They did so with no great fuss or rejoicing

Today (11th November 2020) is Remembrance Day.

Thinking about Remembrance Day often brings to mind Peter Englund’s brilliant book about the First World War, The Beauty and the Sorrow. It follows the stories of twenty individuals as they experienced the First World War. With the cast chosen to represent an all-round picture of the war it includes males and females, civilians and military, old and young and diverse nationalities. The book ends by telling how each personal war ended. Here is a taste:

Harvey Cushing was still lying in his hospital bed in Priez. On the day of the armistice his batman brought him his shaving mirror and a nail brush and took away his uniform jacket to sew on the new badges: Cushing was being promoted to the rank of colonel. He had been studying newspaper reports of victory for a while, with increasing amazement – how could it have happened so quickly? – and he had been following the advances of the Allied armies on a map with the help of some pins and a length of cotton. At half past four in the afternoon he, with the matron, the hospital padre and a medical colleague, had celebrated the peace in his room. They did so with no great fuss or rejoicing, just sitting in front of the fire, drinking tea and talking about religion and the future.
— Peter Englund, The Beauty and the Sorrow

Acknowledgement: Photo by Victoria Tronina on Unsplash

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