During and after the First World War, families of soldiers at war would be in a state of anxiety to find out whether their loved ones had been killed in the battlefield or were still alive. In France, it was customary for the mayor of the town to inform the families about the death of their relatives.

When he came out of his office, the family members stood in front of their houses, waiting to see which door would he stop at to deliver the news of the death of a soldier to his family.

In England, the government informed about the death of a soldier by sending a letter to the aggrieved family. Again, the families would go through an ordeal when the postman passed through the streets and stopped at one front door to deliver the letter announcing the death of a loved one. In case of an officer at war, information would be given by telegram. It can be easily understood how the families would suffer daily as they dealt with mixed feelings of hope and fear.


When a father, brother, husband or son dies at war, no medals, tributes and memorials can bring him back to his family


The families whose members were killed in the battlefield would react strongly against the war. While the government highlighted their sacrifices for the country and the nation, the families’ views would differ.

In Australia, at a school celebration when the national anthem was played, one girl refused to comply and stand up for the anthem. When the teacher asked her about her action, she replied that her class fellows’ fathers were there to participate in the celebration but her father was not here because he was killed during the war. Therefore, she was not willing to honour the national anthem. A widow also expressed similar views. According to her, it may be a matter of pride that her husband’s name was among those who sacrificed their lives for the country and were on the honour list placed at the mayor’s office, yet she was not happy because there was nobody to support her financially.

In Germany, thousands of widows and orphans lost their husbands and parents.

The pension which was granted by the German government was hardly enough for their survival.

This is how the common people experienced the consequences of war.

There was no sentiment for nationalism or patriotism but a sense of loss for their beloved ones, who departed from their families after leaving a few pleasant memories.

The anti-war sentiment was depicted in a novel All Quiet on the Western Front by Erich Maria Remarque.

When the novel-based film was screened, it created anti-war feelings among people. Political activists set up an anti-war museum in Berlin displaying the horrors of the war. Generally, anti-war feelings prevailed throughout Europe because nearly every family was affected by the war and fully realised its most terrible impact on the society.

Some family members could not accept the death of their relatives and wanted to contact their spirits in order to get some comfort. Many spiritualists emerged who claimed to call the spirits of dead soldiers. Sir Arthur Conan Doyle, the famous detective short story writer whose character ‘Sherlock Holmes’ became very famous, was also among those who were in contact with spiritualists because his son and brother were killed in the war. This situation continued up to 1930s and then gradually ended as by the time people had compromised with reality.

The First World War created a strong response among writers, artists and filmmakers. They showed the horrors of war and propagated for peace. However, the efforts of the intellectuals failed and again the ruling classes won by resorting to go to war in order to resolve their differences and assert their hegemony. The result was the Second World War which was more horrible than the first one. It indicates how the ruling classes mobilised the emotions of people to accomplish their political and economic motives. Every war leaves behind unanswered questions as to who was right and who was wrong. If soldiers sacrifice their lives for a wrong cause, how are their sacrifices justified? Who is to be blamed: the government, the ruling classes or society itself? Who is going to compensate for the loss of their lives? How should it be treated in terms of history writing?

Published in Dawn, Sunday Magazine, September 28th, 2014

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