To the End, They Remain E-Book

Raymond Clark

• Herausgeber: The History Press
• Kategorie: Geisteswissenschaft
• Sprache: Englisch

Seitenzahl: 133

Veröffentlichungsjahr: 2013

Beschreibung

Ray Clark had a simple idea: send a postcard – the same postcard - depicting a memorial to war dead to those who might share their thoughts with others on loss, remembrance, war and peace. The response was remarkable. Men and women from all walks of life, from the Cabinet, the House of Lords and the senior ranks of the British Army to ex-servicemen, military historians, journalists and war widows, felt moved to express their feelings in a few words on that postcard. This book will sadden, provoke and inspire. The royalties will all go to Help for Heroes, the well-known charity working for the wounded of the British Armed forces, and Action Cancer.

Leseprobe

For the Fallen by Lawrence Binyon (1869–1943)

…They mingle not with their laughing comrades again;

They sit no more at familiar tables at home;

They have no lot in our labour of the day-time;

They sleep beyond England’s foam.

But where our desires are and our hopes profound,

Felt as a well-spring that is hidden from sight,

To the innermost heart of their own land they are known

As the stars are known to the Night;

As the stars that shall be bright when we are dust,

Moving in marches upon the heavenly plain;

As the stars that are starry in the time of our darkness,

To the end, to the end, they remain.

CONTENTS

Title Page

Epigraph

Dedication

Voices, from the past, the present and for the future

About this book

Introduction by Raymond Clark

British Service Personnel Killed in Conflicts Since 1945

British Involvement in Conflicts Since the Second World War

Foreword by Ken Wharton

The Contributors:

Thoughts on War, Peace and Reconciliation

Afterword by Raymond Clark

Recommended Reading

Thank You

Copyright

Dedication

This book is, of course, dedicated to all of our servicemen and women – past, present and future.

We must recognise that these service personnel are answerable to society for their actions whilst carrying out their duties. It is not an easy task. Whether they faced or face the Real IRA, the PLO, the INLA, the UDA or the Taliban, our men and women on the front lines were and are under the eyes of the world: the enemy often abides by no conventions. Whether the innocent suffer along the way is irrelevant, as long as they achieve their aim. In the heat of the moment, when our forces see a friend killed or maimed, is when we pray that their sense of duty will prevail.

We must also encourage all politicians, irrespective of party, to ensure that our personnel, when they return from duty or when they are discharged, receive the correct guidance. All parties promise this when they are out of power but forget their promises when in power and cuts are being asked for. Our obligation to them lies not just in a newspaper headline and a story that lasts for a few days, but it is for a lifetime. We, as individuals and as a nation, owe it to them.

Voices, from the past, the present and for the future

BATES, ‘Paddy’

Major, Royal Fusiliers

BENN, Tony

Former member of Parliament

BRACKNELL, Steve

Council Member, Royal Wootton Bassett

CAMPBELL, Charles

Captain, Royal Regt of Fusiliers

CAREY, George

Former Archbishop of Canterbury

CHANTRY, June

Lyricist

CHILDREN OF NI

Bethany Brown

Alex King

Olivia Novaes

Christopher Wilson

CLARK Allen

MI Intelligence Officer and veterans’ champion

CLARK, Raymond

Ex soldier and author

CLEGG, Simon

Chief Executive of Ipswich Town FC

COCKSWORTH, Christopher

Bishop of Coventry

COWLEY, Nigel

GP, Bournemouth

DALEY, Cahal

Cardinal of All Ireland and Bishop of Armagh

DANNATT, Francis

GOC NI

DOBBS, Michael

Former MP, author

DODD, Ken

Singer, comedian

DONALDSON, Jeffrey

MP and MLA, Lisburn, NI

ELLIOT, John

Former editor of

Soldier

magazine

ESSEX, David

Actor and singer

FELLOWES, Julian

Author, actor

FINNEGAN, Terry

Colonel, NATO, NORAD

FINNEY, Christopher

Lance Corporal, Blues and Royals

GAUNT, Francis

Sergeant, Irish Guards

GREEN, Liz

Mother of soldier killed, NI

GREEN, Val (Clark)

Aunt of soldier killed in NI

GUTHRIE, Charles

Former Chief of Defence staff

HALL, James

Former Lieutenant (RA), author

HAIN, Peter

Former Secretary of State

HART DYKE, David

Former Officer RN, Falklands War

HAYMAN, Helene

Former Speaker House of Lords, Baroness

HEAD, Christopher

Captain Royal Regt of Fusiliers

HILL, William ‘Billy’

Corporal Royal Regt of Fusiliers

HORNUNG, Otter

Refugee, Colonel

HUGHES, Kim

Warrant Officer

HOLDEN, Amanda

Actress, TV personality

JAMES, Margot

Conservative Party Vice Chairman

JACKSON, ‘Mike’

