How long are we likely to commemorate the world war events?

[SprigatitoYouAndIKnow]

Seeing the footage of the D Day today made me wonder how long this will go on for. My generation had grandparents who fought and some parents who were young children in WW2. I remember grandparents saying about their parents experienceof WW1 too. I feel lucky to grow up in a free country, but my kids don't have the same links or memories.

We don't still commemorate ancient battles that were won, or any infighting between the nations of our island. The world wars were on a much larger scale and had a very clear and evil enemy, so I would expect more collective remembering. I very much hope we don't have an equally big, or bigger, conflict in the future, so I assume that these things will go on for many years to come. Is there precedence from history?

For me days like yesterday make me think about all the friends DH has lost in Iraq and Afghan. If dh wasn't military then I don't think I would have the same connection. Which is sad, especially knowing there are still people alive who it directly affected.

I think it will continue to be commemorated for many generations yet. Bear in mind we have footage of WWII which will keep it in people's minds.

I only had one grandparent in the forces, and he was UK based. My children still understand the importance of remembering those who sacrificed their lives for us that day.

D Day and other such events are not just British history, so many other countries were impacted and those impacts are still felt and remembered - it will be a long time that such events are remembered and observed.
There are horrific stories of people losing their lives, of bravery of people growing up without parent - those personal memories may not have the same impact in 30 or 50 years time.
But
Some of us have had our family history altered and the course changed due to the war, my husbands Grandmother a refugee who lost both parents in the war.

Germany split with the Eastern block. The fall of the Berlin war and end to communism there - all a result of WW2, the impact will be felt for a long time.

The Nazi prison and concentration camps for people Jews, disabled people, travellers, Gay people - it's horrific and the treatment of these people whilst not witnessed on this scale, is still a memory and what's happening now in Gazza means the impact will be felt for a long time.

We cannot and should not forget those who fought, of the devastating ripples that last throughout the years and above all for standing up for what we believe.

I understand the concept. I just don't agree that it has ever worked in the slightest.

I think it will move into rememberance like the WWI events. Nobody is holding ceremonies for Paschendale or Verdun or the Somme outside the big anniversaries. These are not less moving, we spent half term visiting cemetries to search for my greatuncle, the armistice museum in France and the museums in Flanders.

When the veterans will die it will move to larger anniversaries, 100 years and then maybe it will be merged into the general rememberance and be part of the events in November.

Noone is dismissing what happened at D-Day. But we could also ask why we are not remembering the war in Asia? Hong Kong? Singapore? Often children don't actully learn that the Japanese invaded and did serious harm to civilians and kept soldiers as PoW. My history loving DD who covered WWII learnt a tiny bit of the whole story.

I dont think the poster is being disrespectful. Its a valid point. Other countries have bank holidays to commemorate certain events so they will continue but the next few generations it wont be such a big deal

Some of our parents were born during ww2 and keenly remember rationing during the 50s.

This is why the Russians are so worried about the banning of trade unions, opposition parties, the rise of the fascist Azov battalions in the Ukrainian army, the replacement of WW2 memorials to the Soviet armies by memorials to Fascists like Bandera etc and the appalling standing ovation given to a Waffer SS member by Zelensky and the entire Canadian members of parliament.

We need to know more about who we are supporting in Ukraine.

Bluntly, they will continue while Britain continues to struggle to find a meaningful role in the contemporary world, and needs to define itself via past victories.

Hopefully it will go on forever

We're still celebrating a magician that turned water in to wine a couple of thousand years ago

I disagree.

A nation without a past is not a nation but a collection of competing tribes.

The fact that Britain is becoming a place inhabited by people who do not value shared history is going to only weaken it further.

‘Forget history and you will repeat it.’

The world wars were on a scale never seen before. I don't think they'll be forgotten. Families and villages have memories, even after the individuals have passed on. Surely part of the reason to commemorate these events is to keep the memory of those atrocities live to younger generations.

@reluctantbrit the Somme village Villers Bretonneux , where the battle was a turning point in 1918 has a ceremony every year attended by French and Australian dignitaries and descendants

Australian school and university groups come.
It feels very real and meaningful to all.

We don't necessarily commemorate WW2 though - we do remember June 6th as the D Day landings (although it must be remembered that we were also fighting in Italy and Burma at the time, as well as everything the Navy and the Air Force were doing) - we do remember June 6th.

