War is hell

I was at my back door having a fag, listening to the ipod on random when June Talbour came on playing Walzing Matilda.  If you don’t know what I mean please take a moment to listen or read the lyrics.

June Talbour, Walzing Matlida

Lyrics to Waltzing Matilda :

Once a jolly swagman camped by a billabong
Under the shade of a coolibah tree
And he sang as he watched and waited till his billy boiled
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me 
Down came a jumbuck to drink at the billabong
Up got the swaggie and grabbed him with glee
And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me 

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me
And he sang as he stowed that jumbuck in his tucker-bag
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me 

Down came the squatter mounted on his thoroughbred
Up came the troopers One Two Three
Who's the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me 

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me
Who's the jolly jumbuck you've got in your tucker-bag?
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me. 

Up got the swaggie and jumped into the billabong
You'll never catch me alive said he
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me 

Waltzing Matilda, Waltzing Matilda
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me
And his ghost may be heard as you pass by that billabong
You'll come a-Waltzing Matilda with me

I’d heard it a few years back when I first met my boyfriend but having learnt more and more about  WWII, it brought tears to my eyes and an idea for this blog.  I think everyone should learn about it or at least think about just how lucky most of us are not having to be a part of the hell that is war.

I have watched a lot of films and documentaries about WWII and have added some good references at the end. 

The song is about WWI which, to be honest I don’t know much about; I am still learning about WWII.  We have just bought some WWII books from the charity shop that are massive – 9 volumes, so I imagine it is going to be a long while before I move on to reading something else.   http://www.ebay.co.uk/itm/WORLD-WAR-2-II-MAGAZINE-COLLECTION-ORBIS-BOOK-SET-8-VOLUMES-/251100507041

Maybe most people already know all this but I didn’t and if I were taught it at school, which I am sure I wasn’t, I don’t remember.

Not only is it an important part of our history and the world’s history but it’s an interesting and shocking series of events and stories involving real people. 

I’ve previously blogged about my trip to Krakow and the concentration camps but this is more of a general thought for the soldiers and families that endured the war and the comparison to life today.

Although it is really sad, it’s also a great relief that I will never have to send my loved ones off to war or live on rations or survive a blackout.  However, if we were ever drafted I know my Dad and boyfriend would go anyway and perhaps (as awful as this sounds) it would make the youth of today a whole lot more respectful. 

I can’t even begin to imagine a time where people lived in darkness so they were less likely to be air bombed.  It’s just incredible to me that even happened.

We are so molly coddled these days, to think of being made to fight for our country and possibly die, forced to leave home, leave our family, our kids, then endure the horrendous days of death, killings, survival, starvation, cold, heat, all the while just desperately trying to keep our ass’s alive.

Sitting in a trench and shooting another human being who probably wants to be there just as little as you do, who was also made to leave and fight; kill or be killed.  Who can get that these days? 

Unless you were there, I don’t think you can ever envisage the true horror.   It won’t hurt to learn and be thankful for our mamby pamby lifestyles. 

Knowing this stuff happened still means nothing because I haven’t had to do it; I am interested to learn and I have feelings, tears even for those who suffered but I will never ever get it.  Even visiting Auschwitz; actually being in the same gas chamber as those poor people, those millions who were killed, no I still can’t get it. My brain will never suffer the emotions, trauma, physical deterioration, mental torture of those in the war. 

As I say I don’t know so much, especially not about actual facts and timelines.  But in all of the things I have watched or books I have read, it is incredible what we can do to ourselves and others in times of war. 

Last night we were watching the military channel and it was in Saipan, it was estimated there were 20,000 civilians but they had only found 13,000.  Around 1000 of them jumped to their own deaths because they were afraid of being battered, raped or killed.  Again I am no expert here but I think in the Vietnam war that is what happened.  But then the Vietnamese were so sneaky they got civilians and children to carry in bombs or shoot the soldiers so part of me says how can you help the civilians if that is what they are being made to do.  I don’t know?

We have all seen the films of how close the soldiers become and how they protect one another and see so many of their ‘good men’ die. 

Taking shifts through the night to make sure they are not ambushed in the dark.  Imagine sitting alone in the dark, in the jungle having the responsibility for everyone’s safety, being so tired but having to keep an eye out for the enemy who at any time could come running through prepared and ready to kill.  On top of having to deal with the jungle in general or the conditions they were living in.    

There are some real general basics of war that most people know or assume.  

I remember my Dad telling me once that there were still people in the Vietnamese jungle who didn’t know the war was over.  

Most people know of Hitler and the Holocaust.  To really sit and watch these events being played out though and see people’s individual stories, you can learn so much.  A lot of the time it really depresses me but as I say, I almost feel like I am honouring these people by learning what they went through.   As with the Holocaust, people say it should never be forgotten, and the people who died should never be forgotten.  It feels pretty unrealistic sitting here now, that Hitler killed all those people and I still find it really hard to believe that after all that the bastard killed himself.  I don’t get it.           

 Youngsters have no respect; they have no idea what real hard work is and to be fair neither do I.  Even during the hardest most upsetting years of my life, I never starved, I never killed anyone and I have yet to know real tragedy within my life. 

There is so much to say but it’s really hard to put into words what war is like.  Going back to the beginning I think the song is a good summary.  All I know is how unbelievably brave all the men of all the wars are; what characters they must have been and what hell they must have seen, what terror must sit on their soul.  

To all those who didn’t fight but survived the loss of their husbands and sons, as much as I’m glad I never had to be a part of it, I only wish myself and the younger generation had an ounce of the strength, courage, respect and self sufficiency that those guys did.    

References

Box sets

The World at War

Band of Brothers

Pacific

Vietnam - Lost Films 

WWII - Lost films 

Prisoner number A26188 Henia Bryer (recently shown on the BBC)

Films

Apocalypse now

When we were soldiers

Full metal jacket

Platoon

The deer hunter

Saving private Ryan

The way back

Schindlers list

Books

Band of Brothers – Steven Ambrose

Citizen Soldiers – Steven Ambrose

Olgar Lengyel -  Five chimneys  

Bacon and leek potato bake

1/2 bag potatoes

4 leeks

2 cubes veg stock

2 garlic cloves

Pack of bacon

Double or single cream

Butter

This is one off the internet and I haven’t put my own pics in either as I seem to be missing my friggin phone wire.  I have picked a nice picture that resembles the one I make. 

It’s fairly cheap and healthy from what I remember, it was listed as a low calorie dish.  However it says to use 2 spoonfuls of cream and I do more like 10,  2 or 3 rashers and I do 7 or 8.  I never calorie count really, just eat it.

Saying that, I am not eating potatoes, pasta, rice or bread this week as I am starting to get old.  My parents did warn me I couldn’t eat like this forever.  *shock horror*  

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You may want to check the contents fit in the oven dish before boiling up.

Peel the spuds and cut into slices.

Chop the leek.

Put in a massive pan and fill with water, add the garlic and stock.  Partially boil for maybe 10 minutes.

Using a jug to siphon the water, save around 200ml of the stock and then drain.

Chop your bacon into little pieces.

Grease a large oven dish with butter.

Add the potato/leek gradually to a large oven dish.   Add the bacon bits and then another layer of potato, leek, so on and so on. 

Pour on the stock and cream, cover with tinfoil and put in the oven at 180 for 30 minutes.

Take the tinfoil off for the last ten minutes, so 40 in total.

Yum yum

   

Enjoy