I have read so much about WW1 this year. Although when I looked at pictures from WW1 before I would feel so much respect and sorrow for the men in the pictures, it is nothing compared to how I feel when I look at a picture now, regardless of side, with a better understanding of their war. Quite possibly a better knowledge of what they were bleeding and dying for than most of the men involved, as many vaguely saw it as a call to arms for the final battle of good vs. evil, “The War To End All Wars.” Although this was not the final result with WW2, an even costlier war occurring out of the harshness of the Versailles Treaty, the failure of the League of Nations and The Great Depression only a quarter of a century later, what came out of WW1 were truly remarkable stories of bravery, selflessness, mateship and valour amoungst the soldiers on the fronts as well as the sheer lack of planning, care of life and lack of imagination within the majority of the war cabinet and Generals, resulting in the needless butchering of a whole generation of men in the prime of their life.
WW1 is also a war which is hard to pinpoint as to who the real perpetrator was with most people believing it solely to be the German Empire as that was the was the train of thought promoted by the victorious allies post war but all countries have their share of the guilt for the tragedy that was the First World War.
With Armistice day only 5 days away, I would recommend obtaining even just a little more of an understanding as to what exactly we are celebrating.
