I HAVE been searching for the correct way of wording my thoughts about this coming Friday and I found Ruth Wishart had done a fine job (The VE Day jamboree is wholly inappropriate, May 4).
My father fought in the Second World War from start to finish and was very much a soldier of the empire. He fought at Tobruk with the Anzac forces and was on Crete just long enough to lead a composite platoon up and over the mountains from the northern landing grounds to the southern evacuation beaches. He then went on to India and the Chindits.
READ MORE: Ruth Wishart: This VE Day jamboree is wholly inappropriate
In all the time I knew him he did not mention much about the glory of war. Lie many of his generation he was brutalised by his experiences and certainly had no time for the former axis powers. But that was his generation, and we have now moved forward. We have experienced one of the longest stretches of “peace” on the European mainland in history. Yes, the Cold War was responsible for that, a war fought out by proxy in South America, Africa, the Middle East and the Far East, and for those caught up in the struggles of two great ideologically opposed factions there was nothing cold about it.
How my father would deal with Friday I can only guess. For sure he would remember his friends lost, and because of their sacrifice I think he would be angry at the missed chances to secure a global peace. The follies of nations as they let petty differences hinder lifting the millions up and out of poverty, the science curtailed to stop the exploration of deep space. Finally I think he would feel greatly let down by the establishments of all nations, as blood is still being spilled in the same areas as was the case when he was in uniform.
On Friday I plan a silence to remember all those who lost their lives, but that is about it.
Cliff Purvis
Veterans For Scottish Independence 2.0
I TOTALLY agree with Ruth Wishart’s article, and it was heartening to read a such a sensible and rational perspective. In these troubled times I’m not sure why we are celebrating a date in times past, rather than celebrating a day for all the workers who keep and have kept us all going throughout all. I also found the article about building affordable houses for renting most interesting and hope that these ideas can be developed rapidly.
Anne Borthwick
Hawick
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