“It is nothing short of a miracle…which has called men from the uttermost ends of the earth… and which has caused human beings to do the most incalculable, improvident and, from a narrow point of view, profitless things.” This was Winston Churchill describing to the House of Commons the support for the war effort from the people of what was then the British Empire.
As the Europe debate rages – fuelled by immigration it is time to remember on Commonwealth Day on March 14 the sacrifices of the Commonwealth.
I know one former member of the House of Lords told me in confidence that he did not contribute a donation towards the Memorial Gates at Constitution Hill at the time as he felt it was ‘time to move on’. He was wrong.
In the First World War almost two out of ten soldiers were volunteers from India, Africa and the Caribbean, the second World War that was three out of ten.
We are forgetting Britain’s debt to immigrants. Of course coming into this country today the ability to speak the language is of critical importance. But when a nurse asked my grandmother, ‘have you not picked up any English’ that I had to remind the nurse, that ‘when my grandfather was in the British Army, no one asked him during the second world war about his linguistic skills.’
When on March 14th I will stand outside the Memorial Gates I will remember that it was a disunited Europe which led to war and conflict that spread across the globe. It was never the ‘uncivilised’ and ‘colonised’ who brought war to Europe, but instead brought peace.
The remnants of Empire and the lines in the sand Empire drew as she retreated, echo the ancient conflicts between Muslims and Hindus, Muslims and Jews, Muslims and Christians, and Muslims and Muslims. Now as immigrants enter Europe, it is Europe who has to remember the lines she drew, the conflicts she caused.
Let us remember in the World War 1, the British King, the German Kaiser and the Russian Tsar were all cousins. A European Union was built to ensure a family of nations used to warring for centuries would at last find peace. As Britain considers exiting the EU, we should remember these nations are not used to by history working together – they have to be forced to do so.
The peace this continent has achieved in our lifetimes is unique for the continent for a thousand years. Put economic arguments for Union to oneside, the more Europeans work together, the safer the rest of the world. I still don’t trust them not to start fighting among themselves – given half the chance.
Alpesh Patel
If you would like to donate to the Memorial Gates Annual Ceremony, you can online via: https://crowdfunding.justgiving.com/memorialgates
