Lest You Forget: Five Pieces of Media For Remembrance

Mariah Loves Earth. Charlie Sarjeant. 2023

Growing up in Canada, Remembrance Day has always been a part of my life. But it was not a day that I actively observed until the last five years. I recall standing in my elementary school assembly, trying to stay quiet and not fidget, during the two-minutes of silence while the bugler played "The Last Post." At such a young age, it was hard for me to comprehend the gravity of Remembrance Day—let alone to understand war. I am fortunate that as a Canadian, war has not taken place in my country for longer than 100 years. In my eyes, the importance of observing Remembrance Day is to acknowledge the horrors that our ancestors have gone through and to not take peace for granted. We need to acknowledge how precious peace is in order to maintain it. Other countries have not been so fortunate. 

My great-grandfather, Charlie Sarjeant, enlisted for WWI on December 27th, 1915. He served in Canada, England, France, and Belgium. He was 17 years old when he joined the war and he was discharged when he was 20 years old for medical reasons. His unit was the Fifth Overseas Universities Company in the Canadian Expeditionary Force. On June 6th 1916, he arrived in France, on June 7th he embarked for his unit, and on June 9th he joined the Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry in field. A Proceedings of a Medical Board form (D.M.S 1394) states "This man was four months in trenches in France." He became ill in August 1916 in Flanders, Ypres Salient.  He was diagnosed with Trench Fever, D.A.H, and V.D.H.—which are heart conditions that were frequently noted in WWI. Medical History of an Invalid describes him as "slightly nervous, i.e. starts on a sudden sound." His Certificate of Service states that he received British War and Victory medals. It was fortunate that he survived the "Great War" when so many others perished. 

I would like to share an excerpt from one of the most phenomenal books I have ever read. It is called Now It Can Be Told by Sir Philip Gibbs (1920) who was one of five official British correspondents during WWI. It is as follows: 

Up in the salient something happened to make men question the weakness of the enemy, but the news did not spread very far and there was a lot to do elsewhere, on the Somme, where the salient seemed a long way off. It was the Canadians to whom it happened, and it was an ugly thing. On June 2nd a flame of fire from many batteries opened upon their lines of Ypres, and tragedy befell them…In the trenches just south of Hooge were the Princess Patricia’s Light Infantry, with some battalions of the Royal Canadian Regiment south of them, and some of the Canadian Mounted Rifles (who has long been dismounted), and units from another Canadian division at the extreme end of the line of front. It was those men who had to suffer the tempest of enemy’s shells.                                                                                                                                The bombardment continued without pause for five hours, by which time most of our front trenches had been annihilated…Hour after hour our gunners fed their breeches and poured out shells. The edge of the salient was swept with fire, and, though the Canadian losses were frightful, the Germans suffered also, so that the battlefield was one great shambles…Out of one party of twenty [Canadians] only five remained alive. "No one can say," said one of their officers, "that the Canadians do not know how to die." No one would deny that. Out of three thousand men in the Canadian 8th Brigade their casualties were twenty-two hundred. There were 151 survivors from the 1st Battalion Canadian Mounted Rifles, 130 from the 4th Battalion, 350 from the 5th, 520 from the 2nd. Those are the figures of massacre.

Eleven days later the Canadians took their revenge. Their own guns were but a small part of the huge orchestra of ‘heavies’ and field batteries which played the devil’s tattoo upon the German positions in our old trenches. It was annihilating and the German soldiers had to endure the same experience as their guns had given to Canadian troops on the same ground. (Gibbs, 1920, p.279-282)

Out of respect for the dead, I believe it is important to acknowledge the horrors of WWI and WWII during the month of November. I often say that no movie can accurately encapsulate what the soldiers experienced unless it is a horror movie. The media that I have listed is media that I have enjoyed and that has given me a better understanding of their experience. According to an article by History on the Net, up to 37 million people died in WWI and more than 60 million in WWII.

