WßD ~ Chapter 19 ~ A Century of Remembrance II (New Second Edition ~ September 2024)

Windsor Street Days

Chapter Nineteen

A Century of Remembrance II

New Second Edition (September 2024)

Introduction

First written on the 11 November 2020, its purpose was to highlight the uselessness of war. The Invasion of Ukraine by Russia was still seventeen months away. In Israel, Saturday 7 October 2023 could be imagined only by those of us who are aware of the fanaticism that underpins anti-Semitism. The horror of the Israel Gaza War and now the very distinct possibility of an Israel Lebanon War can seem unreal.

Much depends upon which person becomes the United States President-Elect on 21 November. A return to the 45th presidency will be a night so dark that people still do not seem to grasp what is at stake.

ON THIS ELEVENTH DAY OF THE ELEVENTH MONTH in the year of Our LORD 2020, it seems fitting, right, and proper to commence our family history with this Illustration and Video Clip of the unveiling of the Cenotaph in London by King George V and His Majesty’s acceptance of the Unknown Warrior by Gun Carriage, before it continued on to Westminster Abbey where it is now entombed.

The Armistice 1920 and the Arrival at the Cenotaph by gun carriage of the Unknown Warrior. The Image is by kind permission of the Historical Association, and the wording herein is also that taken from the HA Journal of which I am a member.

This silent Pathe Newsreel of nine minutes is an extraordinary and moving record of the Warrior’s Escort by French Armed Forces, thence by Royal Navy Ship flying astern at half-mast to the Port of Dover; thence to the Cenotaph in London. King George V wears army uniform, and we also see in his escort, officers of the newly created Royal Air Force, as the King receives the Warrior, lays the Wreath at the Cenotaph, and then leads the Escort behind the Unknown Warrior to Westminster Abbey.

Wir bauen die Brücken wieder auf | We rebuild the bridges

All of this very neatly dovetails with the brief story of my father’s elder brother, his end of days in woodland in Lachen Speyerdorf on the morning of April 17, 1943 and our family standing where the cockpit finally rested seventy-five years later on Saturday, August 4, 2018, when the Memorial was unveiled. So nothing more needs to be said here, for there is plenty elsewhere on this website regarding this.

 I briefly mention it because we have an example of mercy, compassion, and reconciliation ~ Mitgufühl, Barmherzigkeit und Versohnung.

When my friend Rita – aus Koblenz in Nordrhein-Westfalen - visited Der Gedenkstein[1] in late 2019 with her seven-year-old grandson, something extraordinary happened. For the first time, Rita felt that there was a Memorial also to her father and to her grandfather. Her father had fought and survived the last war, and her grandfather was killed in the Great War in 1914. Until now, Frau Schneeweiß had no tangible way, she felt, to focus on the two world wars. And it came home to me very clearly just how Germany, too, is still finding its way to coming to terms with the past.

And this is our whole reason. And Rita and I both believe and feel this passionately. To rebuild the bridges and re-establish civilization. Not an easy task in an age of populism and nationalism trying every which way to take the ground from underneath democracy.

Having custody of the family archive has introduced me to our relatives in both wars, and even further back, to India and to the Crimea, that hitherto had passed me by. Now, I know them. All of them. And this knowledge is without melodrama or petition of religion. And of the four in the two world wars  - Harry Marshall Senior, Frederick Marshall, Harry Marshall Junior, and Ken Webb Senior - I have that quiet and uplifting assurance that they all would counsel: Yes, Ken! That is what it means when you read the words written by John Edmunds in 1916:

For your tomorrow, we gave our today

In that briefest of moments

A crew returned

In Grace and in Peace

With Thankfulness

Pausing, oh so briefly ...

then departing

THE WIND

Part I

We hear it every year

and for almost thirty years

my task : to bring parades

to attention

Last Post and Reveille

That sublime Declaration

Spoken for all who fall in battle

And not only soldiers

But civilians too

At the going down of the Sun

And

In the Morning

We will remember them

There is a curious and almost

indescribable presence

when I stand to attention,

my hand in the salute

Colours of Squadrons are lowered

and gently draped

across the ground,

amongst the leaves,

in submission.

