Letters | Remembrance Day is an opportunity to reckon with the possibility of a third world war

Readers pay tribute to the sacrifices made by those who fought in World War I, and argue that military weapons may provide the conditions for peace

Reading Time:2 minutes

A ceremony is held to commemorate those who gave their lives during the two world wars at The Cenotaph in Central, Hong Kong, on November 8, 2020. Photo: Sam Tsang

Published: 2:30pm, 11 Nov 2022

Feel strongly about these letters, or any other aspects of the news? Share your views by emailing us your Letter to the Editor at [email protected]. Submissions should not exceed 400 words, and must include your full name and address, plus a phone number for verification.

This Remembrance Day, we must remember not only the sacrifice of all those caught up in our wars but also why those wars were fought. Primarily, the two world wars were fought to defend democracy and, ironically, to secure peace between nations.

Regrettably, these two objectives haven’t been fulfilled. Around the world, democracy is currently under tremendous stress – and wars continue with another global military conflict a real and frightening possibility.

Last Remembrance Day, Urrbrae Agricultural High School in South Australia had a wonderful school student assembly in honour of Lance Corporal Geoffrey Allanson and other fallen old scholars of the school.

Allanson died in 1943, at the age of 26, in the notorious Japanese Naoetsu prisoner of war camp from beriberi and “general weakness”. We know from his letters back home that he believed without question that the Allied cause was a noble one.

The young students who took part in the assembly – and their contemporaries around the world – may be cannon fodder for any future global conflict.