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D-Day veteran, 100, 'overwhelmed' at Arnhem tribute


natinnam said:
Always fascinates me, if things kicked off similar to back then. Would our younger generation sign up in the droves that generation did 🤔
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No disrespect but that is a ‘honking’ thing to speculate
All major wars are usually over nothing and avoidable but still they happen
Do you not think Boer War veterans and their contemporaries believed that à new generation would step up..they did for WW1 and ditto WW2
It is the working class who provide the vast majority of the sacrifice in any conflict and have done so for centuries
To infer that the current generation lack courage, principles etc of those back in WW2 is a crock
 
Ned Land said:
Most were conscripted?
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My dad who will be 99 later on this year - volunteered for the war when he was 17.
He always says that "times were different" - but the threat of Hitler invading the UK was real and that Hitler had to be stopped from doing his awful stuff throughout Europe.

He stayed on after the war had finished, and ended up in Palestine - where there was trouble - and still is.
He was there in Palestine for the "Partition" - and always maintains that it was then that the world gave-in to terrorism.
 
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Butcher's Coat said:
My dad who will be 99 later on this year - volunteered for the war when he was 17.
He always says that "times were different" - but the threat of Hitler invading the UK was real and that Hitler had to be stopped from doing his awful stuff throughout Europe.

He stayed on after the war had finished, and ended up in Palestine - where there was trouble - and still is.
He was there in Palestine for the "Partition" - and always maintains that it was then that the world gave-in to terrorism.
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The grandad of my former sister-in-law volunteered just before the start of WW2 even though his own dad told him that he was nuts (having survived WWI).

He was sent to Palestine pre-WW2 and used horses but ended up as a tank radio operator in North Africa.
 
My Grandad volunteered at 17, said going to war was the best thing that ever happened to him as it got him out of the pit, he served in France and Africa with the desert rats, after he left in 1946 he ended up back down the pit, but as he always said “ I don’t mind the pit now, just glad I came home “. Special generation in my opinion
 
contrarian said:
No disrespect but that is a ‘honking’ thing to speculate
All major wars are usually over nothing and avoidable but still they happen
Do you not think Boer War veterans and their contemporaries believed that à new generation would step up..they did for WW1 and ditto WW2
It is the working class who provide the vast majority of the sacrifice in any conflict and have done so for centuries
To infer that the current generation lack courage, principles etc of those back in WW2 is a crock
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Actually during the Boer War most of the volunteers came from skilled artisan and lower middle class backgrounds. This was because about 50% of those who volunteered (as many as 60% in some cities) were turned away as being medically unfit such was the physical condition of the British working class at the end of C19th.

The most common reasons for rejection was weak or small physical stature - rotten teeth - malnutrition and diseases associated with poverty.

At the time the King observed that "The burden of the Empire is born on some very crooked backs". The Government then set about a program of social reforms which included PT in schools to improve the nations health to provide fit soldiers for the next war.
 
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contrarian said:
To infer that the current generation lack courage, principles etc of those back in WW2 is a crock
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Half of them would be signing up for the opposite side nowadays
Lord Potts said:
Actually during the Boer War most of the volunteers came from skilled artisan and lower middle class backgrounds. This was because about 50% of those who volunteered (as many as 60% in some cities) were turned away as being medically unfit such was the physical condition of the British working class at the end of C19th.

The most common reasons for rejection was weak or small physical stature - rotten teeth - malnutrition and diseases associated with poverty.

At the time the King observed that "The burden of the Empire is born on some very crooked backs". The Government then set about a program of social reforms which included PT in schools to improve the nations health to provide fit soldiers for the next war.
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That's really interesting that, never thought of it before
 
contrarian said:
No disrespect but that is a ‘honking’ thing to speculate
All major wars are usually over nothing and avoidable but still they happen
Do you not think Boer War veterans and their contemporaries believed that à new generation would step up..they did for WW1 and ditto WW2
It is the working class who provide the vast majority of the sacrifice in any conflict and have done so for centuries
To infer that the current generation lack courage, principles etc of those back in WW2 is a crock
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Especially when those who pour scorn on today's generation never signed up in droves themselves.
 
Lord Potts said:
Actually during the Boer War most of the volunteers came from skilled artisan and lower middle class backgrounds. This was because about 50% of those who volunteered (as many as 60% in some cities) were turned away as being medically unfit such was the physical condition of the British working class at the end of C19th.

The most common reasons for rejection was weak or small physical stature - rotten teeth - malnutrition and diseases associated with poverty.

At the time the King observed that "The burden of the Empire is born on some very crooked backs". The Government then set about a program of social reforms which included PT in schools to improve the nations health to provide fit soldiers for the next war.
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Doesnt detract from the fact of the demographics of those who signed up and served. Then as now it is the poor, young who do the hard yards regardless of the generation
tunstallhill said:
Half of them would be signing up for the opposite side
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Based on what
 
contrarian said:
Based on what
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based on the massive support for far right parties and politicians

do you think the average working class bloke would be willing to sign up nowadays 'for starmer' ?

its been said above that many young men signed up as the thought of a life in the army was a golden ticket to a better life than they already had. you couldn't say that now
 
Ned Land said:
Mr Walton is originally from Bishop Auckland.

My Hayfever started to play up when I listened to the radio clip.

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Red said:
A shame that a thread about a 100 year old veteran being honoured for fighting for his country has descended into politics.
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its an interesting topic that should be able to be debated without it being disrespectful.

i don't think there is a single person in the UK that doesn't think what these blokes did wasn't outrageously brave

its interesting to hear the circumstances of how and why these lads signed up at such a young age when there was a high chance they wouldn't be coming back. and its a valid conversation to compare that to how privileged the following generations have been
 
contrarian said:
Doesnt detract from the fact of the demographics of those who signed up and served. Then as now it is the poor, young who do the hard yards regardless of the generation

Based on what
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They wouldn't be signing up though there'd have to be conscription. Back then they left school at 14 and further education didn't happen for the vast majority. Today that's all changed and with the internet we're all much more aware. There isn't a ready supply of poorly educated, poverty stricken, working class cannon fodder today. When Ukraine was invaded there was a mass exodus out of the country including about 700k fighting age men who didn't want to fight. Same in Russia when they started mobilization though it was harder over half a million still left the country.
 
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