Robert Henry

This young man was my grandpa's uncle. Not long after this picture was taken he went to Northern France to fight for his country. He never came back. He was bayoneted in the trenches and has a grave, beautifully tended by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, at Lapugnoy Military Cemetary near Bethune. The Wonderspouse and I tracked him down with the help of the CWGC and visit him every time we're in that part of France. He's also the man after whom my father was named.

It struck me this morning as I watched, on the news, a bunch of "students" (I use the word in its loosest sense - "student" to me implies study, not thuggery) smashing things up because they MAY eventually have to contribute towards the real cost of their privileged education (IF they earn a good wage in years to come), that at their age, a whole generation of young men really did have something to complain about. Not even men who'd chosen to join the military, but ordinary young boys, living in terrible conditions, dying or being seriously injured, both physically and mentally. They also left behind thousands of agonized families whose lives would be changed for ever because of the losses on the battlefield.

I actually have quite a lot of interesting things going on today, many of which would have yielded a blip, but the importance of remembering what goes on on the battlefield is more important than any of them. Yes, there are things to protest about, lots of them - the racism, homophobia and other forms of prejudice that still pervade this country, the lack of resources for homeless people on the streets, the young families living in damp unsanitary conditions who have to choose between feeding their children or heating their homes, etc etc etc. I'm sure there are more, but I'm not an expert. That's before you even start think of the terrible suffering owing to natural disasters, such as in Haiti and Pakistan, or REALLY bad governments in parts of the world that most of us would rather forget about.

I wonder whether the money spent on policing and clearing up the mess would have been better spent on medicines for Haiti, on a meal for a homeless person, or even on educating young people about what has gone on, and still does go on, on battlefields round the world? I wonder whether the "students" who want to "do" something couldn't have thought of a more productive use of their time and energy?

How many of those privileged young people will stop bemoaning their lot at 11.00 this morning to remember those whose lives were tragically cut short?