At this time of year, I fondly remember my grandfather Henry, who for years never spoke of his life as an infantry subaltern on the front line in the First World War. At the age of 19, he fought on the border of France and Belgium beginning in March 1917 until he was seriously wounded three weeks before the Armistice in November 1918.
Like so many his sacrifice of living with the blood and mud of the trenches, while seeing first hand close comrades fall, is no small personal sacrifice. So horrific were his experiences that he never spoke or wrote about The War for 60 years until in his 80th year, just one year before his death when he drafted a wonderful little book called ‘Vignettes of the Western Front’.
Sadly, he never lived to see this published, but it now serves as a wonderful reminder to his posterity of what he, and so many like him, went through for a greater good. Henry was an inspired Christian who, even in the heat of the battle, always seemed to recognise the Lord's divine impression on his life. What a legacy.
In a more selfish age when we now expect so much from society and have become easily frustrated when modern day conveniences are simply interrupted, it’s important we stop to recognise those, who for a greater cause than their own, put their lives on the line in defending our nation. Indeed, I appreciate not only the sacrifice and profound sense of duty held by Henry in WW1 but also so many others like him whose own lives and the lives of their loved ones have been shaped and cut short by the tragedies of war.
War with all its chaos and distraction leaves scars that stretch far beyond the immediate conflict. Their sacrifices should be a constant reminder of the horrors of war and the importance of striving for a world where violence and conflict need to give way to diplomacy and empathy. By so doing we commit to ensuring that their deaths were not in vain but enable lessons from the past that can inform our actions in the future.
Remembrance Sunday is not only a tribute to those who fought and died but a call to all of us to reflect on the true cost of war, with the pain of loss extending far beyond the battlefield affecting communities, nations and generations. They gave their lives and service to ideals such as freedom, peace and justice and their courage and devotion to duty should never be forgotten.