Umuntu wokugcina owasinda ebholeni elingenamhlaba wabhubha ngoJulayi 22nd, 2001, eneminyaka eyi-106.
ATHI, akaze afe amasosha amadala, ayaphela kuphela. UBertie Felstead wayehlukile. Lapho emdala, waba ngudumo olukhulu. Wayeneminyaka engaphezu kwekhulu ubudala, futhi wayesenesikhathi eside efakwe ekhaya lasebekhulile eGloucester, ngenkathi enikezwa iLégion d'Honneur yaseFrance nguMongameli uJacques Chirac. Wayeneminyaka engaphezu kwengu-100 lapho eba indoda endala kunazo zonke eBrithani. Ngaleso sikhathi wayesedume kakhulu njengowukuphela komuntu owasinda ezinkambeni zikaKhisimusi ezazenzeka ngasentshonalanga phakathi nempi yezwe yokuqala. Zimbalwa izehlakalo zesikhathi sempi ezingundabamlonyeni nezinganekwane.
UMnu Felstead, waseLondon kanti ngaleso sikhathi engumdayisi wezimakethe, wazinikela enkonzweni ku-1915. Kamuva ngalowo nyaka wabamba iqhaza okwesibili, futhi ekugcineni, amaloli kaKhisimusi ngesikhathi eseduze nomuzi waseLaventie enyakatho yeFrance. Ngaleso sikhathi wayeyimfihlo eRoyal Welch Fusiliers, ibutho likaRobert Graves, umbhali wezinye zezincwadi ezinamandla kakhulu ngaleyo mpi, "Yenza Kuzo Zonke". Njengoba uMnu. Felstead ekhumbula lokhu, ukuthunjwa kokuthula kwafika ngoKhisimusi kusuka emigqeni yezitha. Amasosha lapho ahlabelela, ngesiJalimane, ingoma yaseWelsh "Ar Hyd y Nos". Ukuzikhethela kwabo iculo kwakuthathwa njengokubonga okukhulu kobuzwe bombutho obuphikisana nabo emanzini ngamamitha angu-100, kanti iRoyel welch Fusiliers yasabela ngokucula "Good King Wenceslas".
Ngemuva kobusuku bokucula u-carol, uMnu Felstead ukhumbule, imizwa yokuthakazelelwa yayisikhukhumeze kangangokuthi ekuseni ngovivi amasosha aseBavaria naseBrithani akhuphuka ngokuzenzekelayo emigodini yawo. Bememeza imikhonzo enjengokuthi “Sawubona Tommy” nokuthi “Sawubona Fritz” baqale baxhawulana endaweni okungekho muntu kuyo, base benikana izipho. Kwakunikezwa ubhiya waseJalimane, amasoseji nezigqoko ezinesipikha, noma zathengiswa, ngenhloso yokuthola izinkabi eziyinkabi, amabhisikidi nezinkinobho zezingubo.
Umdlalo webhola ohlukile
Umdlalo abawudlalayo, kukhumbula uMnu Felstead, uhlobo olubi lwebhola likanobhutshuzwayo. “Bekungewona umdlalo onjena, bekukhona ukukhahlela futhi kube mahhala kubo bonke. Kwakungaba nama-50 ohlangothini ngalunye kukho konke engikwaziyo. Ngangidlala ngoba ngangilithanda kakhulu ibhola. Angazi ukuthi yathatha isikhathi esingakanani, mhlawumbe isigamu sehora. ” Kwathi-ke njengoba omunye wamaFusiliers ayikhumbulayo, ubumnandi bamiswa ngusayitsheni omkhulu waseBrithani eyalela amadoda akhe ukuthi abuyele emiseleni futhi ewakhumbuza ngomsindo ukuthi ayekhona "ukuzolwa namaHuns, hhayi ukwenza ubungane nawo ”.
