On Sat, 06 May 2017 10:51:33 -0400, Andrew Chaplin
<
ab.ch...@yourfinger.rogers.com> wrote:
>> I read, "Later in 1968 on 13 October the Museum was attacked by
>> an arsonist, Timothy John Daly, who claimed he was acting in protest
>> against the exhibition of militarism to children. He caused damage
>> valued at approximately Ł200,000, not counting the loss of
>> irreplaceable books and documents. On his conviction in 1969 he was
>> sentenced to four years in prison." For whatever ill defined reason,
>> it struck me as quite anti-war.
>>
While I appreciate that was 1968 (which was a big year for protests
generally) I find it hard to believe any person who had actually been
through the Imperial War Museum could think it was about the
glorification of militarism.
I was there last June and they had 3 main exhibits - a permanent one
on the Holocaust, one on the Cold War (which I misssed as time was
getting on and I wanted time in the shop - and didn't want a repeat of
what had happened at the Greenwich Observatory where an hour before
closing a large group of school kids entered and basically took over
the place so you couldn't see anything and they closed PROMPTLY at
4:30pm so we weren't allowed in the gift shop there) and one on the
Somme.
When you left the Somme exhibit you couldn't miss the statistics given
in huge letters over the exit. The one that hit me hardest was the one
that said that 55% of British and Empire troops killed in WW1 (note:
not just the Somme battle) HAVE NO KNOWN GRAVE.
Now while I'm prepared to believe a few names have slipped by the
Imperial War Graves Commission that's a horrendous statistic and only
the most emotionless could fail to be profoundly moved.
How that can glory militarism is beyond me..