85 Years Ago Today - Great Britain Enters WWII

I am conscious today, as I write, that the events I reflect upon took place eighty-five years ago. I am also conscious that I do so in the peace and safety of my home, at my desk. Men and women laid down their lives so that I might have this freedom. It is them, and the fortitude of nations who rose to resist tyranny, that I honour today.

World War II began with the aggression of Adolf Hitler and the Nazi Party, aided by weak leadership among world powers — in Britain’s case, Prime Minister Neville Chamberlain. The record is clear: on September 1st, 1939, Germany invaded Poland. Two days later, on September 3rd, Britain and France, bound by treaty, declared war on Germany. In May 1940, Britain turned to Winston Churchill, who would lead the nation through five long years of devastating conflict.

The photographs I share here were taken during a recent visit to the Allied cemetery at Oosterbeek in Holland. I have visited often while in Holland, and each time I am struck again by the price of freedom, written on row upon row of white marble. In silent reflection, I am reminded of another sacrifice made over two thousand years ago — the laying down of a life so that we might enter into true peace. I write, of course, of Jesus of Nazareth, the author of lasting freedom.

In the Gospel of Matthew, chapter 10, verse 29, Jesus says: “Even the very hairs of your head are numbered, and not a single sparrow falls to the ground without the Father knowing it.” These words declare to me that God cares for even the smallest things, sparrows among them. How much more, then, does He care for human lives? God sees every sacrifice, every struggle, and holds them dear.

As we honour the sacrifice of the many today, let us also take time to honour the sacrifice of the One.

Slainte.

John Corcoran