The silence is palpable

The Two Minutes has a unique character

It cannot be rushed

It cannot be stopped

It cannot be paused, even

The muscles begin to ache;

the slight discomfort forces me

to think still more of the horror of war,

of what countless people go through,

military and civilian,

and of my own relatives

now names upon a cenotaph

names in a field far, far away

one gone altogether,

unknown

and yet somehow, they all, always present

And then the sudden piercing

staccato call of Bugle

the Call to Reveille.

A great swirl and whirl

as the Colours rise up as one

from the ground,

lifted as if on eagle’s wings

leaves swirling the ranks

carried upon the wings of the wind

and by countless souls

within whom those Colours lay

There is meaning to life

Now it is the morning!

No longer must we mourn

Now we must bring ourselves to muster

Prepare for whatever the day

has in store for us

Regardless of who

and what we are

In the windows of the mind

... For many - their memories

Great Merlins roar to life again

Freedom roused, to slay

the temporary might of terror ...

My mind races back to the present

As the great refrain concludes

They gave their yesterday,

That we might have our today

Part II

In a far-off field

Six graves are quietly

tended by a girl

of all eleven years

Fräulein Kraus

Her mother’s quiet instruction…

Whispered in the nod ... the walls may have ears ...

Tend the graves of six

Place flowers there, quietly, secretly ...

Defiant to the decree upon pain of death

Or worse, visitation to concentration

A lifetime on,

eighty-five years…and counting

the names

remain etched as ever

upon that child’s mind

now seated on a bench

in quiet reflection

Er näherte sich leise                                                                                                                           He approached quietly

Guten Tag                                                                                                                                                                  Good day

Würdest du wissen, ob es hier einmal sechs Gräber gab?         Would you know if there were once six graves here?

Ja!                                                                                                                                                                                     Oh, yes!

Ich erinnere mich gut an alle sechs.                                                                                                  I remember them well.

Sergeant Ross

Sergeant Braybrook

Sergeant Brown

Sergeant Kay

Sergeant Williams

Sergeant Webb”

In no particular order

All are equal

Their flying helmets

placed upon simple crosses

bearing their rank and name

Part III

It mattered not that

they were the enemy

It mattered not

they brought

death and destruction

Freedom spoke through

the actions of this young mother

and her daughter

despite the dread sound each night

as the angel of death passed over

a strategic air offensive

Where tonight?

Was not Mannheim hit last night?

Surely not again ...

Freedom struck back at tyranny

in a field in far off England too

Near Moreton in Marsh

The crew of a Heinkel lay,

And villagers paid respect alike

A silent bridge reaching across

The cavernous divide of tyranny

War is a terrifying, horrific, unimaginable thing

Those who wage war lose sight of humanity;

Those on the receiving end

Never lose sight of humanity…

For they define humanity!

Neither side relent

Freedom stands resolute, patient, unyielding

And when at last signatures validate cessation

Freedom unites us as one again

Part IV

Aeons later, a Ceremony

Simple and yet majestic

Full of meaning

A language of the spirit

Uniting as one

Regardless of words,

It was a still and silent day

No wind

No movement of air

Stillness, not unpleasant

Reminiscent of happier times

in all lives ...

Of summer days

Of warmth and joy…and love

The Last Post - The final refrain

All stand to attention ... quietly

Not rigid

Not the stridency of ugly militarism

But an understanding;

A meeting of the minds

and of the will,

To never let this happen again

...Horchen! Nein ... Hört!!                                                                                                    …Hark! No ... Listen!!

Was ist das?                                                                                                                                        What is this?

Ein plötzlicher Wind                                                                                                                       A sudden wind

Keine Warnung                                                                                                                                    No warning

Niemand bewegte sich                                                                                                                      Nobody moved

Niemand wollte, dass dieser Wind vergeht                                                        Nobody wanted this wind to leave

Hier in einem Moment                                                                                                                Here in a moment

Eine Intensität                                                                                                                                     An intensity

Ein Flüstern                                                                                                                                             A whisper

Heben Sie kurz die Flagge                                                                                                      Briefly raising the flag

Vom Boden                                                                                                                                             from the soil

...und verschwand                                                                                                                                  ...and gone

Many a heart that day

though silent

knew nonetheless ...

