Australia and New Zealand were already independent by 1914.
They will rightly be holding their own commemorations. Not least because their memory of these events is by no means always the same as Britain's, to say the very least.
They were gallant allies, and deserve to be remembered as such. As do many other gallant allies.
Whereas the Irish, and the peoples of what is now the New Commonwealth, were plainly and simply British.
"the Irish were plainly and simply British".
ReplyDeleteYou try saying that over there. Just try it. I dare you.
It was true at the time.
ReplyDeleteThe Irish part in these four years will be well worth watching. It has already started, in fact.
The Easter Rising was only possible because so many Dubliners were at the Front. All volunteers; there was no conscription in Ireland.
As everyone in that city now says openly.