WW1. Celebrate or just quietly remember?

My children all studied WWII at Primary school and then covered WWI in History lessons at High School. There is also an annual trip to Auschwiz for seniors who are doing History at A level. I do think that it's important to teach about such history and to provide a 'child appropriate' curriculum that can be built on in later years.
However, the 'anniversary' of the start of WWI should be commemorated by funding a school theme based on 'peace studies' in my view. We can never know, but I think many of those who died would approve of teaching children skills such as conflict resolution, co-operation, compromise, team building, positive affirmation etc. alongside facts about war.

No war is a cause for celebration but the "war to end all wars" is undoubtedly one for deep thought and sad remembrance. Aussies and Kiwis – all generations – will never forget the travesty of Gallipoli. There is a military museum in the North Island with a war memorial that consists of walls lined with greenstone (New Zealand jade) with a constant stream of water trickling down them. In the centre is the book of remembrance. A solemn but not pompous recorded voice reads through the book over and over – names, ranks, ages and place of death. Visiting there was one of the most moving experiences of my life.

50 years ago when I was at college we spent a term studying the First World War as part of our liberal studies. It was of course the 50th Anniversary then. We hadn't covered it when I was at school, but I learned so much about it at college and read All Quiet On The Western Front and Goodbye To All That and of course Wilfred Owen's poetry. I think the 100th anniversary will be a great opportunity to educate today's teenagers about the war and all that it meant.
Does anyone remember a drama series the BBC did years ago about a young country boy going off to join the Royal Flying Corps? I should love to see it repeated now.

My grandmother lost two brothers and a cousin in WW1, within a few months of each other. One brother had been a piano tuner, the other a signwriter, before they found themselves in the trenches. I don't think she or her parents or her sister would like the thought of celebrating the war.

Apparently recently on the Celebrity Jungle programme, one of the participants, Joey, was asked when the First World War ended, and said something ridiculous like 1987.

This made me wonder what the "younger generation" know about WW1. I asked people at work when they war ended, (not stupid) all under 30, and several didn't know - 1920 ish, 1917, were the best guesses.

I was saddened and disappointed to think they either hadn't been taught this at school, and that all that sacrifice and bloodshed has been forgotten by the younger generation, or that they just aren't touched by it.

Maybe what should happen is that a lot of informative programes should be shown on TV - but I suppose they wouldn't watch them any way. I don't know what is taught at school now - but it's very sad.

My family suffered losses as well.
My DH's uncle was killed in the closing months of 1918 at the age of 22. After DH's mother died we found among her photos one of her brother, in his uniform, sitting beside his girlfriend.MIL had wrote on the back,'' my brother (name) on leave from the war. He was killed when he went back.''
She hardly mentioned him, but clearly treasured his last photo.

My grandmother had a cousin who was also killed in 1918, aged just 18. She named my uncle, born three years later, after him.

When I was a child WW2 was still fresh in everyone's minds.They hardly spoke of WW1.

I so agree with you papaoscar. It gives me the creeps on Remembrance Sunday when politicians are out there vying for the best camera angle - finger down throat emoticon required here.

I am not sure how it might best be commemorated. I am very much against flogging the subject to primary school children - I think it should only be taught to those in secondary school.

As in most wars, it was the innocent and powerless who suffered and we must find a way of remembering and honouring them. I do not think it needs to cost a lot of money - maybe there should be a collection to improve the lot of those new innocent and powerless people who are fighting wars at the behest of their political masters.

Maybe the commemoration should be in the form of a joint occasion to include all sides in the conflict. Innocent and powerless German soldiers were sent to their deaths too.

You express views with which I agree. Remember not celebrate. I am concerned that the anniversary should not be high-jacked by jingoistic politicians or others for xenophobic or other reasons. I am concerned by Mr Gove's recent bombastic attempt to broadcast his own partisan version of WW1 and would rather the government spend £50m on preventing future wars than propagating false myths. Those who suffered were innocent heroes. Those who caused their suffering were monsters unworthy to be called human beings.

The futility of the 1914-1918 war should be remembered as a warning how not to behave.

The countries involved were so hooked up on their Nationalistic pride and Imperialist ideals they did not even consider other ways of dealing with the situation.
WW2 was a very different situation.

As Wilfred Owen put it..

"My friend, you would not tell with such high zest
To children ardent for some desperate glory,
The old Lie: Dulce et decorum est
Pro patria mori."

You can hardly "celebrate" it! Commemorate it definitely.

It should be marked in some way but I agree with Mollie that it should not be some great meaningless show. Educational programmes in schools, lectures and talks about the historical background and a replay of the excellent war series on WWI perhaps. The latter had a profound effect on me I must say.

We shouldn't celebrate the war but we should celebrate the brave men who went to war and acknowledge the women who waited, many in vain. We should acknowledge that it happened, in the hope that it won't happen again.

My family lost members during the Somme so the war touched us too. I don't think it was a great victory for so many reasons, we lost too many man for very little gain and the sanctions sowed the seeds for WW2 so why celebrate? We should mark it some how but my choice would be quiet reflective remembrance and not some great meaningless show.