Mumsnet users share the things they’re grateful to the First World War generation for with The Royal British Legion

[JustineBMumsnet]

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In light of the 100 year anniversary of the end of WW1, The Royal British Legion would like to hear about the ways you’re grateful for those who served, sacrificed and changed our world.

Do you have an appreciation for the incredible women who helped change women’s role in society, leading many more women to work in jobs outside the home? Are you grateful for the medical advances that were made out of necessity that benefit so many today, like plastic surgery and blood banks? Or perhaps you’re grateful for product innovation like the wristwatch, teabags or sanitary towels? Maybe you’d like to thank the children who took on extra responsibilities like helping MI5, even though it meant they grew up too fast?

If you’d like to find out more about the contributions made 100 years ago, please click here.

See what Mumsnet Co-Founder Justine Roberts is thankful for below:

If you have any family stories or photos that make you feel grateful for your ancestors of 100 years ago, please feel free to share these below.

All who post below will be entered into a Mumsnet prize draw where one MNer will win a £300 voucher for the store of their choice (from a list).

Thanks and good luck!

MNHQ

Insight Terms and Conditions apply

I am grateful for everyone who took part and for the courage that they showed throughout the conflict and for standing up for our great country.

giving up their everyday lives to do something extraordinary that meant we can live in relative peace

Just now, with "Keep the Home Fires Burning" being played at the Cenotaph, I'm thinking of the civilians killed in WWI, including the writer of that song.

Lena Guilbert Ford was an American who lived in London; she was killed in an air raid on London in March 1918.

(As said by PP, I can't associate WWI with gratitude, but I remember those who were part of it.)

I agree with Dione TheDiabolist. I am grateful to those who spoke of the horrors of war and of doubt as to the purpose. We need to stop taking on trust the statements of politicians about the necessity of wars. The acts of heroism and the ability of people to maintain their humanity in such circumstances are admirable; honouring the victims of war should not be used as an excuse for glorifying the wars themselves.

I'm grateful for all those who sacrificed their lives and signed up to the army in an instant.

I’m grateful for my granddad who fought and died for us during the First World War. I regret that I could never meet him, except in the memories of my grandmother. I thank them for their bravery.

This year I'm particularly thinking of the African families I've been researching, and other Africans who served in the Great War.

The lad who'd been interned as a child in the concentration camps of the Boer War and lost his mother, but who 16 years later volunteered in the South African Overseas Expeditionary Force served with the Allies around the Mediterranean.

The South Africans killed fighting at Delville Wood on the Somme. The hundreds of southern African volunteers who died without ever seeing the enemy when the troopship SS Mendi was sunk in the English Channel. The hundreds of thousands of conscripts who died in the East African campaign, often from disease.

We will remember them.

I am thankful to those who gave up there lives so future generations could live in freedom

our safety and the fact that we are free is due to those men and women

Why are people still banging on about freedom in relation to WW1? I’m astonished at the ignorance on this thread.

I’m grateful to the pacifists. The ones who made huge personal sacrifices to stand up and speak up against a war that should never have been fought.

NeverTwerk because people actively don't want to know. It's not like the causes of WW1 are exactly hidden or even especially controversial, it's basic GCSE-level history. But deciding that it was actually about freedom and democracy makes people feel good about themselves, I guess. Personally I think it's a much greater insult to the memory of those servicemen to forget that they gave their lives in vain. Its exactly this fingers-in-ears, jingoistic 'they gave our lives for our todays' nonsense about WW1 that enables politicians to keep on sending our young men to their deaths, again and again and again. It will never stop.

Indeed we have used the excuse of freedom to fight just about every twentieth century war. Iraq and Afghanistan was also fought for our freedom I believe.
WW1 was meant to be the war to end of all wars yet the war machine just carries on. When we are not fighting in some foreign soil for this elusive freedom we are selling weapons to dubious regimes.
The poor tommies of WW1 had no other option other than make the ultimate sacrifice if they didn’t want to be shot for cowardice.

It's just everything really isn't it. I know our world has troubles, but at the end of the day, we in the UK especially don't have it to bad do we. Freedom to travel and the ability to bring our families up in relative peace and safety.

The hard work and sacrifices they made so that we have democracy and the freedoms we enjoy today and sometimes take for granted. They didn't have an awful lot and were not materialistic, but made do with what they had to win the war and secure freedom for so many.

their sacrifice, our freedom and making sure evil didnt prevail

I'm grateful for the freedom we have in day to day life thanks to those who fought for it

For everything, for being brave enough, strong enough, resilient enough, and also a little ashamed at how pathetic we've become :-(

Grateful to and proud of my ancestors who fought or contributed in any way to us winning both wars against an oppressive regime who would have taken over our country. We have freedom because of them.

I'm grateful to him. That's my great great uncle. Died on the Somme. He gave us his tomorrow so that we could have our today.

I'm grateful that their effort and lost lives, allowed me to live freely. I'm so grateful for the reminder of what is important in life and nothing is worth the horrors of war.

Blood cancer treatments

bloodwise.org.uk/blog/how-did-weapon-war-became-blood-cancer-treatment?utm_source=twitter&utm_medium=social&utm_campaign=wwi&utm_content=chemo

Horrific way for an effect to be noticed. But what an amazing breakthrough

My parents were both alive in the first world war, so I'm grateful that they survived.

Not having to learn German, I have enough problems with English being dyslexic.. :)