Owasindayo okokugqibela kwibhola ekhatywayo yomntu wasweleka ngoJulayi 22nd, 2001, eneminyaka eyi-106.
ATHI, amajoni amadala, awaze afe, ayaphela. UBertie Felstead wayehlukile. Umdala yena, waba nodumo ngakumbi. Wayeneminyaka engaphezu kwe-100 ubudala, kwaye kwakukudala egcinwe kwikhaya labongikazi eGloucester, xa wawongwa nge-French Légion d'Honneur nguMongameli uJacques Chirac. Wayeneminyaka engaphezu kwe-105 xa waba ngumntu omkhulu eBrithani. Kwaye ngelo xesha wayedume nangakumbi njengoyena mntu wasindayo kwiikrismesi zekrisimesi ezenzeka kwicala lasentshona ngexesha lemfazwe yokuqala yehlabathi. Zimbalwa iziganeko zexesha lemfazwe ezingumxholo wengxabano enkulu kunye neentsomi.
UMnu. Felstead, waseLondon kwaye ngelo xesha umgcini wegadi wemarike, wazinikela ngenkonzo kwi-1915. Kamva ngaloo nyaka wathatha inxaxheba kwiyesibini, kwaye ekugqibeleni, kwiiKrisimesi ngexesha elithile kufuphi nelali laseLaventie enyakatho yeFransi. Wayeseye ngasese kwiRoyal Welch Fusiliers, igosa likaRobert Graves, umbhali wencwadi enye enamandla kakhulu malunga nale mpi, "Yenza Kukho konke". Njengoko uMnu. Felstead akhumbule, ukugqithisa uxolo kufike ngomhla weKrisimesi kwiintlobo zeentshaba. Amajoni apho ahlabelela, ngesiJamani, ingoma yesiWelshi "Ar Hyd y Nos". Ukukhethwa kwabo kwengoma kuthathwa njengesiqinisekiso sokuxabiseka kobuzwe be-regiment abachasene namatye malunga ne-100 mitha kude, kunye neRoyel Welch Fusiliers basabela ngokucula "Good King Wenceslas".
Emva kobusuku becula icarol, uMnumzana Felstead ukhumbule, iimvakalelo zokuthakazelela zazidumbile kangangokuba kwakusa amajoni aseBavaria naseBritane ayephuma emseleni. Bekhwaza imibuliso efana no “Molo Tommy” no “Molo Fritz” baqala baxhawulana bengenabani, emva koko banikana izipho. Ibhiya yaseJamani, iisoseji kunye neminqwazi yokuthambisa enikiweyo, okanye bathengiswa, ukubuyisela inyama yenkomo, iibhiskiti kunye namaqhosha eetoni.
Umdlalo webhola ohlukile
Umdlalo abawudlalayo yayingu, Mnu Felstead uyakhumbula, uhlobo olunzima lwebhola ekhatywayo. “Ibingengomdlalo unjalo, ngakumbi ukukhaba kunye nayo yonke inkululeko. Kwakunokubakho ama-50 kwicala ngalinye kuyo yonke into endiyaziyo. Ndadlala kuba ndiyithanda kakhulu ibhola. Andazi ukuba ithathe ixesha elingakanani, mhlawumbi isiqingatha seyure. ” Ke, njengokuba omnye wabaFusiliers wayikhumbulayo, ubumnandi bamiswa ngusenjini omkhulu wase-Bhritane eyalela amadoda akhe ukuba abuyele emiseleni kwaye ewakhumbuza kabukhali ukuba ayekhona "ukulwa amaHuns, hayi ukwenza ubuhlobo nawo ”.
