[Music]
the Great Wall through a London child's
eye November 1st 1921 the third
anniversary of Armistice approaches
reminding us all of what's gone Syd and
I went up to London on some errands and
found ourselves on a trip down memory
lane
do you remember pretending to be a
jockey when you were too young to join
up to explain your lack of height why on
earth didn't they fall for that we were
so young it all seemed exciting back
then I remember father so eager to do
his part even the adults all things
differently look they've changed the
name of the street I swear this used to
be bottom rope look the signs name Hague
Road not sure I think reminding of him
every time I went to catch a tram later
we saw them fixing a memorial to the
front of a post office the inscription
read to the glory of God and the memory
of the men of this office who gave their
lives in the Great War unless we forget
the brass shone brightly illuminating
many dozens of names
that's handsome enough isn't it although
not as handsome as the one in our church
if you ask me our church now has a stone
memorial cross in a quiet part of the
churchyard there were too many names to
fit on its plinth
so some of the soldiers lost from around
here including Sydney's brother and
father are remembered inside on painted
wooden boards imagine how much of that
cost I think our priest is right
better save our money to spend on them
that's still living a million people
don't have a job right now and then that
fool still struggling to write
themselves
I'll take a lick of paint over brass any
day and we got back to SIDS mrs. Perry
was fit to burst with gossip from the
Town Hall by beta bout a memorial for
the
countless somehow managed to end in a
fight he's caused a terrible stir I've
never seen such tempers flare what's to
care about it's just a memorial plaque a
bit of metal and stomach it's important
to remember the sacrifice made by those
who fought and those who lost their
lives surely any Memorial is a decent
thing well you think so wouldn't you
but Marjorie Fanshawe had caught herself
puffed up with indignation all because
it would be in the Great Hall I'm a old
dance is there she said it would be
unseemly to place a memorial in step
what did she call it a pit of depravity
such a small sport she's not the only
one oh and then no one could agree on
the shape a square lacks gravitas across
a fencing to the Jewish members of a
council and then someone said there
should be a poem or a stanza or somesuch
on the plaque and I why in the audience
suggests it will free thou him what's
wrong with that
some folk get comfort from a poem I'm
Wilfred Owen's poems are rather gruesome
he talks about how the soldiers were
sold a line that war is awful
well it is and they were thou get my
vote
well that high tea it was thrown out
anything with a flourish or a poem was
seen as unseemly was that mrs. Fanshawe
how did you guess anything short of a
Bible quote will either clutching her
pearls oh I dare say the argument is
going on as we speak
come on please have another cup of tea
oh I'll make you mum with plenty of
sugar for your nerves
it's strange to think that in a hundred
years from now folk will still be able
to read war poetry all the inscriptions
or plaques in town halls and schools
they'll be able to admire tributes of
lost workers in factories railway
stations post offices and offices and
perhaps they'll still place a wreath at
the memorial at their church or in the
center of their town on Armistice Day
unlike Sid and I they won't remember a
time when these memorials weren't there
one day perhaps no one will remember us
at all the Great War through a London
child's eye supported by the National
Lottery through the Heritage Lottery
Fund read Edwards diary at funk its
live.com slash Great War
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