US Navy Sweetheart Brooches

It’s the 80th Anniversary of D-Day today and lots of war veterans have been out on parade – the youngest is 98. It’s a sobering thought because when I started work I worked with several veterans of the Normandy campaign when they were middle-aged men. Now, when you see one they are positively ancient.

There are so many ways to develop the blog post from here- discussing modern generations and whether we would be able to step up like the WW2 generation, discussing whether we should also commemorate other WW2 anniversaries, or even discussing veterans of other wars.

Military sweetheart brooch

When I first started doing military research in local papers I was surprised to find that in 1914 it was quite common to see reports of the funerals of veterans who had served in the Crimean War (1853-56) or the Indian Mutiny ( 1857-58). Until then it hadn’t occurred to me that they were still alive at that point.

Then last Crimean War veteran we know of, died in 1939, as did the last Mutiny Veteran. A man who died in 1940 was probably the last participant, but as he was nine years old when he was at the Siege of Lucknow, he was not really a veteran.

Going further back, the last veterans of the Napoleonic Wars, died in the 1890s, apart for a lone Polish veteran who lived until 1903. These included the last British survivor of the War of 1812, who died in 1895.

In my lifetime I’ve seen the last Boer War veterans and the last WW1 veterans, and now I’m watching the last of the WW2 veterans. It’s quite possible that the last of them, as they are likely to live to be 110 or more, might still be alive after I am dead. I will do my best to outlast them but it will be close.

Lancashire Fusiliers Sweetheart

Watching occasions like this is always a sobering experience. However, it’s important to see it in perspective. The men of 1944 are just part of a line of veterans stretching back into history, just as some of the Pipe Majors remembering the exploits of Piper Bill Millin on D Day, are wearing medals given for service in Iraq and Afghanistan.

However, I think it’s important to remember that although D Day was important, there were many soldiers fighting their way up Italy or in the Far East at the time, and they don’t get this attention or thanks for their efforts. It’s good to think of them too at times like this.

WW2 Sweetheart Brooch – RAF Eagle carved from perspex (Lucite). Generally said to be from broken aircraft windows.