By Doug Draper, Niagara At Large
This first week this August, 2014 – a month marking the beginning, 100 years ago, of a First World War that would result in the slaughter of millions of peoples’ lives – I went out to a memorial for that war near my present-day home in Thorold, Ontario, Canada.
Thorold, Ontario’s First World War memorial. Photo by Doug Draper
The sides of the memorial’s pedestal are carved with the names of more than 50 young men from the community, and they were young men barely out of their boyhood who did the soldiering back then, who died in that hellish four-year conflict that was fought for reasons many history scholars still don’t completely understand.
Thorold had a population of around 2,500 at that time, meaning that it is quite likely that no one in the community did not know, even if they were not directly related, to those young people who had their futures obliterated in a so-called ‘war to end all wars’ that became an industrial-age template for one blood bath after another ever since.
As near as I can figure from the recitals of lame history teachers I had back in high school and whatever I have read since, the First World War had someone to do with a frigging one per cent of the population – a bunch of self-anointed, inter-bred aristocrats at the time who bestowed names upon themselves like kings and queens, and dukes and duchesses, and Kaisers and czars – squabbling over colonial spoils as if the world was their monopoly board.
Some of the names of the Thorold memorial of those killed in the First World War
Tens-of-millions of others from the 99 per cent suffered violent deaths as if they were nothing more than mere pocket change for these bastards.
And in one way or another, we humans keep getting sucked in to these destructive conflicts.
I have said it before and I will say it again. No other life form on this planet – and I don’t care if you are talking about grizzly bears, a pack of hyenas or cancer cells, for that matter – is as wantonly destructive as we humans.
And maybe, just maybe, when we finally manage to kill ourselves all off – because as intelligent as we can be, we still can’t seem to control the reptilian side of our brain or place tribal and religious hatreds far enough aside to keep from murdering each other through nuclear bombing, climate change gases or some other means – the world will be better off without us.
In the meantime, please spare me from any Harper government-sponsored, centennial celebrations of the First World War.
(Niagara At Large invites you to share your views on this post. A reminder that we only post comments by individuals who share their first and last name with them.)
Niagara At Large 
ANY war is a crime against humanity.
TVO has had two wonderful documentaries (if you can call such a thing wonderful) on WW1 with amazing film footage I never knew existed. I highly recommend them if they are replayed. The Star also had a large WW1 “A to Z” section on Saturday with fascinating facts & personal stories of Canada’s contributions.
I never realized the scope of the war. You always hear about Europe but this involved Africa, India, Japan, Turkey, Russia, China & almost all of the world in one way or another – Soldiers from colonial Africa & India & the massive British Empire. What an horrific waste. It’s always the helpless civilian “collateral damage”, soldiers with no stake in the conflict & even animals, especially the war horses that suffer & die. Sadly, the “war to end all wars” was terminated in such a way that WW2 was inevitable.
The war mongers always supersede the peace keepers. Actually, the assassinated prince was trying to reconcile opposing forces when he was shot allowing crazies like the Kaiser to get the upper hand. Even Queen Victoria (almost all the crown heads of Europe were her descendants) said he was vile, cruel & quite crazy.
I agree Doug that only humans can commit such cruelty & evil. Such fun toys as flame throwers & poison gas were among the marvellous tools of WW1. There are still thousands of human remains being discovered in France, Belgium & elsewhere, where they fell, nameless & forever lost to their loved ones. Meanwhile, the foot soldiers could hold a Christmas truce & exchange booze, cigarettes & even play soccer.
My favourite line from “Blackadder” was – “Tomorrow we go over the top to move Haig’s drinks cabinet 15 feet closer to Berlin”. Pretty much sums it up.
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I’m going to take a slightly different view Doug, although I do agree with quite a bit of what you said.
I will honour those who went to war … those who never came home and those who did.
It is unfortunate that the so-called “armistice” that ended the First World War was one of the key factors that led to the Second World War.
You are correct – idiotic, in-bred “aristocrats” were a large part of the problem then.
Today the problem is idiotic, in-bred “professional politicians” in all countries who have taken over from the aristocrats.
They keep making the same stupid decisions because they are focused on enhancing their own personal wealth.
And the young men (and now young women) of all countries are the ones who pay the price.
I lost my father to the Second World War. Oh, he didn’t die during the war – he died in 1980 at the age of 66. But it was the wounds suffered in the war that brought on the physical and mental health issues that shortened his life.
I will honour him and the many other millions of young men from Canada, Britain, other Commonwealth countries, the United States and other countries involved.
If the Canadian government wants to hold centennial celebrations, I won’t object to the few dollars they spend on them. It will be a drop in the bucket compared to what it wastes on other stupidity.
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