The Last Day of WWI: SBS TV, 8:30-9:30 p.m., 28 August 2009.

According to CWGC records, the last British soldier killed in the First World War was Private George Edwin Ellison of the 5th Royal Irish Lancers. He was killed at Mons (where he had also fought in 1914) at 9.30 a.m. - just 90 minutes before the ceasefire. The last French soldier to die was Augustin Trebuchon from the 415th Infantry Regiment. He was a runner and was in the process of taking a message to his colleagues at the front informing them of the ceasefire. He was hit by a single shot and killed at 10.50 a.m. In total, 75 French soldiers were killed on this last day of war, but their graves state that they died on 10 November. Two theories have been forwarded for this discrepancy. The first is that by stating that they died on 10 November before the war had ended, there could be no question about their family’s entitlement to a war pension. The other theory is that the French government wanted to avoid any form of embarrassment or political scandal should it ever become known that so many died on

the last day of the war. The last Canadian to die was Private George Lawrence Price of the Canadian Infantry (2nd Canadian Division) who was killed at Mons at 10.58 a.m. Officially, Price was the last Commonwealth soldier to be killed in the war. 

From 'Shall I get to Blighty?' by Harold George Macklon (my great great uncle who survived WW1 and wrote a memoir of his experiences) and Mandy Stidard (me)  http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/index.htm

To the posters on this subject, my admiration upon you all! It is a sorry fact that it seems every war is subject to un-necessary death, even after the fact of peace enters the field of fire. Witness the numerous Japanese soldiers who never heard of the surrender or either failed to acknowledge it, continued to fight a war that had ended many years earlier. And, in the past, there was always the problem with communication! Thus whilst peace was being made, the news of the peace took either days, weeks, or months to reach those men in the field of fire! The final battle of New Orleans against the British is a prime example!

If, indeed there is ever a limited atomic war, just how long would it take to notify everyone of a ceasefire if the EMT destroyed all modern means of communication?

I enjoyed reading this thread which eventuated from my initial post. I saw the last part of this same series on TV this evening and wrote the following prose-poem. It is written from a quite personal and religious perspective in which I trust readers at this site will indulge me knowing, as I do, the massive anti-religious sentiments cutting across the values and beliefs of our secular and contemporary world. Keep in mind as you read this, though, that WW1 and WW2 were dominated by the new religions of nationalism, racialism and communism which killed more people than all the religious wars in history.-Ron Price, Tasmania
---------------------------------
THE VERY GREAT WAR

The Treaty of Versailles was one of the peace treaties at the end of World War I.  It ended the state of war between Germany and the Allied Powers. It was signed on 28 June 1919 exactly five years after the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand a critical event that led to the start of the war. The other Central Powers on the German side of World War I were dealt with in separate treaties.  Although the armistice signed on 11 November 1918 ended the actual fighting, it took six months of negotiations at the Paris Peace Conference to conclude the peace treaty. These days of negotiation were “the most momentous days in the history of the world.”(1)

In 1913 ‘Abdu’l-Bahá returned  to Palestine from His western teaching trip, a journey which Shoghi Effendi referred to in 1944 as “a service of such heroic proportions that no parallel to it is to be found in the annals of the first Bahá'í century.”(2)  In the following year the Great War broke out in Europe.  Between March 26 and April 22, 1916, ‘Abdu’l-Baha revealed the first eight of His Tablets of the Divine Plan. The remaining six were revealed between February 2 and March 8, 1917 just before the entry of the United States into the war.  One hundred years ago even in peacetime it took time to get a message from Palestine to the United States.  The war, of course, introduced additional delays.  The first five of the Tablets were published in America in the September 8, 1916 issue of Star of the West a major Bahá'í publication of the time. The remainder would not be sent until after the war ended.  They were unveiled at a special Bahá'í convention in New York City held from April 26 to 30, 1919.