That in the moment

In that briefest of moments

A crew returned

In Grace and in Peace

With Thankfulness

Pausing, oh so briefly ...

then departing

The first leaf of Autumn

Spiralled gently to the ground

And then another

And another

Until a little girl

Ran forward, laughing

Collecting seven leaves

Of varying shades and colours

Her mother bending down

Affirming that, yes, she will take

great care of this gift

... A radiant smile…warmth in the eyes

Ja liebes. Jetzt herrscht Frieden                                                                        Yes Dear. There is peace now

Written by the nephew of Sergeant-Pilot Kenneth Ernest Webb on March 22, 2017[1]

Pilot and Skipper of The Webb Crew HP Halifax Mk V DK 165 MP-E
76 Squadron, Linton-on-Ouse, Royal Air Force

This Poem is dedicated to Erik and Mrs. Wieman and Peter Berkel

And to Mr. & Mrs Manfred Watta

And to Frau Hedi Kraus, the Lady in Speyerdorf Cemetery

And her Sons Gerald and Hans and to her Mother

And wider family

And to Alfred Rech

And his family

Whose records have enabled

The crash site to once again

glimpse the Light of Day 

Im Namen des Internationalen Friedens | In the Name of International Peace

Die Bürstenstreiks der Freiheit und Demokratie kehrten zurück. | The brushstrokes of freedom and democracy returned.

Frau Hedi Kraus. Samstag, August 4. 2018 Lachen-Speyerdorf, Deutschland. Between 1943 and 1947 Hedi regularly placed flowers upon the six graves of the Webb Crew of DK 165 MP-E, and believe me, it is a wonderful thing each April 16-17, to have flowers delivered to Hedi on behalf of “meine Crew”. The Bridge that Rita and I speak of above is the bridge originally laid quietly in place right under the nose of the authorities that, had they found out, would have brought tragedy to her entire family. Kenneth Webb Jr.

This Image and Caption is by kind permission of the Imperial War Museum to whom all rights are reserved

In conclusion, I thought I'd share these two lovely photographs with the family and with readers. I came across the first just now when reading my IWM membership Covid details ... As you know, I have intense pride that both my uncles were SNCO Royal Air Force Sergeants at the time of this photograph in World War II, and this gives me, and all of us, yet another glimpse into THEIR world - the REAL world - and their sergeants’ chevrons in the presentation cabinet behind glass upstairs suddenly became priceless beyond measure, especially as neither survived that war, these being returned to their parents with their personal belongings.

This, for me, is what life is all about.

The second photograph I came across was in the local Museum in my town of Winchcombe. What a ‘find’!

War hits everyone. I mentioned the importance of the Memorial in Lachen-Speyerdorf to Rita. My paternal grandmother was firm in her advice to me to not hold grudges, and to definitely not see the German People as the enemy. Grandma had a way with words and the gentleness conveyed, belied the iron determination in the eyes; eyes that always showed both kindness and resolve and determination. Moreover, a sentiment quietly taught to me and my sisters by our parents and all four grandparents. So it is right and proper to end with this paragraph written by Rita in German and English. WinchcombeMuseum show photographs recording the lives of German prisoners of war in January 1946. When I first saw this photograph - for I know Greenings House in Gretton Road well - this beautiful image of normality took me aback. All I could think, over and over and over in my mind, both then and on the drive home and ever since then - how on earth did any of us allow a maniac to hoodwink the world?

Having just passed August 24, 2022 and six months duration of the War in Ukraine (the War in Europe), it seems that human nature has not learned.

On public display in the museum in Winchcombe are photos recording the lives of German POWs in January 1946. When I first saw this photo, for I know Greenings House in Gretton Road well, this beautiful image of normality took me aback. All I could think, over and over and over in my mind, both then and on the drive home and ever since then - how on earth did any of us allow a maniac to hoodwink the world?

There are so many individual fates behind the enormous and unbelievable numbers of casualties of the wars. By telling the story of your family and also including my grandfather, you are leading them out of anonymity. You give those countless anonymous fates of war an individual face. I want to tell you today how much I appreciate that.

