It is truly sad. Most of the last few World War I veterans still alive are over 100 years old. The end of the ‘Great War’ came in 1918 on the 11th hour, the 11th day and the 11th month. Hundreds of thousands of servicemen lost their lives in a bloody war of attrition.

Lads, some as young as 15, forged their identity papers and joined up to serve from countries all over the world – the United Kingdom, Italy, France, Germany, North Africa – the list goes on and on. Malta was also involved.

The war itself was dominated by pig-headedness, a sheer disregard for the lives of its soldiers, outdated and barbaric tactics and the use of chemical warfare. Add to this starvation, gout, trench foot, pneumonia, frostbite and the knowledge that one day, you will hear the whistle ordering you to march to your death over the boggy fields of France and the Benelux – and you might, just might, begin to comprehend the horror of this conflict.

Whole streets of men sometimes died. They joined up together in the same regiments and were ordered to their deaths together. But the question remains, have we learned our lesson?

The answer would have to be a categorical no. No better evidence of this can be put forward than the decision to invade Iraq. Before the would-be military theorists jump down our throats, we will explain.

While the Somme and the Paschendale are thousands of miles away from Baghdad and Tikrit, there are similarities. While one conflict was typified by trench warfare, the other was typified by the use of shock and awe and technological precision. So where are the similarities? There are two – and this will lead us on to another conflict, but more about that later. The first similarity is that the war in Iraq and the Great War were pushed forward by bullish governments. True, there were many alliances that came into play, but both sides forged ahead thinking that their military might would bring them victory. For years and years, military staff refused to budge, as did governments, and this allowed the war to drag on and on (with many more young men dying in the mud flats). The second similarity is that Iraq also became a war of attrition. Insurgents have blown up bomb after bomb, leaving the UK and the US to seriously question the presence of troops there. In the end, they could never have won. They did not have the backing of the UN and they most certainly did not have the backing of the local people. They are looked at as an occupying force and not as liberators.

And this brings us on to another conflict – Afghanistan. NATO forces are in Afghanistan – a war-torn tribal mountain land. More and more troops are sent there and more and more meet a brutal death by gunfire, roadside bombs and more. It truly is sad. Young men (and now women) keep dying. Young children lose their parents and the cycle continues.

War, even when perhaps justified morally, is still senseless. Young soldiers are still ‘sent to the trenches’ and the letters of condolences are still written and sent to grieving mothers.

The poppy is of course the symbol to remember the war victims. But the Great War to end all wars is still a fantasy we cling to. However, it is clear that our young will keep on dying. It is good to remember the dead – their deaths might seem pointless to today’s generation, but the life we live today is thanks to them. All of them.