Chief of Staff

KELLY, Matthew

Presenter, actor

LUMLEY, Joanna

Actress, presenter, activist

LYNN, Vera

Singer

MAGEE, Muriel

Mother, poet, NI

MARR, Simon

Commanding Officer, Royal Regt Fusiliers

McCONNELL, Jack

Former First Minister, Scotland

McKENNA, Virginia

Actress, conservationist

MORGAN, Hywel

Former First Minister for Wales

MORRIS, Raymond

Laird of Balgorrie

MOUNTBATTEN, Patricia

Countess Mountbatten of Burma

MULHERN RSM

WO1 Royal Regt Fusiliers

NORTHUMBERLAND

Duke

NORTON, Peter

Captain, VC

OSGOOD, Alan

A child during war

OSGOOD, Judith (nee Hall)

A child evacuee

PAISLEY, Ian

Reverend, former MP

PARRY, Colin

Father of Tim, killed in Warrington Bomb

P (ANONYMOUS)

A product of a divided Ireland/Island

PEACE PROTESTORS, London

Dawn Evans and a friend

PRIESTS, The

Singing Roman Catholic Priests. NI

Fr Delargy

Fr E. O’Hagan

Fr O. O’Hagan

PUTTNAM, David

Film director

REES, Tim

Ex Welsh Guard

REID, John

Former Home Secretary

RIDLEY, Matthew

Viscount, 2Lt Coldstream Guards

RIPPON, Angela

Presenter

SISTERS REMEMBER

Monica Dawson (née Clark)

Elizabeth Dalton (née Clark)

SPEAKMAN, William

VC winner, Korea

TEBBITT, Norman

Cabinet Minister

THEOBALD, Peter and Frances

Founders of ‘Living Memorials’

TURNER, John

Soldier, RA

WATT, Charles ‘Reddy’

General, president of Combat Stress

WELLWOOD, Thomas

Teenage war worker, Sunderland

WHARTON, Ken

Former soldier, author

WIDDECOMBE, Ann

Former MP

WILLIAMS, Shirley

Baroness

WILLS, David

Retired Brigadier, president of Royal

British Legion

About this book

A few years ago, Ray Clark had a simple idea: send postcards to those who might share their thoughts with others on loss, remembrance, war and peace. The response was remarkable. Men and women from all walks of life, from the Cabinet, the House of Lords and the senior ranks of the British Army to ex-servicemen, journalists and war widows, felt moved to express their feelings in a few words on those postcards. Some are simple reminiscences; some are more profound. This book will sadden, provoke and inspire.

All the royalties on sales will go to two charities. The first is Help for Heroes, established in 2007 working for the wounded of the British Armed forces, an astonishingly successful organisation responsible for huge capital projects like the £8.5m Rehabilitation Complex at Headley Court, as well as providing funds to wounded individual members of the armed forces according to need. The second is Action Cancer, providing early detection, counselling and support services and cancer prevention education. They were there for Ray when his wife was diagnosed as terminally ill. This book has been created with love and gratitude.

INTRODUCTION BY RAYMOND CLARK

At the end of the First World War, when the American president Woodrow Wilson spoke of ‘the war to end all wars’, did the world actually believe it? After the loss of millions upon millions of men, women and children of all nationalities and creeds across the globe, did the world really think it would never happen again? Since then, there have been many more wars and conflicts resulting in poverty, injuries and, of course, many more deaths.

This book will allow you to share the thoughts, the pain, the anguish, the tears and the hopes for the future not only of those who have been involved but also of those who may become involved in the years ahead.

To achieve this I had a series of postcards with military themes sponsored for charity, and these were sent out to the famous and the not so famous. People were asked if they could write a few words on the reverse of the card expressing their thoughts and feelings about conflict. Many people obliged and their thoughts were touching and meaningful. Some felt that they could not justify their thoughts in a few lines and wrote letters. These are also included.

I hope that this book will encourage you to realise that the victims of greed and power are not just those who are maimed and killed. Victims are also those who are left behind and even those not yet born. These are the thoughts of fathers, mothers, wives, sisters, brothers, sons and daughters and of peace protestors. The book’s aim is to show that everyone is affected in their own way.

Anger, bitterness, futility, hopelessness, pride, love, fellowship, tears and frustration, they are all in evidence in the following pages. But almost all appear to have one thing in common, and that is hope.

Three cards were sent out.

This one featured a Drum Head Service. Such a service was often held throughout history in the field, when no altar or table was available; the regimental drums were used, draped, if available, with the Colours of the regiment. The photograph was taken at a Remembrance Sunday service at the Moravian Church in Lower Ballinderry, just outside of Lisburn in Northern Ireland. (Photograph by kind permission of Mr Roy Brown)

This featured servicemen past and present: members of the Household Cavalry in London; Sergeant Richardson of the Labour Corps in the First World War and a citation from the Labour Corps; and the late Sgt Bruce Hodgson, Royal Northumberland Fusiliers (Aden/BAOR/GB/Northern Ireland).

This one shows various regiments on public duties in London: at St James’s Palace, Horse Guards Parade and the Tower of London.

British Service Personnel Killed in Conflicts Since 1945

This list has been compiled from various sources and is open to interpretation. If there have been fatalities other than those listed at the time of writing, then I sincerely apologise.

