Remembering the stories of WW1

This week marks the 100th anniversary of the beginning of britain’s involvement in WWI.Unfortunately I know nothing about my great grandparents and their involvement in the war and the only people who knew ,(both sets of grandparents and my dad) are no longer with us.

However my fiancés family do know at least know the name of a family member involved in the war.Edward Osborne (My fiance’s great grandfather, Pop’s) fought in world war 1. He never spoke of his account of the war so we simply do not know where or when he fought. But honestly who could blame him, the horrors he saw and experienced I’m sure none of us would want to relive.

As his son said (my fiance’s grandfather), “The men who talked about their exploits in the war, rarely did so”While I respect the fact that no one who lived through the war wanted to talk about it to their families, it is a shame that their personal stories die with them.I have no idea of what either of my great grandfathers did or even if they survived the war. I believe it is incredibly important that, if we can, we remember the sacrifices made on our behalf, so that we can enjoy the freedom we have now.

WW1 was known as the Great war, the war the end all wars but unfortunately it wasn’t. If ever we needed a reason to remember the fallen, the veterans and those still serving then learning from our mistakes should be it.As a mother myself, I can only try to imagine the pain hundreds of thousands of mothers across the globe (allies or axis) had to endure upon receiving news of the demise of their husbands or sons.