7 The shadow of war
-
Vron Ware
Abstract
This chapter looks at memorials to war violence found in rural places. It begins with the Remembrance service in November 2018 moving to a wreath-laying ceremony at a new memorial in Tidworth. Noting the significance of the centenary of the First World War on Salisbury Plain, the chapter notes local concern over the minimal recognition of Gurkha and Commonwealth troops in twentieth-century wars. This is followed by a description of military cemeteries on the Plain. The focus then moves to those who have survived more recent wars, and who became the object of public attention through charities likes Help for Heroes. Here it returns to Tedworth House, a mansion purchased by the War Department in 1897, which was taken over by Help for Heroes in 2011 and transformed into a showcase rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers. Today it is run by the Ministry of Defence, awaiting a decision on its future, having been reclassified (and downgraded) as a Personal Recovery Centre with no connection to Help for Heroes. The chapter notes its significance in the longer history of veterans’ rehabilitation, with reference to a local recovery centre founded after the First World War, now dedicated to a disability employment unit. It ends by returning to the theme of war heritage being written into the landscape, both in the built environment and on the surface of the ground itself.
Abstract
This chapter looks at memorials to war violence found in rural places. It begins with the Remembrance service in November 2018 moving to a wreath-laying ceremony at a new memorial in Tidworth. Noting the significance of the centenary of the First World War on Salisbury Plain, the chapter notes local concern over the minimal recognition of Gurkha and Commonwealth troops in twentieth-century wars. This is followed by a description of military cemeteries on the Plain. The focus then moves to those who have survived more recent wars, and who became the object of public attention through charities likes Help for Heroes. Here it returns to Tedworth House, a mansion purchased by the War Department in 1897, which was taken over by Help for Heroes in 2011 and transformed into a showcase rehabilitation centre for wounded soldiers. Today it is run by the Ministry of Defence, awaiting a decision on its future, having been reclassified (and downgraded) as a Personal Recovery Centre with no connection to Help for Heroes. The chapter notes its significance in the longer history of veterans’ rehabilitation, with reference to a local recovery centre founded after the First World War, now dedicated to a disability employment unit. It ends by returning to the theme of war heritage being written into the landscape, both in the built environment and on the surface of the ground itself.
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Epigraph v
- Dedication vi
- Contents vii
- Introduction 1
- I The place 17
- 1 Khaki country 19
- 2 Contact zones 49
- 3 Military sprawl 68
- II The cost 89
- 4 Relocation, relocation, relocation 91
- 5 The khaki economy 113
- 6 Living next to a pipeline 136
- III The legacy 163
- 7 The shadow of war 165
- 8 This land is our land 187
- Conclusion 212
- List of figures 226
- Acknowledgements 228
- Notes 230
- Index 252
Chapters in this book
- Front Matter i
- Epigraph v
- Dedication vi
- Contents vii
- Introduction 1
- I The place 17
- 1 Khaki country 19
- 2 Contact zones 49
- 3 Military sprawl 68
- II The cost 89
- 4 Relocation, relocation, relocation 91
- 5 The khaki economy 113
- 6 Living next to a pipeline 136
- III The legacy 163
- 7 The shadow of war 165
- 8 This land is our land 187
- Conclusion 212
- List of figures 226
- Acknowledgements 228
- Notes 230
- Index 252
