Passchendaele

[sp1814]

I don't want to offend anyone, and I am not being flippant - but I've literally never heard of this before.

There are rememberance ceremonies going on today - but the Battle of Passchendaele isn't something that (I suspect) my generation really know about.

Is this a notable event in WW1? Am I just uneducated in this, or have others been taken by surprise?

[sherrardk]

I only know about it because my great grand dad was there - these are his actual medals https://www.peoplescollection.wales/items/547039

[Islay]

SP there is nothing to be ashamed of - I bet you know loads of stuff that PP and others don't know!!

[pixie374]

I've never heard of it either. 2nd year of GCSEs too- but I took little notice in History.

[jourdain2]

You are very uneducated. How come your school missed this? I was teaching it to G.C.S.E. students in the nineties Horrifying that you had no idea, in that there must be whole swathes of society who are ignorant of what,, to most, is VERY basic understanding and knowledge of our recent history.

Not your fault, of course. But I do wonder if this basic lack of knowledge of our recent History is fundamental to splits in society.
TThere does not seem to be a commonality of knowledge any more. Hugely disturbing.

[sp1814]

I suspect that my generation (I was at school in the 70s/80s) learned more about WW2 than WW1.

In fact, I know that's the case in my school, because the end of the second world war was relatively recent (at that time).

mikey4444 - I've literally never heard of Passchendaele until today, and whilst there have been WW1 commemorations over the past three years, I suspect there's been little about this battle until this week, because it's only now that it's 100 years ago.

[sp1814]

Errr...thanks jourdain2.

[jim360]

Bit OTT isn't that jourdain?

[Togo]

//Passchendaele

I don't want to offend anyone, and I am not being flippant - but I've literally never heard of this before.//

If I thought that this was actually so, and not just a demonstration of a couldn't care less mindset, I would make the British test for immigrants or want to be British, more "inclusive" of our history and suffering.

[Togo]

With you all the way Jourdain.

[Islay]

I think it really depends on what school you went to SP - I suspect I am of the same age we covered it in English and History.

[jourdain2]

Horses were stuck in the mud and there are accounts of them dying, screaming as they were sucked under. Read WW1 poets. I am now convinced that this ignorance is a major cause of division in society.
My granddad was in France in WW1 (Somme) he survived and his army trunk is now my grandson's (his great, great grandson) toybox.

[jourdain2]

Jim -- absolutely not.

[sherrardk]

Hardly think missing out on knowing about a battle in WW1 is responsible for a division in society. We can't all know everything about everything. And a bit rude to call people uneducated.

[jim360]

It doesn't have to be a cause of division, but you seem rather intent on making it so.

[Zacs-Master]

If there's one thing I cannot abide it's 'knowledge snobbery'. To call some one 'very uneducated' is very OTT. I'm sure sp would have nuggets of information which he considered fairly basic but you have no knowledge of Jourdain.
I was taught very little about ww1 growing up in the 60 & 70s and have no idea about the significance of Passchendaele.

[pixie374]

Of course it isn't a cause of division. Lol. Blimey.

[sp1814]

Togo

There'd be a lot to cover, and I'm not an immigrant - I've heard of many battles from WW1 and WW2, but have never heard of this one.

In History (O Level), we did Bismarck and Prussia and the causes of WW2.

In English we did the poems of Blake, Wordsworth, Wilfred Owen and Seamus Heaney, but although we touched on WW1, we concentrated on WW2.

[sp1814]

Zac-Master

In fairness, I did offer up the phrase 'uneducated' in my question, so it's only fair that others have taken me up on it.

[pixie374]

So did we, sp. History lessons were 1 hr and 20 minutes of fast dictation. Totally mind numbing.

[sp1814]

Good on you grandad sherrardk.

You must be very proud!