To wonder why the Brits are so obsessed with WW2?

[MrsSchadenfreude]

My Mum is 87. She was 12 when the war ended and went through it in London. She remembers being terrified and hungry and getting grief because her grandmother was German. Other elderly relatives don’t have lovely memories either, apart from relief when it was all over. So why do we glorify it all, at every opportunity? Why do we always look back instead of forward?

@Wolfgirrl - that’s exactly what I mean.

Only the stupid argue against understanding and caring about history.

I think VE day was celebrated much more in England, any excuse to get the union Jack out.
I only seen one out where I live in Scotland.

We didn’t “stand alone against most of the world”. The Americans came in - we wouldn’t have won it if they hadn’t. And the Germans have been our Allies for a long time now.

We are not obsessed and we don't glorify it but choose to honour those who made massive sacrifices. I can't imagine my husband or teenage son going to war and dying. Nor can I imagine staying positive at home whilst scared and hungry.

I agree that there's an obsession with WW2. Still so many documentaries, films and books. With Brexit there were so many inane comments about WW2. It's nationalistic, and I suspect there's a big overlap between those who hark back to WW2 and those that have voted for Brexit.

@user1486131602, we didn't do it alone

Huh??

It's the memory of the people that fought for? And in si many awful cases gave their lives for our, and do many other peoples freedom thats glorified, not the act or war itself .
Such a huge significant event cannot and should not just be forgotten as if it didnt happen for so many reasons.

The people in my street didn't give a shiny shit about today for the last ten years.

Today it is the perfect excuse to forget all about lockdown and have a massive piss up strert party.

And how about Russia's contribution? They lost far more people than any other country.

We stood alone against most of the world to defeat Germany.

What??? People don't actually really think this do they?

Was also about to mention Russia. We definitely didn't stand alone, the Eastern Front was a huge factor in the Nazis losing

We don’t glorify it, we remember it, and acknowledge the sacrifices people made.
And with each anniversary there are fewer and fewer people left who were there at the time. These are people who often, by virtue of their age, are largely invisible most of the time. I think it’s important to show that we haven’t forgotten what they went through.
It’s also a valuable study and warning about human nature. The way that the nazis were able to gain power and brainwash a population is a salutary lesson, which shouldn’t be ignored.

Britain is fortunate that in the last few hundred years there had been little conflict carried out on this island otherwise. Other wars in our history were geographically more remote apart from the Civil War since the Tudors came to the throne.

The last civil war in the UK only ended in 1998.

My dad was born in 1932.
He lived through the war and remembers the aftermath. Alot of his friends were raised by single mums because their dads had been killed etc.

He never celebrated the end of the war. Never celebrated VE day. He mourned for the millions that died and the families it ended up without a father, a grandfather, a son, an uncle. To him, celebrating the end of the most horrific time in recent memory was bizarre and it shouldnt be about bunting and flags, but quietly revered, learned from and remembered in sombre and respectful fashion.
But that was him.

I’m not saying it should be forgotten. And it won’t be. But all of this “celebration”, just seems wrong to me. It seems nationalistic and insular.

No?
The usa didn’t enter into our war until Dec 8 1941 that would be almost 2.5 yrs standing alone.
Most of Europe had either been wiped out, starved out or occupied!
Russia let their own troops die of starvation after being invaded.
Australia, Canada and other commonwealth countries helped with troops etc, but for the most part we were alone as any island and Nation
My grandfather, his five brothers all went to war aged 19yrs and up, some came home but were never the same, some didn’t come home at all.
So for me, generally speaking, yes we did!

@ssd
Largely we did after the fall of Europe & until the invasion of Russia. We were the only opposition to Germany & Japan until the invasion of Russia & Pearl Harbour.

I hate the jingoism associated with the collective celebrations of both world wars and the way the far right organisations attach themselves to the way we memorialise both WWs.

And...
I have also avoided all the various street parties today. But I do feel we should think about the past, remember our history and we should learn from it. Not that we ever do..

Your post reminded me of going to see Schindlers List with a friend who wanted to walk out half way through because it wasn't 'cheerful'.

Are there not significant historical moments that you have lived through that have massive impacts on our lives as we know them OP that you would want your children to know about? The twin towers maybe?

Probably because it's the only positive thing about British history

"We stood alone against most of the world to defeat Germany."

Unfortunately, I think there are a lot of people who actually believe this. Mostly the types who spout off about "we didn't do x,y,z in the war to have this - insert something they don't like, often concerning Europe/immigrants/minority groups - happen!!" No, you didn't do anything in the war as you weren't even born, and the war was fought pretty much exactly for those types of freedoms. By approximately 100 million servicemen from more than 30 countries. Britain was far from alone, and we weren't just fighting Germany either.

There is a big difference between respectfully remembering and commemorating the losses and sacrifices whilst teaching the following generations what happened, and the little Britain jingoism that can often overtake these things.

I'm Irish and have no skin in that game so to speak but i think it a massively important part of recent history that should not be forgotten. Our holiday this autumn was to visit the Normandy beaches and museums with my children.

I was fascinated that my grandparents lived through this time, my parents were born during it and when i lived in London (and on holidays in France) you could still see physical evidence. It is recent history.

I'm glad to see people actually being patriotic for once in this country. I really admire how other countries in the world (even Wales and Scotland) are so proud of their country, yet the English never seem to be.

We stood alone against most of the world to defeat Germany.

I beg your fucking pardon?

That's why my Kiwi Great Uncle is dead, is it? That's why my father was trained as a fighter pilot to fight over here, is it?

You DID NOT STAND ALONE . You called in every bloody card you had. With the Kiwis, the Aussies, the Canadians, the Saffies, the Americans, and all the bloody rest.

If it happens again, you might just bloody find out what 'standing alone' is.