Posted without comment.

[Phil Perry]

It's an ill wind.....

 

'Fury over 'outrageous' plan to erect wind farms on major First World War battlefield in France'

 

"....During two battles in April and May 1917 at the village in north-east France, Australia lost more than 10,000 troops as it tried – ultimately unsuccessfully – to break the Hindenburg Line, a shortened front to which Germany had withdrawn.

 

It marks one of the most significant sites in Australian military history.

 

Nearly 9,000 British troops were killed, injured or captured. Of the tens of thousands of British, Australian and German soldiers who died there, it is believed the remains of 3,000 to 4,000 were never recovered......."

 

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/...

 

"Europeans" need to remember the nations from around the world who sacrificed their future generations to ensure "Europeans" enjoy their freedom

 

 

[Phil Perry]

I said I posted that without comment,. . .I lied.

 

The above has NOTHING to do with my doubts about the effectiveness or otherwise of heavily subsidised wind farms at all.

 

It DOES however, display what the EU collectively seems to believe with regard to disrespecting young Australian and British men who died to free Europe from tyranny.

 

But then, I'm just a patriotic, old school fart. I was told that to my face by a 'youngish' person last week for wearing a poppy in public ( He was in group of around eight others by the way,. . otherwise he wouldn't have even spoken to me I'm sure. . ( I'm BIG lad ) "That Poppy 'Glorifies War"'. .he said.. . . .maybe it does, in 'ModernSpeak',. .maybe it's just me. . . they tell me that 'Patriotism'. . .is now understood as 'Racism' . . . .at least in modern school Indoctrina,. . .er, I mean 'Education' . . .

 

 

[old man emu]

The Bullecourt Digger—France | The Anzac Portal

 

 

 

[facthunter]

Most returned soldiers are pacifists. Corporal A. Hitler being a notable exception. War is a manifestation of a madness of the human spirit. WW1 was supposed to be the "War to END All Wars". .Nev

 

 

[Phil Perry]

Ye

 

Most returned soldiers are pacifists. Corporal A. Hitler being a notable exception. War is a manifestation of a madness of the human spirit. WW1 was supposed to be the "War to END All Wars". .Nev

 

Yes Nev,. .. it was. . .but since then, there have been continuous wars all over the shop, which are ongoing as we type. . .

 

Shame that 'Man' does not seem to learn the lessons of history . . .

 

 

[David2ayo]

Unfortunately people have short memories, and, worse, memories 'adjustable' by ideologies. The young hero-when-in-presence-of-his-mates should consider himself lucky to be able to make such comments - try that out in North Korea.

 

I hate war, and it SHOULD be totally unnecessary, but I have great respect for those who help protect us, even to fighting to their death.

 

David

 

 

[Marty_d]

It DOES however, display what the EU collectively seems to believe with regard to disrespecting young Australian and British men who died to free Europe from tyranny.

What's disrespectful about erecting a wind farm over land that, 100 years ago, was a battlefield?

 

Are you telling me that every battlefield, anywhere, must be left as a memorial? There'd be a lot of deserted towns and cities all over Europe, and most of the Middle East would be out of bounds.

 

 

[Cosmick]

Australia should buy the land. Aesthetically erect the turbines and sell the electricity back to France.

 

 

[Marty_d]

Australia should buy the land. Aesthetically erect the turbines and sell the electricity back to France.

Especially after what Engie did over here.

 

 

[old man emu]

How about they erect the windfarm at La Targette French cemetery, located in La Targette in Neuville-Saint-Vaast? After all, there's only a few thousand Frogs buried there.

 

La Targette French cemetery – Neuville-Saint-Vaast

 

 

[Bruce]

I find it hard to keep hearing about how those soldiers died " to protect our freedom". Nothing could be further from the truth.

 

They were young men going on the paid holiday of a lifetime ( they thought). The actual experience made many of them realize they should have stayed at home.

 

My biggest difficulty is understanding why the parents of the soldiers didn't string up those in charge of the war when they learned the truth.

 

 

[facthunter]

They got the white feather if they stayed at home. Nev

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

I find it hard to keep hearing about how those soldiers died " to protect our freedom". Nothing could be further from the truth.They were young men going on the paid holiday of a lifetime ( they thought). The actual experience made many of them realize they should have stayed at home.

 

My biggest difficulty is understanding why the parents of the soldiers didn't string up those in charge of the war when they learned the truth.

