Musing

I got thinking after yesterday's post that two of my most memorable comedy moments are inspired by WWI.

The first, naturally, is the brilliant closing scene from Blackadder Goes Forth where Edmund and the boys go over the top and the scene morphs into a Flanders poppy field. Incredibly poignant.

The other is from Dad's Army. Private Godfrey has been exposed as a concientious objecter during the first war and he is ostracized by the other men. Capt Mainwaring won't spare Godfrey from anything and insists he goes through a smoke filled chamber as part of a training exercise. Godfrey is second last out and seeing that his Captain is not out he goes back to rescue him.

The platoon visit him in his house where he is in bed recovering from mild smoke inhalation. There is a picture of the young Godfrey in military uniform wearing the Military Medal and the platoon discover that though he refused to fight he enlisted in the Medical Corps as a stretcher bearer, and was responsible for a tremendous act of heroism in rescuing several wounded soldiers from No Man's Land under heavy fire.

Funny? No but very moving TV showing the comedy can sometimes get issues across much better than supposedly more serious pieces.

I got thinking further on this after reading Ally on Ducking for Apples link to an article in the Independent. The supposed "War on Terror" has led to the government introducing legislation to curb our rights. All on the pretext that we don't want 9/11 happening here. But that is totally missing the point. The young Men & Women who fought two World War's didn't go over the top just to protect us they did it to preserve away of life. It means innocent until guilty (and not until some tabloid hack says so), it means trial by jury "12 good men strong and true". It means freedom of speech.

Yes politicians have a duty to protect the country BUT if by defending the country they change irrevocably what it means to be British then frankly I wish they wouldn't bother.