Many gathered around to Streatham Memorial Gardens on the 11th November to remember those who fought in the First World War. Around 16 million soldiers died whilst fighting for their country that took place from 1914 to 1918. The Armistice halted the four years of fighting on the 11th November 1918. Ceremonies took place all over the UK, with Queen Elizabeth and the Royal Family attending the ceremony at Westminster Abbey - They laid down many colourful flowers on an unidentified soldier’s grave in rememberance.
The saying ‘Lest we forget’ is used in memory of those who lost their lives in this terrible war. Many British soldiers fought in horrific conditions including muddy battlefields. One of the most famous battles in World War One was 'The Battle of the Somme', with 60,000 men dying on the first day alone. These soldiers endured terrible conditions and as a result of this they obtained horrific medical illnesses, for instance Trench Foot, Trench Fever, Influenza and Malaria. However some men were affected psychologically- this is commonly known as Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD) or for some men fighting this was also known as Shell Shock. As a result of this, men had reoccurring nightmares of the horrors of war; in addition to anxiety attacks and shaking. At the end of the war there were 80,000 cases of shell shock. Many of these men who had this mental illness were left traumatised and frightened however shell shock was not made an official illness until 1917-some war officers believed that the soldiers were weak or cowards when they refused to fight.
Some soldiers documented their experiences through the use of poems or letters, some of the most renowned poets from the First World War were Siegfried Sassoon, Jessie Pope and Wilfred Owen. These excellent examples of war poetry really give readers a glimpse into life at war, in addition to the horrors and traumatic experiences that the soldiers had endured. ‘Lest we forget’ is integral as it reminds people of the horrific conditions the British soldiers faced.
