Springburn at War 1914-1918

The ultimate sacrifice

The Red Poppy is a symbol of remembrance, peace and compassion for everyone who suffered the tragedy of war, or the peace keeping conflicts still going on today.

It commemorates the lost generation that numbered over 9 million soldiers who died. About one in eight of those who served was killed. It is difficult to grasp the sheer scale of the slaughter - some 3 million German dead, 1.3 million French, 0.8 million British. More Russians died than members of any other nationality. The Western front was where the war was won and lost, but the Eastern front was an even bloodier field of combat.

The First World War finally came to an end in November 1918, when an Armistice was declared. At 11am, on November 11th 1918, the last shot of the war was fired. By then it is likely that nearly every household in most combatant countries had lost a relative or friend. The majority of men that fell were under the age of 30.

A German war cemetery, Sailly-sur-la-Lys