This England: Remembering the Veterans

Those of us in America may well have had parents or grandparents who served overseas in World War I or World War II, and many did not return home. But our country was not physically attacked. We may have had blackouts or rations, our men and women and working to support the war effort. But we were not bombed, with entire cities and towns being destroyed. Many in my own generation may or may not have served in the military. In Europe, it was a different story.

 On November 11, 1918, World War I ended. One year later in the U.S., president Woodrow Wilson introduced Armistice Day, which honored the end of that way. In the UK, Remembrance Day (or Poppy Day, because people wear red poppies that day) evolved from Armistice Day. It was during World War II that the name of the holiday was changed to Veterans Day in the U.S. Now we honor all veterans on this holiday. But many are remembered every day through memorials, and we saw many during our recent trip to England.

Harry Patch is buried in the churchyard cemetery near Monkton Combe. He fought valiantly in World War I and was at the Battle of Passchendaele. After the war he became a peace activist.  I wrote about this remarkable man in detail HERE. His grave is continually marked with a poppy wreath.

In Wells Cathedral, the Chapel of St. Martin honors the veterans. A collection of poppy wreaths is displayed.

And in London, there are many memorials. A Cenotaph is a monument honoring a person or a group of people who are buried elsewhere and whose remains are lost. The London Cenotaph was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and honors those who died in WWI and other conflicts. It is the site of the annual National Service of Remembrance.

 Just past the Cenotaph on Whitehall, located at the end of Downing Street, is the monument to the Women of World War II. The sculpture represents the wartime contributions of more than seven million women, including 650,000 who joined military services.

 

Very near St. Paul's Cathedral, another monument honors those whose service was fighting the fires made by the bombs dropped on the city during the Blitz. 

And in Westminster Abbey, the tomb of the unknown remains framed by poppies.

Of course, veterans are technically considered those in military service. But there are many ways in which civilians aided the war effort. For those of wealth and property with great homes, it was a matter of sharing those spaces to help the warm effort. That includes such spots we visited as Cardiff Castle, Basildon Park and Hughendon, the home of Benjamin Disraeli. 

For me, the most memorable part of Cardiff Castle was the underground tunnel that served as a shelter during World War II. 

As we walk past the canteen, we notice benches against walls and posters with wartime slogans of the day.

But most powerful is the audio that accompanies this walk. As you walk through, bombs are exploding, there is a sound of panic, addresses by Chamberlain saying that Britain is at war and another by Churchill, along with "We'll Meet Again" sung by Vera Lynn. You can imagine scores of people down here, waiting out the bombing. 

Basildon Park is a historic home that was used during the wars as both hospital and POW camp for Italian prisoners. During WWI, the home became a convalescent home for officers and soldiers. Disabled soldiers and sailors could participate in a training center to learn new skills. 

 In the first World War, the estate was run by the Women's Land Army,who cared for livestock and maintained the estate, even making as much as 3,000 bricks weekly. This is the uniform of the lady of the manor who oversaw the estate during World War II.

In World War II Basildon Park was requisitioned  first as a training site for the American Army and then as a POW camp.

 

The POWs worked on local farms and in a tea room in the village. They were said to be very friendly and after the war, a number of them settled in the area, having made friendships with the people with whom they had worked.

At Hughenden, the Air Ministry requisitioned the home and it became a map-making base, an operation so secret that it took sixty years to be revealed, discovered when a visitor who had been part of this effort revealed it to a volunteer. 

More than 100 men and women produced RAF maps during four years of the war.

And then, there was Bletchley Park, where the enigma code was broken. But that's for another post.

Right now there are wars going on throughout the world. May we all wish for that elusive thing called peace and healing to those who have served so valiantly.

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