'Abdu'l-Bahá makes reference in the longest tablet of the entire collection, to an army, a heavenly army arrayed for spiritual rather than physical battle.  Filled with the love of God, this army marches into metaphorical battle with their chief weapons being their character, conduct and words. Reminding us of the Apostles of Christ, He calls upon the Bahá'ís of the United States and Canada to become Apostles of Bahá'u'lláh and to go forth into the world and teach. And the way to end all wars was as follows:

In brief.......O ye believers of God!
The text of the divine Book is this:
If two souls quarrel and contend
about a question of those divine
questions, differing and disputing,
both are wrong......The wisdom of
this incontrovertible law of God is
this: That between two souls from
amongst the believers of God, no
contention and dispute may arise;
that they may speak to each other
with infinite amity and love...and
should there appear the least trace
of controversy...they must remain
silent.....and both parties continue
their discussions no longer but ask
the reality of the question from the
Interpreter. This is the irrefutable..
command for the Very Great War.(3)

 1. “As It Happened: Paris 1918, Part 2,” National Film Board of Canada and France, 2008, SBS, 8:30 –9:30, 23 October 2009,
  2.  Shoghi Effendi, God Passes By, Wilmette, 1957, p.279.
  3.  'Abdu'l-Baha, Tablets of the Divine Plan, p. 53.
 --------------------
Posted for The History Forum--All Empires
On: 23/10/'09


Edited by RonPrice - 23-Oct-2009 at 05:38

Mandy, thanks, but I am not sure what I really shared with you? chuckle! WWI, is in many ways the last war where some chivalry remained on the battlefield, but this was of course, only in the nature of the men of status who actually became the officer corps! Other wise, they played war, as they would play a game of chess! Well to capture the Rook, maybe I will sacrifice a Pawn?, etc. The pawns were the average man in the trenches!

By the way, whilst I have not travelled extensively within Italy, I have traveled some across the Italian Alps, from the Brenner pass to the train ride under the mountian into Austria, as well I have toured Pisa, Florenza, Roma, and but driven thru Napoli back to our cruise ship! But then we sailed to Venice, were we also toured Padua, etc. In short, I would like to spend about 10 years in Italy and really see it! So, it is with some envy that I see that you now reside there! Momma Mia! Share some of it with us, if you can? Is it really "La dolca vita?" (sp?)
Regards,

Originally posted by opuslola Mandy, thanks, but I am not sure what I really shared with you? chuckle! WWI, is in many ways the last war where some chivalry remained on the battlefield, but this was of course, only in the nature of the men of status who actually became the officer corps! Other wise, they played war, as they would play a game of chess! Well to capture the Rook, maybe I will sacrifice a Pawn?, etc. The pawns were the average man in the trenches! By the way, whilst I have not travelled extensively within Italy, I have traveled some across the Italian Alps, from the Brenner pass to the train ride under the mountian into Austria, as well I have toured Pisa, Florenza, Roma, and but driven thru Napoli back to our cruise ship! But then we sailed to Venice, were we also toured Padua, etc. In short, I would like to spend about 10 years in Italy and really see it! So, it is with some envy that I see that you now reside there! Momma Mia! Share some of it with us, if you can? Is it really "La dolca vita?" (sp?) Regards,

Hi

Originally posted by opuslola Other wise, they played war, as they would play a game of chess! Well to capture the Rook, maybe I will sacrifice a Pawn?, etc. The pawns were the average man in the trenches!

Edited by Cryptic - 03-Nov-2009 at 10:29

"The ‘Staff’ were considered to lead an entirely different and fortunate life when compared with the miserable and dangerous existence endured by the officers and men in the Front Line. The most senior commanders usually lived with their staff in a requisitioned chateau, or similar structure that could be as far as 30 miles away from the action on the Front. For example, the French Field Marshal Joffre always travelled with a personal chef and kitchen to ensure his culinary requirements were properly catered for and considered his lunch break - and subsequent afternoon nap - as sacred."

From 'Shall I get to Blighty?' by Harold George Macklon & Mandy Stidard

 

Mandy

www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk