Islington Greens were present at the Remembrance Day services in Islington on November 9th and Councillor Caroline Russell laid a wreath.
This year in particular we remembered those who died in the First World War which started 100 years ago. As well as wearing the red poppy to remember those service personnel who lost their lives in a most horrific war, white poppies were worn to honour all those who were killed and to plea that peace should always be sought first and foremost and that waging war should always be the last resort.
In Whitehall on Sunday, Charlie Kiss, Islington Campaigns Coordinator joined ex-soldiers and members of ‘Veterans for Peace’ who marched down Whitehall and laid a wreath of white poppies at the cenotaph to remember the civilians killed in modern warfare and to promote peace.
Up to 10 million soldiers were killed in the First World War and about 7 million civilians. We wished to remember everyone who has died in the wars: the soldiers at Ypres, Mons, Verdun, the Somme and elsewhere of course but also the men who were shot for desertion, many of whom were young and under age who were not included on war memorials; the men and women who died making the bombs and weapons; the soldiers who died whilst training; the civilians; and also the 8 million animals who died.
Not forgetting, Harry Patch, the last veteran of the trenches, who requested that his coffin be carried both by German and British Soldiers in recognition of the futility of such great loss of life on both sides. Militarism is an industry that does well in promoting war and politicians should be mindful of this and never rush to war.