Meditation on The Somme

[Rob MacKillop]

It's the 100th anniversary of The Battle of The Somme today, and the BBC did a very moving piece this morning. It has affected my whole day. I had free morning, so took the DP0 and DP3 Quattros for a walk, all the while thinking about the tragedy one hundred years ago. Nothing I can come up with can speak for the loss of so many men, but it helped me, somehow.

1. The Fallen




2. Nature



3. I can't think of a title for this, but it moves me more that the others:



4. My Pride And Free



5. Skull



6. The Call



7. Nature 2



8. The Wall



9. Lament

 

[Brian Moore]

Beautiful memorial set Rob.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Thanks, Brian. Susan is at a big service in town, with her mum, who is high up in the War Widows Association. Quite an event - I saw a little report on it on the TV.

 

[Brian Moore]

Susan's mum's a war widow? WWII?

But Susan's much too young to have had a father who died in WWII.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

He died of a war wound several years after the war finished. Was a cripple because of it.

 

[Brian Moore]

He died of a war wound several years after the war finished. Was a cripple because of it.

Very sad,...and unfortunately all too common a circumstance I think.

 

[Pete Askew]

What a wonderfully reflective set, Rob. The second has real sense of poignancy to it.

One the great tragedies of the last 100 years to be sure. And one which unity in Europe strives to prevent re-occuring.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Pete. Awful war, and it's most awful day.

 

[Martin Carlin]

Me grandad was there he was in fact part of the expeditionary forces the first ones to go over. He actually survived the war somehow to come home and then get blown up in a mining accident in Scotland and blinded. Nice reflection Rob and nice set of images

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Dear, oh dear, Martin, what a story. Poor guy. I've been lucky in my life - no war, no mines. Let's hope it remains that way!

 

[Martin Carlin]

Heres one of his christmas cards and his army wills he had to write when going over. If you look at the card in the bottom it says somewhere in france amazed he survived as so many lives were wasted.

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Yes, it's all very real. These things happened. Extraordinary documents. How long will it take until we evolve to not need wars?

 

[Martin Carlin]

How long will it take until we evolve to not need wars

We should have learned our lesson along time ago. But the system we live under at present needs them to survive.

 

[Douglas McMann]

A very moving set indeed...I purposely tried to avoid watching the telly or reading the newspapers about this "Anniversary" as I often feel they tend to glorify the whole thing, but I did catch a radio presentation when driving home from work which had me hooked from the very first minute...needless to say the tears were streaming down the face by the end...a sad, sad time in our history indeed...

 

[Rob MacKillop]

Cheers, Dougie. I know what you mean.