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Monday 25 May 2009

Grief - the universal & terrible cost of war

I posted a picture some time ago of the the unveiling of a memorial in a small town near Berlin. A couple of days ago I got a comment from Wolfgang, a German guy, who wrote,
We should remember together. Let us go to their graves and let us remember hand in hand. Let us show them that their death was not in vain. Let us promise them "Never again."
Following the posting of this admirable sentiment I was prompted to look for a photograph I bought recently on ebay for 99p.



Here again is the universality of remembrance, the grieving mother, wife or child. Which is she? Probably the young wife, a beautiful and elegant woman standing in grief by the grave of her man. Forgotten lives, broken lives, a moment of intimacy, of engagement with the terrible and pointless cost of war. No glory here.

Such an extraordinary image - so humbling

This lady is German, but she could be any wife of any nation in any age. Just change the fashion, the shape of the headstone - always the grief and the loss are the same.

Never again? Sadly not. As I write two young Brits killed in Afghanistan and a couple of weeks ago 150 civilians slaughtered, including many children, by our American allies. @Collateral Damage' in bastardised american English. I guess they died
'For Freedom'.

Not much good being Free when you're dead.

Thursday 14 May 2009

A new pic of Forshaw VC

Found a great new pic of Lt Forshaw VC of Barrow and the Manchester Regiment in the Barrow and District Year Book 1916


See earlier post for details

Another window or 2 - at Tebay

Finally got into Tebay church, they had an open day over bank holiday weekend. There were two window memorials in this delightful 'Railway' church.


The most impressive was this large three light display commemorating the dead of the Great War & inserted in 1920. The modelling is superb and the imagery of the sacrificial Knight being offered the 'Crown of Life' is very similar to the Rawlinson window at Field Broughton and others at Preston Patrick & elsewhere. Another take on St George!

It was made by Curtis, Ward & Hughes of London. In the 19th century Henry Hughes started as an apprentice with Ward & Nixon glass before marrying an Elizabeth Curtis. On Nixon's death Hughes became a partner with Ward. Some time later Thomas Figgis Curtis, a designer employed by the firm and a relative, became a further partner. In 1883 Hughes died and Curtis continued running the firm until the 1920s.

A shap granite plaque contains the names of the dead of the second world war.


A further small window is at the west end of the church.


This was made by Abbott & Co, a long established firm of Lancaster glass makers. It commemorates Private John Thistlewood of the Northumberland Fusiliers who died of wounds suffered on The Somme aged 22.