You're a brave man, Bruce. Australia has as many sacred myths as the Americans, and lots of people will blindly react to having them challenged with truth.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

They got the white feather if they stayed at home. Nev

An appalling example of mob rule by our recent ancestors.

 

My dad was always stressed and unhappy around ANZAC Day each year. Years later I learned why. He'd volunteered several times, but was rejected. Despite this, he did more for the war effort than many, yet never recovered from the stigma of not having gone to war.

 

 

[old man emu]

They got the white feather if they stayed at home. Nev

That was early in the piece.

 

I don't know which war your dad was trying to join, Old Koreelah, but in WWI, to save those who applied but were medically unfit from the "white feather", the Australian Government issued a special medal to them which told people "At least I tried to join up". My grandmother's husband ( not my ancestor) applied and was knocked back because he had at some stage broken his wrist, and it had not been st to heal properly. He gave his occupation as 'engineer' which probably meant that he was a machine maker/repairer of some sort.

 

Volunteered For Active Service, Medically Unfit badge

 

 

[octave]

You're a brave man, Bruce. Australia has as many sacred myths as the Americans, and lots of people will blindly react to having them challenged with the truth.

 

Totally agree. It is strange that political correctness is considered to be something only perpetrated by the left but try airing any view that in any way contradicts the ANZAC myth and see how far you get.

 

I can recall as a child being taught about Galipolli. Even at that young age I was a little suspicious of the notion that all the soldiers were brave and exceptional, no doubt many were but it did seem to take on the air of mythology to me.

 

I do not attend ANZAC ceremonies these days but before anyone criticises me, you should probably be aware that for the first 12 years of my working life I was a full-time professional musician in the Royal Australian Air Force. Other than concert work and parades etc. memorial events were a very common part of my work. In 12 years I performed at hundreds of military memorial services and have endured hundreds of speeches. Many of these speeches were awful and were celebrating war, many others struck a nice balance and a rare few were moving and for me really hit the spot.

 

For me, ANZAC day was a day where most likely we would play at a dawn service, an ANZAC day march and then a sunset ceremony. Not such a great way to spend a day. I have always understood the meaning and importance to those who served but am not particularly impressed by those who try to assert that the ANZAC spirit says anything at all about their character. I have seen old soldiers in tears and I understand that for them this is an important day.

 

I have never understood why Gallipoli was chosen to be a national symbol rather than some other military day. How many of us even know why the the Imperial forces chose to invade Turkey?

 

I am certainly not against remembering these events but I do feel that more and more these events are being romanticized and mythologized.

 

Although I have worked at hundreds of military ceremonies (ANZAC, VE Day VJ Day Battle of Britain Day Coral sea Day) both in Australia and overseas the things that move me most, besides suffering happening in current wars are not official jingoistic imposed celebrations.

 

Something I will always remember is after my time in RAAF was when I was looking around the Australian war memorial. They have a, I assume quite a realistic recreation of a Vietnam base with tents, helicopters etc. I wandered off to the toilets and in the corridor sitting on a bench was a man probably in his sixties weeping and being comforted by his wife, I suppose it was all too real for him. This is the thing to pay attention to, not who wheres a poppy.

 

Another thing that can move me is the end of the last series of Black Adder, yes just a comedy but somehow the fact that it was comedy made the tragedy at the end seem so heartbreaking. It was about people who were not the heroes we have been led to believe but real people who were scared and did not want to be there.

 

 

[Bruce]

Red, in hindsight those sailors should have gone on strike for service benefits.

 

The fishermen at Gallipoli did just that... they were employed as mine-sweepers but when they came under fire from the forts, they demanded service benefits for their families if they got killed.

 

 

[Old Koreelah]

...I don't know which war your dad was trying to join, Old Koreelah, ...

The Boer War? Now that would make me properly old!

 

No actually he volunteered for WWII

 

i

 

...In WWI, to save those who applied but were medically unfit from the "white feather", the Australian Government issued a special medal to them which told people "At least I tried to join up"...Volunteered For Active Service, Medically Unfit badge

Yes, OME I have a hazy memory that he once wore such a medal.

 

 

[old man emu]

No actually he volunteered for WWII. I have a hazy memory that he once wore such a medal.

There wasn't a similar medal issued during WWII. There was no sending of white feathers, probably because the young women of the Post WWI war grew up like their brothers knowing the horrors that their fathers and uncles endured between 1914 and 1918 and beyond.