German wreath at the cenotaph

Thank you Annie. I hope life is a little easier for you now. x ?

I think it was right. From what I've read a huge number of German forces were recruited unwillingly, and died pointlessly. Especially towards the end when they were losing. Just because of the mad ideas of a megalomaniac and his followers.
Even Simone Veil, the 1st president of the European Parliament, who as a Jew had been interred at Auschwitz, and lost members of her family there, made it her priority to establish friendly relations between France and Germany. To promote peace and avoid further wars.

I was pleased too, and also much impressed with M. Macron’s speech. Could so easily have been banal, and to say what he did about patriotism versus nationalism to an audience containing Putin and Trump was bold and just right.

I agree Jalima. Please let us know what he thinks.

I am meeting an 'old soldier of WW2' soon for lunch and will ask him what he thought.
I think I know his answer though.

No, I thought it was a wonderful thing to do.

I do know some British soldiers who married German girls many years ago now, admittedly after the war; one of them, our dear friend, has just lost his German wife of 63 years. Some of the children of these marriages are nearly my age, so they would have married just after WW2.

I think my DF would have been pleased and he was in WW1 and WW2.

niggly x

Great post Maw - Opal please read or watch 'the Book Thief', and you might understand how so many Germans were victims of their own leaders.

With all due respect Opal I suspect your father fought to prevent the Nazi Swastika flying over Whitehall.
There were many brave Germans who resisted Hitler too.

Of course everyone is entitled to their opinion, but, having lost two close family members, to WW2 plus another member who was a POW for four years, I feel very strongly that the only way forward is for true reconciliation, and in that spirit I welcomed the German Presidents gesture, and feel that it must have taken a certain courage for him to join us in our remembrance, not quite knowing what sort of reception he would get from the general public. What my relatives would have thought is impossible to know, but I'd like to think that they'd feel that it was a good thing, after all Germans were young men too and these two tragedies were a complete waste of young lives whoever they were.

I think we have to embrace reconciliation and healing past enmity. It no longer exists.

Varian, we are not falling out with our European neighbours - we are merely choosing not to be influenced/controlled/governed by them. We shall continue to live in harmony after Brexit.

I thought the German wreath was befitting and a gesture of solidarity against the dreadful sacrifices made in war.

I agree we should strive for peace, but whilst there are old soldiers still alive who remember fighting the Germans during WWII, I do not feel they (the German nation) should be given the privilege of laying a wreath at our national memorial. As for Trafalgar and Waterloo - well, as my point above, there is no one left with living memory of those battles. I just feel it's a bit too soon, when the brave men and women who lived through the horrors of WWII and lost loved ones end up having to watch a representative of their old foe laying a wreath at our cenotaph, which was built to remember OUR war dead. Not trying to antagonise anyone here, it's just my opinion, and I speak as the very proud daughter of an old soldier who served abroad throughout the war and went through some horrendous battles. He sadly passed away five years ago, but the horrors of war never really left him. I honestly don't believe he would have appreciated the sight of Germany's colours on the cenotaph - he fought to ensure the German flag did not fly over our country. Just saying ...

I was very moved to see the German President there. He. like nearly all of us and most Germans living today, had no direct experience of either WW1 or WW2.

We should surely all have learned by now that our best possible future is as members of a united European community.

What SpanielNanny said. I can't put it any better.

I thought it was so right

I thought it was a lovely gesture, long overdue.
Two nations coming together to honour those who made the ultimate sacrifice. I think it embodies the spirit of remembrance beautifully.

It was an act of reconciliation and one should never reject that.

I can't see the problem. The "us and them" mentality is what got us into the mess in the first place. If a German states person wants to honour those who died (of whatever nationality) then hooray say I.

No I don’t. Isn’t striving for peace what it is all about?
If we can invite Gerry Adams to Buckingham palace how can we bear a grudge against modern Germany for years gone by?
Who were we fighting at Trafalgar and Waterloo?
Oh, the French, lets continue to hate them shall we?
Forgive does not mean forget.

I might be alone on this one but it did not concern me.

Given the reason / meaning behind Remberence Day
I think it was appropriate and I see it as an acceptance of the uniting of enemies in peace.

I thought that it was about time they were allowed to honour our dead.