It's the eve of Armistice Day, which in America, is known as Veteran's Day.
Maybe it was attending the screening of "City of Canvas" by Jack Dillard that got me thinking about WWI soldiers. Maybe it was seeing the November 11, 1918 local newspaper on display during the "City of Canvas" event that announced PEACE in large type on the front page. Can you imagine that peace?
A search on Armistice Day returned some interesting items. Today the BBC reports, "This Armistice Day will be the first without World War One combat veterans." (See Faces of World War I Bring Memories to Life )
A few more clicks and I discovered "Faces of the First War." Another glimpse of unknown soldiers from World War I. As the copy on the site states, "All these photos tell a story. The men shown in them fought and died for Britain and the Commonwealth."
Its a lot easier to learn about their story than you might think. The process begins with remembrance. You peer into faces of the past and often some question arises in your mind. Maybe the question is as simple as, "What happened to him?" Instead of thinking you can never know, try digging into the history of a particular day, place or battle, asking "What happened to them?" Some detail may interest you and suddenly you may begin to know a part of their story. Maybe its not exactly "his" story, but its part of "their" story, which you may find out is part of your story too. But then again, you may find "his*" story too. It's always a bit of a mystery.
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) is uploading photographs to Flickr Commons every weekday until August 2014, the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.
Check out Faces of the First War - the First 100 on Flickr.
*Note: When I searched for Alpha Company, I never imagined I would meet the veteran who had scrawled "Alpha Company" on an envelope. Those two words inspired my search to remember the unknown soldiers of Alpha Company. Due to a series of seemingly unrelated events (such as a canceled dinner date), I found the veteran, Phil Woodall. He gave me his journal and letters from Vietnam so I could learn about Alpha Company. That's how a story begins.
A search on Armistice Day returned some interesting items. Today the BBC reports, "This Armistice Day will be the first without World War One combat veterans." (See Faces of World War I Bring Memories to Life )
A few more clicks and I discovered "Faces of the First War." Another glimpse of unknown soldiers from World War I. As the copy on the site states, "All these photos tell a story. The men shown in them fought and died for Britain and the Commonwealth."
Its a lot easier to learn about their story than you might think. The process begins with remembrance. You peer into faces of the past and often some question arises in your mind. Maybe the question is as simple as, "What happened to him?" Instead of thinking you can never know, try digging into the history of a particular day, place or battle, asking "What happened to them?" Some detail may interest you and suddenly you may begin to know a part of their story. Maybe its not exactly "his" story, but its part of "their" story, which you may find out is part of your story too. But then again, you may find "his*" story too. It's always a bit of a mystery.
The Imperial War Museum (IWM) is uploading photographs to Flickr Commons every weekday until August 2014, the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War.
Check out Faces of the First War - the First 100 on Flickr.
*Note: When I searched for Alpha Company, I never imagined I would meet the veteran who had scrawled "Alpha Company" on an envelope. Those two words inspired my search to remember the unknown soldiers of Alpha Company. Due to a series of seemingly unrelated events (such as a canceled dinner date), I found the veteran, Phil Woodall. He gave me his journal and letters from Vietnam so I could learn about Alpha Company. That's how a story begins.
0 comments:
Post a Comment