We will remember
Kent Life|November 2020
In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War
Stephen Roberts
We will remember

The dead included a little girl who’d been sent to the baker’s and whose body was found still clutching the bag of buns she’d bought. The 15 who died included seven children aged 12 or under, of which that little lass was one.

This was the aftermath in Sturry, a village north-east of Canterbury, which saw the greater part of its High Street wrecked by a parachute mine when the Luftwaffe came calling on 18 November 1941.

It was the most destructive war in human history. It lasted for six years and cost a conservative estimate of 60 million lives, the majority non-combatants.

It’s easy to understand why politicians were keen to avoid a Third World War once the Second World War had finally been put to bed. It’s also easy to understand why those who’d survived wanted to celebrate the end of that conflict. No doubt those revelries went on long into the night in Kent, as everywhere else.

Two years ago, we marked a century since the end of the Great War. With Remembrance Sunday (8 November) and Armistice Day (11 November) taking place this month, I’m turning the clock back to the 1939-45 war, which finally came to an end 75 years ago.

I want to consider not just what a shattering experience it was and therefore why we should never forget it, but also what effect it had on Kent. I began writing this in the middle of the Covid-19 epidemic, arguably the greatest crisis facing this country since the war. I’ve sometimes wondered what living through a war must be like; it feels like we’re getting an inkling now.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2020-Ausgabe von Kent Life.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

Diese Geschichte stammt aus der November 2020-Ausgabe von Kent Life.

Starten Sie Ihre 7-tägige kostenlose Testversion von Magzter GOLD, um auf Tausende kuratierte Premium-Storys sowie über 8.000 Zeitschriften und Zeitungen zuzugreifen.

WEITERE ARTIKEL AUS KENT LIFEAlle anzeigen
The choice of leaders
Kent Life

The choice of leaders

It’s a small, scenic Kentish market town on the border with Surrey, famous for not one but two great leaders. We take a look around Westerham

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
The eco-warriors
Kent Life

The eco-warriors

Awarded a Queen’s Anniversary Prize in 2019 in recognition of its research in global nature conservation, the role of Kent-based DICE has never been more relevant

time-read
7 Minuten  |
November 2020
Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS
Kent Life

Kent's most CURIOUS MONUMENTS

Our county can boast some of the most celebrated and downright unusual protected mouments in the country

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
Ghosts of a river's life
Kent Life

Ghosts of a river's life

Kent Life discovers an an other-worldliness about the marshes, creeks, and saltings of the lower reaches of the river Medway

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
The return of the son
Kent Life

The return of the son

The Unknown Warrior’s journey from the World War One battlefields via Dover to his resting place in Westminster Abbey is 100 years old this month

time-read
5 Minuten  |
November 2020
We will remember
Kent Life

We will remember

In a year when we got an inkling of what living through a war means, we remember the 75th anniversary of the end of the Great War

time-read
6 Minuten  |
November 2020
Age-old advice
Kent Life

Age-old advice

Just become a grandparent for the first time? Perhaps you need a little guidance, so here are some top tips about how to embrace your new family role

time-read
3 Minuten  |
November 2020
10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns
Kent Life

10 GOOD REASONS TO VISIT Medway Towns

A vast Dockyard, a Napoleonic fort and a JCB diggers theme park - let’s visit Chatham and Medway

time-read
4 Minuten  |
November 2020
KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES
Kent Life

KENT'S CREEPIEST- GHOST STORIES

Here are 10 tales to make you shiver as we celebrate All Hallows’ Eve

time-read
7 Minuten  |
October 2020
Joking apart
Kent Life

Joking apart

From his home in Broadstairs, Royston Robertson comes up with satirical, topical and sometimes just plain silly cartoons

time-read
5 Minuten  |
October 2020