvement in the war, I was told that he would've talked about it and especially to me as I was his only grandson.

The deaths of my great uncles, Edward & William Swain, (see signature at bottom) also got me interested, especially as one of them was 'Missing in Action'. To hear how his parents would trawl through hospitals in the UK looking for William in the hope he was there but unconcious or with memory-loss was heartbreaking.

However, after a quick check with the CWGC I found that he wasn't missing but had a grave. He'd been buried in 1918 and then, during the recovery of battlefield graves, he was re-buried in 1919. I had his death certificate details changed from 'Missing, presumed dead' to 'Killed in Action'. I had a feeling that I had brought him back into the family.

A couple of years ago my father and I were the first family members to visit Edward's grave outside Ypres, this year we'll be the first to visit William's grave at Holnon.

Joining the WFA and then getting onto this superb site has only reinforced my interest. The advice and generosity of the Pals is wonderful, and long may that continue.

[Guest Ian Bowbrick]

In 1973 when my grandfather gave me a book about WW1 for my birthday. After he talked at great length about his service. We spent a whole afternoon talking together alone, something he never had never done with my father or uncles. When he suddenly stopped talking and started to stare into the distance I didn't understand. Now I have read his diary and those of his brothers I am amazed at man's capacity for suffering and to face adversity with such courage.

If I ever wake up in the morning with a headache or feel sorry for myself, I just think of those men who fought in the Great War - its a sobering tonic!

Ian

[Guest lynsey1]

Thanks for replies, ian you were lucky to have had the chance to talk to your grandfather about his experiences during the war,reading is one thing but hearing it from a man who was actually there must have been a very moving but rewarding thing.I have never spoken to anyone who fought in the great war but would dearly love to,but with only a handful of veterans left and and they are a great age, i doubt i ever will,but i try to read as much as i can, especially if its a book based on a personal account.Many thanks for sharing your thoughts, i appreciate it.

lynsey