Cover Picture: Flight Sergeant Flight Engineer Harry Marshall RAF VR (RCAF) 1337884, the author’s maternal uncle
and part of the Payne Crew - Flight Lieutenant Leslie Payne RCAF,
and who all took to the skies for a final time on the night of January 16-17, 1945
from RAF Gransden Lodge in Cambridgeshire, England, United Kingdom

It has been a great privilege to write Parts I & II of Chapter Twenty, Windsor Street Days. It merely reflects, as in a mirror, the experiences of billions the world over; this family’s story is very small in comparison to that which many can testify.

Populism and Nationalism go hand in hand. Nationalism will argue that it is fully attuned to democracy. I hear that being said even this week. Democracy is a priceless word, fully recognized by those of us who are fortunate to live with freedom of expression, freedom of movement, and freedom of will.

But we know only too well that that word, in its naked state, shorn of dignity as it is dragged to execution stake, is the very word that the hitlers, stalins, bullies, and tyrants use as a framework to their totalitarian ideologies. Note well those two words. One demands total obedience, and the other demands total acceptance of some ideal. Both are anathema to what we, in this family, have come to take for granted: our democratic freedom.

Writing that paragraph in November 2020, I admit that my grave misgivings about the newly elected occupant of the Oval Office at that time did not foresee the events of January 6, 2021, on Capitol Hill. And whilst my 2016 notes see me pondering whether such a thing could happen with that new odd-bod presidency, I always hedged away from publically drawing parallels with Nazi Germany. As the family knows, however, I did not hedge away from such views within our family. That lingering doubt, however, was firmly dispatched when I listened to Herr Maas Heiko, German Foreign Minister on January 7 directly comparing Capitol Hill with the burning of the Reichstag in 1933, a set-up by Hitler to enable him to then outlaw all political parties and declare his Nazi dictatorship four weeks later, and which the German Chancellor Angela Merkel emphasized afresh in her address hours later.

Let us, as a family, never allow the sacrifices made by four of our family in two world wars from drifting off into the mists of time. We have a duty to ensure that this history is allowed to touch the rudder in our lives as we progress on through this century. The major part of this century is in the hands of our children and grandchildren. What we, the 20th Century Generation must do, is to ensure that we equip them all well to make the right decisions and to prevent, autocrats and dictators from having their way.

That is a much harder task than we think. But with good sense and an absence of selfishness - that unwholesome characteristic that has now alighted human nature - we can all still enable the great democracies and personal freedom to prevail.

Oh, it’s not as bad as all that! You’re exaggerating.

But I end this chapter with my eye on the biggest challenge of all: Climate Change.

But how can you draw these two together?

Take a look at Mount Everest. We admire those who aspire to reach the roof of the world. These are people to be admired and respected. Until we see the detritus that thousands of them leave behind on the slopes … huge accumulations of rubbish, tents, gear, you name it, it’s there! That is what I mean by this new age of selfishness. Not only has it alighted human nature, but it has also blighted human nature.

27 September 2024
All Rights Reserved


LIVERPOOL

© 2024 Kenneth Thomas Webb

Digital Artwork by © KTW

First drafted on 11 November 2020, revised on 16 January 2021 as the complete chapter and last published on 28 August 2022

EPILOGUE

The Epilogue comprises the Memorials written by Mr Graham Sacker in HELD IN HONOUR Volume Two Cheltenham and the Second World War, and which are now formally placed within the family archive.

Mum with Flt Lt Payne - pilot and skipper - when the crew visited Cheltenham in 1944 six weeks before they were all KIA. The photograph is reproduced by kind permission of Ms Linda Payne of Canada, the niece of Les Payne, and is a page from her Uncle’s contemporaneous photograph album.

And here we see the informal portrait … that same smile captured countless times through our lifetimes with Mum and their younger brother Frank. That hint of fun, and as Mum put it, ‘“Harry used to give a wink with his eye that was barely noticeable, but meant, ‘don’t worry our Nance, I’m pulling Dad’s and Mum’s leg!’” The thing is, Mum was still doing this in 2016, and Frank too in 2018! Something I could never quite master! “You’re supposed to do it without noticing; not screwing your whole face up Ken!” Wonderful memories. Ha-Ha!!!! Life does indeed go on!!!! KTW IBM 2021

[1]  The Memorial Stone

The Horror of War

Disintegrating Over Hamburg, 1943. An artist’s rendition.

The Horror of War

Mid-Air Collision 16-17 January 1945. An artist’s rendition.