Northern Ireland

1,298

*

Malaya

340

Falkland Islands

255

Palestine

233

Cyprus

105

Aden

68

Egypt

54

Balkans

48

Gulf

47

**

Yangtse

46

Oman

24

Suez

22

Borneo

16

Kenya

12

Sierra Leone

1

Korea

765

Afghanistan

444

***

Iraq

176

* This figure includes not only those service personnel who died or were killed in Northern Ireland but also those who were killed on mainland Britain and in Europe because of ‘the Troubles’. Each individual is named on a ‘Roll of Honour’ as listed by The Northern Ireland Veterans Association.

** This figure includes nine personnel killed by ‘friendly fire’.

*** This figure is correct at time of going to press.

British Involvement in Conflicts Since the Second World War

1944–1947

Greek Civil War

1945–1948

Indo China

1945–1946

Austria

1945–1948

India

1945–1948

Palestine

1945–1960

Malaya

1948

Berlin Airlift

1947–1991

The Cold War

*

1950–1953

Korea

1951–1954

Suez Canal

1952–1960

Kenya

1955–1959 and 1987

Cyprus

1963–1967

Aden

1956

Suez

1957

Muscat and Oman

1958

Jordan

1962–1966

Borneo

1964

Ugandan Army Mutiny

1969–1976

Oman and Dhofar

1969–

Northern Ireland

1982

Falkland Islands

1990-1991

Gulf War

1992-1995

Bosnia

1998-1999

Kosovo

2000

Sierra Leone

2001–

Afghanistan

2003–2011

Iraq

2010

Libya

* The dates of the beginning and end of the Cold War are difficult to define. Did the Cold War actually end with the fall of the Berlin Wall? Is it really over? The same question is asked by some of the Iraq War. Troops were often deployed well before the official start of hostilities, so some of these dates are a little misleading.

British Service Personnel have also been represented in the deployment of agencies such as the UN and NATO in the following locations:

Bermuda

Antigua

Pakistan

Egypt

Lebanon

Rhodesia

New Hebrides

Kurdistan

Yemen

Angola

Rwanda

Congo

East Timor

Macedonia

Almost 250 years ago, Edmund Burke warned the Commons against repressing the American ‘rebellion’: ‘The use of force alone is but temporary. It may subdue for a moment but it does not remove the necessity of subduing again; and a nation is not governed which is perpetually to be conquered … An armament is not a victory.’ Looking at these lists brings these words to mind. Perhaps they should be at the forefront of the thinking of politicians when they formulate foreign policy.

FOREWORD

BY KEN WHARTON

Raymond Clark has put together an excellent book about war, peace and reconciliation. The words within are not peacenik bleatings; they tell an impassioned story about the role of the most unsung hero of British – or, indeed, any – modern society: the soldier.

It is worth noting that in the sixty-eight years of ‘peace’ – as I write – since the end of the Second World War, there has only been one year in which a British soldier has not died on active service; that year was 1968, the year before Northern Ireland became collectively insane. The author and contributors speak of ‘normal’ families and also speak of heroes who gave their all in the last world war and of those who have paid the supreme sacrifice. They speak of those who made major contributions to the securing of peace and liberty and in ensuring the freedom of generations. Ray points out that the IRA made people leave Northern Ireland, either through violence or through intimidation; one wonders, had Hitler been successful and occupied Britain, just how the SS would have treated Irish reunification groups.

The book is seen through the eyes of soldiers, through evacuee children and youngsters who stayed behind to watch the ‘spectacle’ of modern warfare that raged in the blue skies overhead in 1940. Ray looks at many conflicts since the last world war, including Korea and the award of a VC to a soldier who was ultimately – in my opinion – destroyed by the fame and public acclaim. Of particular poignancy is war as seen through the eyes of one of ‘the brides of Christ’, a nun who observed the conflict under Nazi occupation.

We see war through the eyes of myriad contributors – from children to soldiers facing cavalry charges in far-off lands in far-off times. I commend this book to everyone, even those who hate war with a passion. Read Raymond’s words and I guarantee that if you hate war, you will see that there is a group within our society who hates it even more than you do: the soldiers who shed their blood to defend your right to make choices.

Raymond cleverly and interestingly links conflicts from the First World War in Syria to the last world war through the bombing of Coventry and on to the struggle in the far outposts of the former Empire ending with the tragedy of Afghanistan. I am a former serving soldier who saw action on the streets of Belfast, and I am honoured not only to be allowed to write this foreword but also to be associated with this work.

Ken Wharton is the author of six books on the Northern Ireland Troubles, including Bloody Belfast: An Oral History of the British Army’s War against the IRA; The Bloodiest Year, 1972: British Soldiers in Northern Ireland in Their Own Words; and Wasted Years, Wasted Lives Volume One: The British Army in Northern Ireland 1975–77.

THE CONTRIBUTORS:

THOUGHTS ON WAR, PEACE AND RECONCILIATION

British Soldier in AFGHANISTAN

‘We are told that we are not allowed to give any interviews to the press unless it is done via an appointed officer in your unit and then approved by the Ministry of Defence. I assume that the MOD has learnt a lot since Iraq. Although they can probably trace me from some of the following information it is as far as I wish to go and wish to remain anonymous.