The poppy is a beautiful flower. They come in hues of purple, orange and yellow. But the colour that it is known for is red. The red poppy has come to symbolise those who lost their lives in the senseless maelstrom of WWI - the Great War, the war to end all wars.
The assassination of the heir to the Austro-Hungarian empire, Archduke Franz Ferdinand kicked off a series of events that saw over 9 million servicemen and women pay the ultimate sacrifice, along with 7 million civilians.
In one of the most brutal campaigns in history, top brass generals ignored the advances of technology and got bogged down in trench warfare. After months of drudgery, tens of thousands of men would be sent over the top to charge at the enemy trenches. They were cut down in hails of bullets every time. Senseless loss of life on a huge scale that rarely resulted in more than a few hundred metres of terrain being seized, if any.
Although lacking front-line action,Malta played an active role during World War I with over 30,000 people participating in the war effort, from a total population of under 200,000.From her role as the nurse of the Mediterranean, the Maltese also participated by enlisting in the Royal Air Force and Royal Naval Reserve, minesweeping, submarine warfare and ship-building.
WWI was supposed to be the war that ended all wars. But it was not the case. Only 20 years after the Treaty of Versailles, the world engaged in another deadly conflict which saw the loss of yet more lives.
From the ashes of that conflict, the world, and in particular Europe, entered into a period of relative calm. While there have been isolated conflicts on our continent, we have largely pursued peace and economic development rather than turf snatching.
It might seem hard for the generations of today to understand the bloody sacrifices that our forebears made in our name. But even as we speak, war thunders on around the world. As Germany commemorated the 25th anniversary of the Berlin wall, Islamic State continued its indiscriminate campaign in the Middle East. War rages on in Afghanistan and skirmishes along borders continue unabated. It seems that humanity has learned some degree of self control. But we still continue to witness death and destruction. Sometimes in the name of territory, sometimes in the name of money and sometimes in the name of religion. It matters not. It is all senseless bloodshed.
Europe has tried to focus on peace and the European Union is one of the prime movers of peace and compromise. But yet, 100 years ago, French killed Germans, Germans killed French. Brits killed Germans. Germans killed Brits. Slowly but surely, young men from nations and colonies around the world were drafted in to swell the ranks in a war of attrition. The thought of what they went through is alien to us and the last people who have direct recollections of war in Malta are now approaching the end of their days. We must remember this bloodshed. If we don't, we might easily fall into the trap of committing it again.