Lokhu kungenelela kusize ukusekela inkolelo engcolile yamaMarxist, isetshenziswe ngesibonelo kumculo othi "Oh, Yeka Impi Enhle!", Ukuthi amasosha ajwayelekile emaceleni omabili ayelangazelela ukuthula okukhulu futhi ayejabule noma ephoqelelwe ukuba alwe nama-jingoistic aphishekela inzalo yabo ekilasini. Eqinisweni, izikhulu zombili zombili zaqala amaloli amaningi kaKhisimusi ku-1915 nakwamaloli amaningi kakhulu ku-1914. Ngemuva kokukhulumisana ukuvumelana nemigomo yokuqeda, izikhulu eziningi zixubene nesitha njengoba nje kwenza amadoda abo ngobuqotho.
Ku-akhawunti yakhe yamatruces, uRobert Graves uchaze ukuthi kungani. “[Ibutho lami] alikaze lizivumele ukuthi libe nemizwa yezepolitiki ngamaJalimane. Umsebenzi wamasosha okhokhelwayo kwakuwukulwa nje noma ngubani iNkosi emyale ukuthi alwe… Inhlangano kaKhisimusi ka-1914, lapho iBattalion yayiphakathi kwabokuqala ukubamba iqhaza, yayinobulula obufanayo bobungcweti: ingekho imizwa emangazayo, lokhu, kodwa indawo evamile yamasosha isiko — ukushintshana ngesizotha phakathi kwezikhulu zamabutho aphikisayo. ”
Ngokusho kukaBruce Bairnsfather, omunye wabasosha abathandwayo kakhulu empini yezwe yokuqala, uTommies ayefana nenhloko elukhuni. Kukhona, wabhala, hhayi i-athomu inzondo nganoma yiluphi uhlangothi phakathi kwala makhukhi, "kodwa, ngakolunye uhlangothi, hhayi okwesikhashana kwaba intando yokunqoba impi futhi intando yokubashaya ikhululekile. Kwakunjengemikhawulo phakathi kwezingqungquthela kumdlalo webhokisi obungane. "
Ama-akhawunti amaningi wesikhathi samanje aseBrithani ama-truces asiza ukuqamba enye inkolelo yokuthi iziphathimandla zigcine lonke ulwazi lobumbano emphakathini emphakathini funa lonakalise isimilo. Amaphephandaba nemagazini aseBrithani adumile aphrinta izithombe nemidwebo yamasosha aseJalimane nawaseBrithani agubha uKhisimusi ndawonye endaweni okungekho muntu kuyo.
Kuliqiniso nokho ukuthi izindebe zikaKhisimusi aziphindwanga eminyakeni yamuva yempi. Ngo-1916 nango-1917 ukubulawa okungapheli kwempi yabangcwabi kwase kukhulise ubutha obukhulu nhlangothi zombili kangangokuba imihlangano yobungani ezweni okungelona elomuntu yayingacabangi, ngisho nangoKhisimusi.
UMnu. Felstead wayengomunye wamahle kakhulu kunazo zonke. Ubuyele ekhaya ezokwelashwa esibhedlela ngemuva kokulimala empini yeSomme ngo-1916 kodwa wabuyiselwa ngokwanele ukuze aphinde aphinde akwazi ukukhonza ngaphandle kwezilwandle. Wathunyelwa eSalonika, lapho athola khona i-malaria ephawulekayo futhi emva kokuphefumula okuqhubekayo ku-Blighty, wakhonza izinyanga zokugcina zempi eFrance.
Ngemuva kokuqothulwa, wahola impilo engacabangi, ehloniphekile. Ukuphila isikhathi eside kuphela kuqeda ukukhanya kwakhe. Abalobi kanye nezintatheli bafuna ukuxoxisana, futhi bagubha, ababambe iqhaza esivumelwaneni esivelele lapho ukuphila kwabo kwadlulela ekupheleni kwamakhulu amathathu eminyaka. Wabatshela ukuthi bonke abaseYurophu, kuhlanganise nabaseBrithani nabaseJalimane, kufanele babe abangane.
