....... we should feel some sympathy for others who "got caught" in the madness.

Those who stood alone - usually for conscience - were far more courageous and heroic than those who merely followed like sheep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25841494

Lest we forget (and do it all again) ?

In The Know wrote:
....... we should feel some sympathy for others who "got caught" in the madness.

Those who stood alone - usually for conscience - were far more courageous and heroic than those who merely followed like sheep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25841494

Lest we forget (and do it all again) ?

Both my grandfather's in the Great War,both parents in the last war.Been connected to various foreign militarises myself.

This has all the hallmarks of a badly documented case.Hard to work out the facts in this case.Found in civvies,but possibly reduced to mental illness?
We need to judge history in context of the time it was set in,not the current ideology.

ITK soul mate & ten pound (scrounger) Pom Tony Abbott is heading off to the D-Day 'celebrations' but not before the oaf published a youtube video & press release (now removed) praising the soldiers and then declaring Australia was "open for business" and he would be spruiking for foreign investment while there.

His party is already at 40%- an all time low for any government and after just 8 months- his personal poll is around 24% as 'prefered PM' while his Labor rival is at 64% and I love Clive Titanic Palmer !
So it goes for Tories worldwide at present


Abbott Takes Another Step Closer To His Own D-Day
newmatilda.com/2014/06/01/abbott-takes-a...closer-his-own-d-day

In The Know wrote:
....... we should feel some sympathy for others who "got caught" in the madness.

Those who stood alone - usually for conscience - were far more courageous and heroic than those who merely followed like sheep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25841494

Lest we forget (and do it all again) ?

No war should be celebrated, can't wait to see what the media do when it's the 100th anniversary of WW2.

Both my granddad's were deserters in both wars.

Pattaya wrote:
We need to judge history in context of the time it was set in,not the current ideology.

Oh, dear.

The "context of the time" was to treat people as cannon fodder - and crush dissent by shooting anyone who did not instantly conform (asking questions later, if necessary).

In The Know wrote:
Pattaya wrote:
We need to judge history in context of the time it was set in,not the current ideology.

Oh, dear.

The "context of the time" was to treat people as cannon fodder - and crush dissent by shooting anyone who did not instantly conform (asking questions later, if necessary).

Sounds like IDS's Welfare reform

www.historylearningsite.co.uk/world_war_one_executions.htm

Actually ITK,wrong again,try not to get carried away without the facts.

'In World War One, the executions of 306 British and Commonwealth soldiers took place'

Hardly a massive amount of the millions in uniform.

Just enough to terrify everyone else into submission ?

In The Know wrote:
Just enough to terrify everyone else into submission ?

With millions in uniform,over 4 years,it equates to less than one a day,hardly 'terrifying' stuff.

Don't get us muddled up with Russia,or worse the Frogs.

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_Army_Mutinies

And of course don't mix up wars,the second was a lot worse,especially the eastern front.

I feel very sorry for the man in question because it sounds as if he had a mental health problem, but if we pardon all deserters are we saying it is perfectly ok to wander off if you feel like it?
Mental health issues and trauma aside, it is not acceptable to drop out when the going gets tough. every soldier is frightened, but they have a responsibility to their comrades and country and cowardice is not, in my opinion, something to celebrate.

andrew wrote:
In The Know wrote:
....... we should feel some sympathy for others who "got caught" in the madness.

Those who stood alone - usually for conscience - were far more courageous and heroic than those who merely followed like sheep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25841494

Lest we forget (and do it all again) ?

No war should be celebrated, can't wait to see what the media do when it's the 100th anniversary of WW2.

Both my granddad's were deserters in both wars.







That is interesting.
What was the story behind it, Andrew?

honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
andrew wrote:
In The Know wrote:
....... we should feel some sympathy for others who "got caught" in the madness.

Those who stood alone - usually for conscience - were far more courageous and heroic than those who merely followed like sheep.

www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-england-25841494

Lest we forget (and do it all again) ?

No war should be celebrated, can't wait to see what the media do when it's the 100th anniversary of WW2.

Both my granddad's were deserters in both wars.

That is interesting.
What was the story behind it, Andrew?

One was a father of 7 he came home on leave to give my nan a seeing to, he refused to go back to the barracks and do work for a charity instead this was in WW2, he was 2 years in the glass house.

In WW1 the grandfather from my real mum's side was a rogue he could not be bothered to sign up he burned his call up papers, during both wars he built and sold children toys, hair gel made from belmanage.

I'm all for rememberance........I can't get excited about War Poets or the Lions lead by donkey's stuff.......I'm well read on the First World War and the modern teaching of the Blackadder version is , ahem and I'm a little cautious not to choke here, is 100% wrong............and yet it is distortion of history as we live and breathe....we need to stop it. ( I choke because I'm with Gove on this one)

The BBC have actually tried to address some of this with the Paxman documentaries and few other programmes which is a start....

honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
cowardice is not, in my opinion, something to celebrate.

exactly, honey!

There were 16000 conscientious objectors in WW1 - most were stretcher bearers removing the dead and wounded from the battlefield - under fire (as were the ordinary soldiers) BUT without any means of defence.

I would call that rather heroic, wouldn't you?

As I implied in my original post - its far easier to be a sheep than to stand for your principles.

... and what was achieved (really?)
- apart from sixteen million dead ... and the 20 million wounded ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties

In The Know (as always) wrote:
honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
cowardice is not, in my opinion, something to celebrate.

exactly, honey!

There were 16000 conscientious objectors in WW1 - most were stretcher bearers removing the dead and wounded from the battlefield - under fire (as were the ordinary soldiers) BUT without any means of defence.

I would call that rather heroic, wouldn't you?

As I implied in my original post - its far easier to be a sheep than to stand for your principles.

... and what was achieved (really?)
- apart from sixteen million dead ... and the 20 million wounded ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties

Your original post was about a 'dodgy' man found out of uniform,during a retreat,gone AWOL previously.Hardly a beacon of compassion?

In The Know (as always) wrote:
honey!oh sugar sugar. wrote:
cowardice is not, in my opinion, something to celebrate.

exactly, honey!

There were 16000 conscientious objectors in WW1 - most were stretcher bearers removing the dead and wounded from the battlefield - under fire (as were the ordinary soldiers) BUT without any means of defence.

I would call that rather heroic, wouldn't you?

As I implied in my original post - its far easier to be a sheep than to stand for your principles.

... and what was achieved (really?)
- apart from sixteen million dead ... and the 20 million wounded ?

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I_casualties


I would call it heroic, but not every conscientious objector was brave and neither was every soldier, and most deserters are cowards but not all, so I don't think a blanket pardon is suitable and do we have the resources and inclination to examine every individual case?
Mistakes are made all the time but there is no need for the government to keep apologising.