We do commemorate the end of WW1 - as Remembrance Sunday.

I suppose the question is - at what point will we stop having specific commemorative events such as yesterday - around specific WW2 events such as Dunkirk, Battle of Britain, D Day .

Even the ending of WW2 is not that specific - as we had VE day and VJ day.

We had the 75th anniversary of VE day in 2020 with national events and street parties.

I guess we will have an 80th anniversary next year - but a 100th anniversary? A 200th anniversary?

I totally get what you are saying. Previously Armistice commemoration tended to be by those who had lost loved ones or ex and current service personnel on a more personal reflection basis.

Now it has morphed somewhat into a more public display of pride in the country and pride in all servicemen and women. The best example of this I can think of is the introduction of massive poppies that go on the front of a car, which would have been seen as weird 30 years ago.

We should be recognising all wars, especially the ones now. But of course we don’t as they don’t involve white people.

I'd prefer the UK not to be in the 'back the US to the hilt in everything it does, sell arms to Israel, massive hypocrisy' camp.

I am not saying it doesn't exist. But it's not the same scale as D-Day or Dunkirk for WWII.

Yes, and it was ‘remembered’ on Remembrance Sunday, and the 11th wasn’t so significant.

I remember in maths lesson once, we all stopped at 11am and the maths teacher wondered what was going on. You never used to have shops etc stopping for the minutes silence etc.

Thank you! You explained this better than me.
Thinking back it slowly started during the eighties. It was then it became obligatory almost for all politicians to wear a poppy around Remembrance Sunday. Before then some did, and some did not. But in the eighties I remember the media commenting negatively if a politician was seen without a poppy.

But still for many years shops and other places did not stop for the minute's silence. I went to a Remembrance Sunday service with the Brownies and older people who had served often attended. But it was very much a time of quiet reflection, rather than a public display.

Maybe it simply reflects a wider change in our society where we are much more about public display and what is shared on social media, rather than quiet reflection and private acts?

European wars involved predominantly white people. African wars - black people, etc.

Not sure why it’s suddenly about race.

Should we abandon the memory of wars in which our ancestors died and focus on wars in far away lands instead? Do people in far away lands commemorate our fallen heroes?

Every nation is free to remember its history and commemorate it as it sees fit.

I think the change to get people holding the 2 mins silence back on the 11th, was a combination of factors.

Partly fewer people attending church as all churches prayed and observed Rememberance Sunday.
Partly pushed by the number of losses in Afghanistan around 2009.
Probably pushed along by the Internet and 24hr news coverage, and coverage of every coffin going through the town near the RAF base Brize Norton, Wooton Bassett
It left like there was hardly a day went passed without reports of soldiers being killed or suffering life changing injuries.

I think there was a move to recognise the current suffering, young men and women now and Help for Heros not just the British Legion which is often seen as supporting the World War victims.

Not quite sure what you are getting at but the British Legion who are behind Rememberance Sunday recognise ALL wars, battles and conflicts that UK military have been involved in.

And ultimately the money they raise from making and selling poppies goes to support UK military personnel and there families.

Other countries are feel to Remember their fallen just as the UK is.

I think we're at the peak of remembrance right now for WW2 because we will be losing the last veterans of that war in the next 5-10 years. Before the 75-80 year anniversaries, remembering the fallen in both world wars plus conflicts since was sort of amalgamated into one day on remembrance sunday wasn't it? I imagine this will continue rather than big events for specific anniversary days of the year.

@Springwatch123
@MyQuaintDog

As a child for my family Armistice Sunday was a moment for reflection on the loss of such a central family member and the impact this then had on the wider family members for decades after.

An impact on the wealth of the wider family, an anger (unfairly) at other families that seemed to be able to just carry on as before, relatives that simply couldn't move on. A frustration that he was of an age and with sufficient connections that he had the option of a safe Whitehall job but instead volunteered for an extremely hazardous front line role instead. A feeling of futility that the cost to the wider family was not worth the wider benefit to the country.

It left an impact that is still there today.

So Armistice Sunday was an opportunity to be surrounded by others that were in a similar situation and who could relate to it.

Now it seems to have morphed into a public display of my poppy is bigger than yours or I started wearing it earlier than you so therefore I'm more patriotic.