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

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Grateful they went through the horrors and learnt to try and prevent it from happening again.

Im grateful that my grandfather came back from WW1 .

I'm grateful for everything they did for our country. They did without so much and so many lives were lost. I'm grateful to my Great Grandad and that he was here to tell the story.

The right to vote

For believing in the national identity of our country and doing the ulitimate to prove it.

I'm grateful to the conscientious objectors, especially those like the Quakers who worked to support wounded soldiers, refugees, enemy aliens etc who suffered as a result of the war.

I think it's a really important message for my own generation, that one can fundamentally disagree with a policy and actively protest that policy, while still finding the humanity to work for the people who are negatively affected by the policy. I also think it's very brave to go to prison for your beliefs, as many conscientious objectors did.

I am grateful that my life is not very different as it may well have been without those brave people that fought in the war

I'm grateful to all that fought for giving their time and often lives to fight for us to have a future.

I am grateful to all the brave men and women that fought in the war and gave their lives for generations of the future

Everything we have today

I am grateful for the brave people who fought to give us our freedom. Women were recruited into jobs. There were leaps in medicine and first aid as well.

I am grateful to those who went and never came back. And to those who came back forever changed.

I'm grateful that the sacrifice they made allowed us to make a better world that would have otherwise been the case.

Our freedom, it would be such a different world now, if it wasn't for all those brave men and women. (And not for the better!)

freedom for us and loyalty and sacrifice shown by them

Teaching us the utter pointlessness of war

Freedom

Greateful for the freedom that they gave us.

I’m grateful for everything. People sacrificed so much, it’s incredible.

I have an appreciation for those who fought for our freedom - but those unsung heroes who 'kept the home fires burning' - the land army who fed the country, worked in the factories and prayed for their loved ones, and waited for the time when they returned home. I appreciate - but cannot comprehend what my great grandparents went through. A neighbour of mine growing up was an ex Japanese POW - he always looked emaciated - but was a proud man - who lived into his eighties - but never spoke of his experience, I am so appreciative of how he must have controlled his inner demons to return from such a life changing experience - to become a friend, neighbour, mentor and hero.

I am grateful for those who fought and died, especially the black and asian troops from what were then British colonies whose contribution to the war goes largely unrecognised.

I am grateful for their sacrifices and bravery which have left us in a society where we are free to speak our minds and do not live in fear.

It has to be womens' rights for me. Women gained so much more freedom during WWI and it helped with getting women the right to vote. We owe that generation so much

I am grateful to my great grandad & all his fellow soldiers who fought to keep Britain Great. I hope that all future generations will realise what they did for us & continue to honour & respect them

I've grateful for their sacrifice so that we can live the life we are living now. They lost their lives to make sure we weren't ruled by others.