Will age ever weary the subject?

but can the CWGC really continue funding if nobody visits any more ?

As far as I know - yes, to an extent, due to their charitable tax breaks etc. and how they're funded I.E. their ties back to national veterans' associations, there would always be a trickle coming to them in whatever circumstances as long as those groups exist. And as long as there are national armies and wars....THEY will always have new members and subscribers...

As long as there's war, there'll be remembrance. It will cycle - I remember Remembrance Sunday mornings years ago when veterans of the BOER War were still alive and Chealsea pensioners - and this year it was the last of the WWII veterans. In many years time it'll be '39-'45...and eventually the Falklands. but after THAT - long after all of US are gone, someone will be watching the OAPS from Iraq and Afghanistan on Remembrance Sunday reliving their memories of decades gone by...

 

I can't remember ever not being interested in WW2 and particularly the Normandy campaign. As a kid, born in 57, it seemed I was the only one in my circle who had this burning desire to learn everything I could. It was helped, I think, from seeing all the veterans march each Nov. 11th and being able to speak to them about their experiences. My small home town was connected to all those great events by the local men who went 'overseas', by those who didn't return and the exploits of ordinary guys I knew. I'm also proud of the volunteer contribution of my country who, with only 12 million people, made quite an impact.
Until the past few years I knew only a handful of like minded ww2 nuts. Now, with sites like this, those of us with that interest have a place to exchange that never existed before. That may be the key to this interest carrying on.

My biggest regret was not taking time from the daily grind to gather memories from the many vets I've known over the years. Sadly, most of them have passed now and that opportunity is mostly gone. I was amazed at age 10 and now past 50 continue to be fascinated by the willingness and capacity of that generation to endure under horrific circumstances and accomplish what they did.

 

How long will WW2 remain such a massive worldwide interest?

~A

For at least another couple of generations.

Here in Australia the 'interest' is predominately WW1 or WW2 and to a much lesser extent Korea and Vietnam.

The 'interest' is either just that, general interest, or more importantly, research, and WW1 far outstrips WW2.

The people researching WW1 nowdays are more often than not researching their grandfather or great uncle etc. whom they probably never knew. But the interest is there all the same.

Admittedly we have ANZAC to keep the interest high and this will only increase in 6 years time with the 100 years anniversary of Gallipoli. Look no further than the 'young ones' who travel half way round the world to attend the Dawn Service on Anzac Day at Gallipoli, and France & Belgium too, for evidence of the interest.

So moving on a decade or two, and there will be a new generation of thousands of 'younger ones' researching their granddads and great uncles who fought in WW2.

We're so lucky nowdays with the internet and technology to learn and research. Recently I accessed some records from the National Archives UK by Digital Express with a 24 hour turnaround. Unheard of a few years ago. And our very own WW2TALK forum - answers and information often within a few hours of posting.

Then we can go on a talk about War Museums, WW2 aircraft flying displays, documentaries, TV mini series, books, record prices for medals and memorabillia at auctions, etc. All these help tremendously to kindle ones interest in war history.

I've no doubt that WW2 interest will only grow in the years ahead.

Ash

 

They are and where called the greatest generation or the generation born to suffer,
the fascination will last for at least another two generations, then the people searching for their ancestors will bring it all back to the fore.
As the Vetrens on this forum are well respected and everyone is grateful for their insight knowledge and humour and great input and threads that are stimulating for the rest of us.
It is we who have picked up the mantle and followed them by either reaserching or fathers, uncles, grandfathers or just swapping infomation and indulging ourselves in their history or their units history.
Those of us who are married and have famlies are already unknowingly passing on the mantle by taking them to the air display or museum on days out and they are picking up our ways and values.

 

The 'interest' is either just that, general interest, or more importantly, research, and WW1 far outstrips WW2

I dont know about that ?


The reason why WWII will continue in its popularity is because the Nazis were Bad Ass, history loves a bad ass.

 

WWII represents a clash of modern arms and Gigantic loss of life, racial cleansings and the Atomic bomb. In terms of war it has the whole she-bang. I have an interest in other wars, but WWII is the only war that I have read multiple books on. Part of that reason is because of access and another part is that it takes me quite a while to read a book, unfortunately.

WWII I dont believe will fade into obscurity. What will fade is the "human" side of things. As the decades pass the emotions will fade, but the battles will remain strong in interest.

I guess that brings the Holocaust into consideration, will it have the same emotional impact on the public in 30 years time. Put things into context, the Somme claimed a Million lives but the emotions surrounding those soldiers is more on a statistical level rather than a personal one.

 

The Second World War made us establish human rights, understand human suffering. It will be important until the next war on that scale. For a start it feels to be a turning point for humanity, we've seen the first atomic bomb. The loss of labour in the UK meant a need for foreign workers. Without the Second World War we would be such a vibrantly multicultural society.