Oku kungenelela kuye kwaxhasa inzondo yama-Marxist myth, ilayishwe ngomzekelo kumculo othi "Oh, Yeyiphi Imfazwe Enhle!", Ukuba amasosha aqhelekileyo kumacala omabini ayelangazelela uxolo nje kwaye avuyiswa okanye axinzelelwe ukuba alwe nama-jingoist yabo inzala. Enyanisweni, amagosa ngamacala amabini aqalise amanani amaninzi eKrisimesi kwi-1915 kunye neetekisi ezininzi kwi-1914. Emva kokuxoxisana ukuvumelana nemigqaliselo yokuyeka, amaninzi amagosa adibene neentshaba ngokunyanisekileyo njengoko amadoda abo enza.
Kwiakhawunti yakhe yeetruces, uRobert Graves uchaze ukuba kutheni. “[Ibutho lam] alizange lizivumele ukuba libe neemvakalelo ngezopolitiko malunga namaJamani. Umsebenzi wejoni eliqeqeshiweyo yayikukulwa nje nabani na athe uKumkani wamyalela ukuba alwe… Umbutho weKrisimesi ka-1914, apho iBattalion yayiphakathi kwabantu bokuqala ukuthatha inxaxheba, yayinobuchule obulula obufanayo: kwakungekho nto imbi kangako, kodwa, kodwa yayiyindawo eqhelekileyo yasemkhosini Isiko — kukubonisana ngembeko phakathi kwamagosa emikhosi elwayo. ”
Ngokutsho kukaBruce Bairnsfather, omnye wabasetyhini abathandwayo abaninzi beemfazwe zokuqala zehlabathi, ii-Tommies zazinzima nje. Kwakukho, wabhala, kungekhona i-athomu yenzondo ngapha nangapha ngexesha lala mathupha, "nangona kunjalo, kwicala lethu, kungekhona umzuzwana ukuthanda impi kunye nentando yokubetha ikhululekile. Kwakufana nekhefu phakathi kwemijikelezo kumdlalo webhokisi lomhlobo. "
Iiakhawunti ezininzi zaseBritane zangoku zeetruces zinceda ukufumanisa enye intsomi: ukuba abasemagunyeni bagcina lonke ulwazi lobudlelwane kuluntu emakhaya hleze lonakalise isimilo. Amaphephandaba aseBritani kunye neemagazini ezaziwayo zashicilela iifoto kunye nemizobo yamajoni amaJamani nawaseBritane abhiyozela iKrisimesi kunye kwilizwe ekungekho mntu kulo.
Kuyinyani, nangona kunjalo, ukuba iindlela zekrisimesi aziphindaphindwanga kwiminyaka edlulileyo yemfazwe. Ngo-1916 nango-1917 ukubulawa okungaginyisi mathe kwemfazwe yomtshato kwakusenzakalise ubutshaba macala omabini kangangokuba iintlanganiso ezinobuhlobo kwilizwe elingenamntu zazingacingeki kwaphela, nkqu nangeKrisimesi.
UMnu. Felstead wayephakathi kweyona nto enhle kunazo zonke. Wabuyela ekhaya ngenxa yokwelashwa esibhedlele emva kokulimala ekulweni kweSomme e-1916 kodwa wabuyisela ngokwaneleyo ukufumana ilungelo lokwenza inkonzo ngaphandle kwelinye ilizwe. Wathunyelwa eSalonika, apho wayibamba khona i-malaria enzima kwaye, emva kokuphefumula okuqhubekayo kwi-Blighty, walungiselela iinyanga zokugqibela zemfazwe eFransi.
Emva kokubanjelwa, wayekhokelela ngobomi obuthathaka, obuhloniphekileyo. Kuphela ixesha elide livala ukuphela kwakhe. Ababhali kunye neengxelo zeendaba bavakalisa udliwano-ndlebe, kwaye babhiyozela, abathathi-nxaxheba kwingqungquthela eqhelekileyo ebomini babo ekugqibeleni batyula kwiintsuku ezintathu. Wabatshela ukuba bonke abaseYurophu, kuquka nabaseBrithani kunye namaJamani, kufuneka babe ngabahlobo.
