"ANZAC Day War Memorial"
London, United Kingdom
Photograph Courtesy of: BBC
War, and particularly the First World War, has made a
cultural, economic, and physical impact on the landscape of Britain. After the final soldier passed, Britons choose to
continue to honor the legacy of those who fought through memorializing. This
choice to remember, to observe the centenary, 2 minutes silence, to wear
poppies, and to attend services, speaks to the British national identity.
When we imagine the First World War, we do so in a
context of mythology and metaphor. No longer do we conjure specific dates and
battles as easily as we do mud, gore, and death, or I should say most
importantly death. The Great War has become so because of the cultural
impact it created on its time, and the legacy of that impact on the generations
that followed. Upon the centenary we are compelled by some ardent desire to
come to grips with what this legacy has become and what it means in Britain
today.
"The Futility of War"
Imperial War Museum Archives, London
Photograph Courtesy of: IWM
Although there are a number of mythologies and metaphors
that can be used to look at how and why we choose to remember the War, however grim it may be will be through the
mythologizing of death. Death is the primary way in which the war is mythologized
and remembered. Through the topic of death we are able to ask questions about
purpose, tragedy, legacy. When we imagine the First World War, we evoke images of
trench warfare, mud, but also the horrendous scale of casualties that resulted.
The numbers are physically hard to take in and so through poetry, novels,
memoirs, documentaries and film we are able to in some ways comprehend the
scale of violence.
"Mud"
Imperial War Museum Archives, London
Photograph Courtesy of: IWM
It is less easy to remember the monotony of trench life, shuffling
supply lines, digging, waiting and sleeping that took place. We focus on the
Western Front Battles despite the ones fought throughout Africa, Asia and the
Middle East. Even the Western Front was not constant fighting. Long periods of
stalemate meant soldiers more commonly waited for orders than living in
constant bombardment and attack.
That is not to say there wasn’t tragedy. Although the
numbers change with every new study, it is safe to say that Britain and nearly
every other primary combatant suffered numbers on a scale that had never
occurred before or since the war. Mythologizing the war in terms of death allows the nation
to accept the tragedy and move forward. Applying myth theory of Roland Barthes,
the myths we have of the dead and dying take on a significance that is not
necessarily tied to exactness of numbers of dead and the means of death, but rather
allows for a focusing to transform history into nature, and the ambiguity of
what took place falls into a narrative. This is all part of a process of
remembering, but also forgetting. What we are left with is the simple myth “the
War was won, and many died during it.”
In commemorating the war we allow ourselves to place the
destruction and unpleasantness behind us and move forward. The war although a
major moment in British culture and history, is allowed to move further and
further into the past. This is evident by which the war since its ending has
been remembered.
In the years after the first Armistice Day up until the
1960s the focus of commemoration was fixated on an audience of bereaved family
members. It was possible to see parents in mourning clothes for public services
until Second World War. The incorporation of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier
offered a focal point for families who were unable to have the consolation of
burying their relatives for reasons related to absence of body parts and that
the War Commission was incapable of fulfilling the requests of many families to
bring bodies home, the majority of whom remained abroad in proximity to where
they fell.
Because of this public services and war memorials became a
tangible means of mourning for relatives. War memorials sprang up in every town
and village to mark the mourning of neighbors and friends. National services
and public memorials have become to be part of the heritage landscape. The
cenotaph was particularly popular and remained a focal point of fpublic
services. Originally a temporary structure, it was so beloved that when it fell
into disrepair the general public demanded the creation of this permanent one.
"War Cloister at Winchester College"
Winchester, United Kingdom
Photograph by: Amanda Chain
Public Schools like Winchester College shown here created
incredible monuments. After the Second World War rather than build new
monuments, many like this one were incorporated into the First and codified
commemoration of the World Wars took place, but it is important to note that in
remembering the WWII by no means meant the end of the commemoration of the WWI.
The language of memorializing identifies the successful
completion of the mourning process. Mike Rowlands’ essay in The Art of Forgetting summarizes how War
Memorials are able to mediate between memories of brutal, tragic events
involving death on a massive scale with ideals that these were not in vain.
They become symbols of national identity because they appropriate values of
sacrifice made in benefit of the nation.
The notion of language is incredibly important. Since the
1960s, and the rapid decline of living memory, the rhetoric of remembrance
changed. The focus of “remembering” rather than just commemorating began to
take stage. The audience of public services for the formerly Armistice Day turned
into Remembrance Sunday, had the feel of duty to memorial in general rather
than remembering specific people.
Since 1968, the service structure for the Church of
England a program for Remembrance Sunday is uniform and to be carried out
throughout all the Anglican Churches of the United Kingdom. It requires 2
minutes of silence and Acts of Remembrance and Prayer of Commemoration. The program for the part of Remembrance Day
services that reflect a clear emphasis on Memory and loss of life of the
soldiers. The choice in calling it “The Remembering” is not coincidence.
Interestingly, since the Two minutes of silence was introduced, it elicited
nearly full participation since it became part of the public program in the
1920s.
It is followed by the prayer of commemoration, which
invokes Thanksgiving for the sacrifice of those who lost their lives in
military services. So again we see the choice repetition of sacrifice and
mourning of loss of life.
The 17th of July 2014 marked the official beginning
of the centenary as it was the 100th anniversary of the initial involvement
of British Troops, specifically the British Expeditionary Forces in the First
World War. This centenary marks more than just a war, but illustrates a national
collective of Britain. In the 100 years since, Britain has solidified how it
chooses to remember the war. Commemorating the huge number of losses with a
continued rhetoric of “Lest We Forget” and sacrificial honoring, the War is
remembered and life continues.
The Tower of London embarked on a public remembrance
project to commemorate the event entitled “The Tower of London Remembers
Project.” Although the most visual stunning feature has been the 888,246
ceramic poppies on display by artist Paul Cummins and stage designer Thomas
Piper in the exhibition entitled “Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red.” This
display highlighted the staggering number of fatalities from the War.
"Blood Swept Lands and Seas of Red" by Paul Cummins and Thomas Piper
Tower of London, London
Photograph by: Amanda Chain
Of the
Historic Royal Palaces, the Tower of London receives nearly ¾ of the visitors
to its sites. Taking figures from the annual review, which ended in March of
this year, the site saw a surge in visitor numbers thanks in part to the
display. The numbers to the Tower have been relatively the same since 2009
floating around 2.45 million the site had an increase of nearly 400,000. In
monetary terms the 3% increase in visitor numbers translated to 8 million
pounds.
Estimates
have that the site drew in an additional 4-5 million visitors who came to view
the display, but not enter the site as a paying customer. This not only
emphasizes the popularity of commemorating the First World War, but the
economic benefits in doing so. A number of museums have hosted exhibitions, but
this one in particular elicited great praise. Mayor of London Boris Johnson
called it, “a unique and poignant focus of remembrance in this centenary year. It
has grown rapidly in popularity, to such an extent that it is now a global
visitor attraction.”
By marking the centenary of the First World War, we admit
to ourselves this is not just an event that took place. We accept that there is
a greater significance that requires a public memorializing. The Great War is a
part of the public memory and national conscience. When we repeat the myths and images we see a deeper
meaning and narrative that is communicated to those who were not alive to
remember. And as society has changed, so has the commemoration, but the
constancy of it is written in the fabric of public participation and
acknowledgement.
The War has turned from an historical event, to a marker
of British modernity, and is learned, taught, and remembered through myth and
narratives chosen to remember in particular those whose death was intertwined
with it.
"Dead Soldier of the First World War"
BBC Archives
Photograph: Courtesy of the BBC
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