 

I think there is something a bit different about Twentieth Century warfare that sets it apart from earlier conflict. The sheer totality, scale, and global nature of the two world wars does in my opinion make then all the more important to keep 'alive'.

Of course the very real danger is that as there are less and less veterans around, something naturally passes from 'living memory' to 'history'. Its all the more important that those of us who are interested in history do what we can to keep up interest in it, especially the experiences of ordinary people. Not only that but when organisations try and argue that the second world war is 'no longer relevant' - as will surely happen, people do love to try and rewrite history after all they need to be held to account.

One danger that really worries me is how weak the national curriculum is on teaching about war. Obviously somewhere in time some bright spark thought it wasnt a good idea to teach kids about wars. Hence at school I learnt about Cowboys and bloody Indians. I know a lot of museums have done informal learning projects with young people about the war, which seem to work very well.

 

One danger that really worries me is how weak the national curriculum is on teaching about war. Obviously somewhere in time some bright spark thought it wasnt a good idea to teach kids about wars. Hence at school I learnt about Cowboys and bloody Indians. I know a lot of museums have done informal learning projects with young people about the war, which seem to work very well.


Hello James

re the schools they do teach about WW2
BBC - Primary History - World War 2
its not perfect but from what I have seen they do get a good overall view from the teachers including visits by veterans and historical experts .
So it is kept in the mainstream and one hopes it strikes a cord and is carried through to adulthood.

 

Hello James

re the schools they do teach about WW2
BBC - Primary History - World War 2
its not perfect but from what I have seen they do get a good overall view from the teachers including visits by veterans and historical experts .
So it is kept in the mainstream and one hopes it strikes a cord and is carried through to adulthood.

Hi CL1, thanks for that. I'm aware that they teach it now, I'm glad they do. It does seem to come up in Citizenship lessons too, which I think is great cos its not so much about the who, where and whens but about the moral issues behind it.

The D-Day Museum comes under the Department that I work for and we run Home Front Experience workshops for 10 and 11 year olds, we're also piloting a 'Discovering D-Day' project where young people produce a 'young-people-friendly' audio guide to the museum. Apparently our resident veterans enjoy meeting the kids, they tend to ask some interesting questions - 'have you killed anyone?' is the most frequent question. If you think about it, thats actually quite perceptive, as they're thinking about mortality and what it must feel like.

What worries me is that there was a bit of a gap in time where very little of it was taught, particularly around my generation. A great example of contemporary social issues impacting on our understanding of history. I wonder if that reflects in the amount of people of my age who have an interest in military history? Not only that, but history as a whole - how many great historians have slipped through the net thanks to boring history teaching?

 

We often forget that events that are occurring now and events we know nothing of yet will be of as much import to those who witness them as those that we were involved in, or close to those affected by monumental events. Many remember - there are also some who glorify. I remember friends who died in the cold and wet, scared witless, but carrying on as countless Guardsmen did before and if called will do so again - remember yes, glorify? Nothing glorious about it a vile and futile way to address differences. The further up the road we travel the less of the road we have already walked can be seen

 

Adam-
Einstein once said that WW4 will be fought with sticks and stones - someone else said that wars do not solve who is right - but who is left.

Cheers

 

We hope that WW2 was the last World War.

For that reason WW2 will always be in the mainstream whether it be a passing phrase "After the Second World War/Before the Second World War" or looked at on how it affected social/geographic change including new weapons of mass destruction.The affects still continue today

There is also a fair bit in the media and it still continues.

 

Britain has been at war for nearly every year since the end of WW2, the only year that a member of the Armed Forces did not die in action was 1968 if I remember rightly. The only difference these days it is never classed as a war but as some form of Police or UN action, but what ever they call it people are still fighting and dieing

 

The army of today is reverting back to a role it had in the 19th century, then it was a small colonial police force. Now it is part of the UNs global police force. Once again politicians see that as it's role and they will cut, we are at a point where we cannot project power alone. In some way I hope they are right, the thought of another major conflict to prove them wrong is unthinkable. My instincts as an old infantryman tell me to keep one foot on the ground ready to react to the unknown - balance was the watch word, our defences are now unbalanced, cuts not made logically - pick the big ticket stuff and scrap it - the most perfect bloody nonsense!

 

Strange list though, VP with multiple entries for the same book.

Keith

 

Only four WW2-related books in Amazon's History top 20 at the mo - quite uncommon that.
Amazon.co.uk Bestsellers: The most popular items in History

Might that just be because we all buy so many books that no single general volume heads the list ? We're probably quite diverse in our tastes as well. Just think though what the figures would be like if war diaries were available on Amazon B)

...and the Christmas season has just passed. Taking this household as an example, I'd certainly never buy my wife a book about WW2 and she probably wouldn't want to encourage me by buying me any either !