1. Now It Can Be Told by Sir Philip Gibbs (1920 book) 

Mariah Blanchard. Now It Can Be Told. 2023

This is by far, the piece of media I would recommend the most to understand WWI. As mentioned above, Sir Philip Gibbs was one of five British war correspondents during this time. Now It Can Be Told is his uncensored account of what occurred in WWI. He interviews soldiers, documents his own experiences, and creates an intimate human portrait of the war. It is not a popular book, but it really should be. If you frequently read about war you have to read this. It depicts the naiveté of the young men who entered the war with chivalrous intentions. 

  

It is a hard read, but I would definitely recommend it. You can read a free e-book edition through Project Gutenburg: 

https://www.gutenberg.org/files/3317/3317-h/3317-h.htm#link2H_4_0143

     2. All Quiet on the Western Front (2022 film) 

Empire Designs. All Quiet on the Western Front Theatrical Poster. 2022

Although originally a book by Erich Maria Remarque, All Quiet on the Western Front was released as a feature-length film in 2022. It is a German movie directed by Edward Berger. The general plot is that it shows the German perspective of a young man going to war on the Western Front. It depicts the naiveté of the Germans to what was occurring on the front lines and their suffering. There are no winners in war. It is difficult to watch and very graphic, but worthwhile. 

     3. 1917 (2019 film)

Empire Designs. Time is the Enemy. 2019

The 2019, feature-length film, 1917 is a British movie about one soldier's experience in WWI. It recounts a journey that the main character takes to deliver a significant message to the front-lines so that a doomed offensive can be called-off. It was directed and produced by Sam Mendes who cites its inspiration to be stories told by his paternal grandfather. It is an incredible film, very graphic, and heart-wrenching.

    4. At the Heart of the White Rose; Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl edited by Inge Jens (1984 book)

Mariah Blanchard. The White Rose. 2023

The White Rose was a resistant group comprising of students at the University of Munich during WWII. This is the published journals of siblings Hans and Sophie Scholl who took part in the resistance against the Nazi ideology. Hans Scholl was also a military conscript who witnessed the horrors of the Russian front. They published leaflets to encourage their fellow Germans to resist taking part in the war and in the Nazi beliefs. The journals depict their internal motivations and thoughts on the war. They tell an incredibly powerful and sad story. 

     5.  Butcher's Tale by The Zombies (1968 song)

The Zombies are a British band who released their album Odyssey and Oracle in 1968 which included the song Butcher's Tale. It tells the tale of a British soldier on the front lines who wants to leave. With its haunting organ music and sorrowful lyrics every time I listen to it I want to cry. The lyrics are as follows: 

A butcher, yes that was my trade But the King’s shilling is now my fee A butcher I may as well have stayed For the slaughter that I see And the preacher in his pulpit Sermoned ‘Go and fight, do what is right’ But he don't have to hear these guns And I bet he sleeps at night - And I-I-I… And I can’t stop shaking- my hands won’t stop shaking My arms won’t stop shaking- my mind won’t stop shaking I want to go home- please let me go home Go home And I have seen a friend of mine Hang on the wire like some rag toy And in the heat the flies come down And cover up the boy And the flies come down in Gommecourt, Thiepval, Mametz Wood and French Verdun If the preacher he could see those flies Wouldn’t preach for the sound of guns - And I-I-I… And I can’t stop shaking- my hands won’t stop shaking My arms won’t stop shaking- my mind won’t stop shaking I want to go home- please let me go home Go home

                   

Citations

“All Quiet on the Western Front (2022 film)” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 3 November 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/All_Quiet_on_the_Western_Front_(2022_film).

Gibbs, Philip. Now It Can Be Told. Star Books, 1920. 

"How Many People Died in WW1? A Look at the Numbers" History on the Net
© 2000-2023, Salem Media. November 11, 2023 <https://www.historyonthenet.com/how-many-people-died-in-ww1>

“1917 (2019 film)” Wikipedia, The Free Encyclopedia, Wikimedia Foundation, 31 October 2023, https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/1917_(2019_film)

“The Zombies - Butcher's Tale (Lyric Video).” Youtube, uploaded by The Zombies Music, April 19 2017, https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Rqr7ohMkuQA

Scholl, Hans and Sophie Scholl. At the Heart of the White Rose; Letters and Diaries of Hans and Sophie Scholl. Plough Publishing House, 1984.