Kids today won't know anyone from the war

[raindropbox]

Our grandparents or parents were children during the war, and they had stories from their parents or grandparents, who had lived experience of WW1.

So we had a direct connection with somebody with first-hand experience of the world wars. It just occured to me that babies born now won't have that.

Does that mean WW1/2 will feel as distant to them as the victorians do to us? Will it have some kind of subconscious impact on society?

It's also the last war that England has been involved in

Why single out England? It wasn’t involved in WW2 as sovereign state, just as one part of the UK as whole.

Not yet but will be true of our children’s children.
My 7 and 11 year old know their great Nan and grandad, both alive still, both children during the war who were evacuated.

@Oakbeam because the preoccupation isn't as prevalent in other parts of the UK.

@Presil How do you know that?

I have lived and worked in all the UK home countries, been married to a Scot, now spend half my time in Wales, and have noticed absolutely no difference.

Correct. It was more than threats and scares. Bombs in and outside London. As well as murders/assassinations.

That’s why I view it as a civil war.

It doesn’t have to be WWII to be a war or to be “living memory of war”

I'm 31. My maternal grandfather served in Burma, my paternal grandfather had a reserved occupation as he had a skilled engineering job. Both died before I was born. But both grand mothers were in their 20's during the war. I interviewed my grandma about her memories as part of a primary school project.

They have stayed with my aunt and uncle many times ( they have a place in Spain), apart from that probably 4 times a year ? DH's cousin twice removed we have met about every year, but remeber my DCs are late teens so are interested and ask questions and have for probrably the last 10 years.

It was - and is remembered as such by those who lived through it. The generation immediately after don't have much awareness (excluding those in NI) whereas ww2 has entered the national psyche in a much bigger way. I do think it's partly or even mostly because ww2 is comfortable, clear cut, we are the good guys. We like to think about it. (Those who actually lived through it didn't but the fewer of those that survive the more fuss is made about ww2 it seems). Whereas the troubles and other more recent wars are messy, we feel guilty etc.