Walking the Salient...

[Old Goat]

Good afternoon folks,

The subject is not entirely related to the wonderful world of wargaming but still I'd be interested to hear your thoughts.

I hadn't been over to Ypres since I'd become a father 10 years ago but decided that as my ;ad was now 10 we'd go, my father had taken me when I was a lad, his father had taken him and it was kind of a family tradition since my great grandfather had brought my grandfather out in the 1920's.

My lad and I did everything you'd expect, Tyne Cot, Menin Gate, Plugstreet Wood, Langmarcke, Messine ridge etc. and here's the point...

Understandably Ypres now has a booming Great War tourist industry, with shops that cater for the masses of people who come from all over the world to look, learn and pay their respects.  No problems so far but to on going in to find reproduction kit being sold as original with a price tag to match and 'period' toy soldiers being sold individually at 20 odd Euros in one place when they were either Great War Miniatures or Renegade really started to wind me up.  The most irritating thing was that had they been painted well (a'la Svenn, Plynkes etc.) and sold as modern models I'd had been fine but they were even painted to look like old tin soldiers and were to be found in the 'original' sections of the shops and some were even based on old pennies...

I can't help but think at the best it's down right dishonest and at worst is incredibly disrespectful. 

So I'd be interested in your views...

Best as always, old Goat

[Aaron]

First off let me say well done on keeping a wonderful family tradition alive!

Secondly I have to agree. On the surface you might think that anyone silly enough to ba taken in by that is getting what they deserve, but it is at the least in very poor taste to be making a dishonest buck on the backs the unimagineable suffering that occurred there.

[archangel1]

Unfortunately, to far too many people, WWI is 'ancient history' and there's no longer a lot of personal connection to the period.  It gets shuffled off with the colonial wars and is 'so last century'.  Is it even taught about in school anymore?

My paternal grandfather was gassed at Ypres and it resulted in the loss of his ability to taste certain things.  Came in handy one time when my grandmother, who was visiting, accidently spilled the pepper into the hamburg meat she was thickening up.  It was almost inedible to the rest of us but he never noticed a thing!

[answer_is_42]

Is it even taught about in school anymore?

Yes. Extensively.  Admittedly it is mostly limited to stuff on the trenches, with the wider picture being kept rather vague, but all the same the First World War is a major topic in British secondary schools, with far more time dedicated to it than any other conflict.
On the other hand, teaching of the Second World War really needs work; it consists of the rise of Fascism, the Home Front, and the aftermath, with very little on the actual war at all.