Page 26 - Walking Back Through Time

POSTSCRIPT TIME TO REFLECT
Having grown up in the sixties I was privileged enough to know many of the town folk who fought in the Great War, though being so young would not have understood the horror of their experience.
Then as an adult it is difficult to imagine such a conflict or even that any one managed to survive it!
I remember that some of the old soldiers weren't treated very well - liv- ing in huts late on in life or being disabled with barely any financial support. Then came the realisation that many, like my grandfather, weren't even old enough to go to war in the first place!
Patriotic as they were at that time, many were sacrificed in a war that showed little respect for the human rights of these ordinary people. For those who think war is a good thing I suggest they spend a few days pe- rusing the battlefields I have traversed on my 3 walks in Belgium and France.
We all know the result of the Great War but we comprehend nothing of its horror.
Wear your poppy with pride and remember the sacrifice these young men made to secure freedom and a peaceful future for their families.