London has had an extensive war history. From early invasions to the great war(s). All the wars have had an affect on soldiers in battle and their families, the city's infrastructures, and civilian casualties. But war also has had a tremendous effect on a group often dismissed- children. I found it really interesting that the Imperial War Museum designed an exhibition dedicated to children- how they were affected by the war- called 'The Children's War'. An object that really stood out to me was the Headstone of Raymond Steed. Located at the enterance (right side) in between the Violet Webb Gravestone and the bronze sculpture commemorating more than 4,000 people of Liverpool and Bootle who lost their lives during the air rades of 1940-1942. The headstone belonged to Raymond a 14 year old who became the youngest boy to die on active service during the war. He served with the Merchant navy as a galley boy and was killed when his ship hit a mine of the coast of North Africa on 26 April 1943.Sadly he wasn't the only boy to die, overall 3,547 boys under age 18 died on active duty. His headstone was heartbreaking and made me realize that everyone is affected by war- even those who have no real business being in it. Not only did young boys die in service but many died as civilian casualties and many more were dislocated from their homes and parents. Many kids were shipped off to other regions or countries and many didn't see their families for years to come- even after the war. This exhibit and especially the headstone shows the price of war- and really gives a new perspective on war (through the eyes of children). It really takes into account the fact that those who end up being effected the most are those who had the least say on it- women and children. Having a younger sibling and living in a country who is currently at war- I couldn't fathom how it would have felt to be in active duty at such a young age or to be separated from your parents and send off to another family that you don't know- or in general how it felt to be so young living under violence [terror]. But by seeing this exhibitions it really gives people like myself, who haven't experience the effects of war directly, and opportunity to get a slight sense of how life was for many younger children (and civilians) during the war.-Ariana
Wednesday, 21 April 2010
Imperial War Museum
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I loved the children's exhibit as well! But I guess you know me, and how much I love kids! It was so sad to hear about the kids who got stuck with families who treated them horribly such as not feeding them and making them do hard labor, and then it was nice to hear about the kids who had never been in the country side before or who were poor and were able to play and eat as much as they wanted in the countryside.
ReplyDeleteI was also very impacted by "The children's War." It made me think about how many kids all over the world are forced to grow up to fast and lose the opportunity to have a real childhood. Not necessarily because of war but for many other reasons. The saddest think I could really think about is a child not given the opportunity to be a child. Even in the states you have kids being influenced by gang, drug, and violence into a life they strips them of their carefree childhood. It is even worse to see that the outrage of people to move and do something about it is not very strong.
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