ONE hundred years ago, a Daily Chronicle war correspondent Phil Gibbs recorded the grim events at Passchendaele...“there were other dead not touched by shell-fire, nor bullet, but by our own gas attack, rows of men lay clasping their gas masks, not being quick enough before the vapour of death reached them”.
In four months over half a million men and boys perished for five miles of Belgian mud, quote Lloyd George, “If people really knew, the war would be over tomorrow, but they don’t know and can’t know”, the press barons and state censors ensured most people never did get the truth.
Of course the real reason for the war was the European nations squabbling over land, who owns what, and Empire, papers released by the incoming government in Russia showed the secret carve up with France getting Syria, Russia getting Constantinople and five provinces of Turkey, Great Britain receiving Mesopotamia with partition of Persia (Iran) between Great Britain and Russia, nailing the lie about helping “little Belgium.”
Yes honour our victims, but challenge the war criminals and big business that profit from bloody interventions.
Mr T King
Five Locks Road
Pontnewydd
Cwmbran
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