Many of you will have already heard of the death of Martin Middlebrook at aged 91, one of the original, and most loved and respected military historians of both world wars, a hugely popular battlefield tour guide and speaker with a lifelong mission of remembrance.
He was also, from day one, a wonderful supporter of Lochnagar and all that we sought to create there.
There have been several excellent obituaries written recently on Martin’s long and rich life, so I won’t reprise them here but, if I may, I would like to add a reflection from a personal perspective.
Along with early pioneers Major and Mrs Holt and Lyn Macdonald, Martin played a significant role in inspiring and influencing a whole new generation of passionate devotees of the Great War. But it was the publication of Martin’s ground-breaking ‘First Day on the Somme’ on July 1st 1971 that, for me and for many others, was to change my life. Something happened on reading the powerful and poignant accounts of the men who bravely climbed from their trenches on that sunny Saturday morning.
Whether it was empathy, compassion, respect or admiration for those men, call it what you will, the ripples inspired by that book spread far and wide. In the early days of the Western Front Association, there wasn’t anyone who hadn’t been galvanised by Martin’s book, not only to find out more but to meet and engage with the remaining, and fast-dwindling number of veterans. Especially as so many had been ignored by society and even their families, for so long.
We brought them to meetings, sat before them, listened in awe and wrote down and recorded their memories. At last they felt valued and validated and that they had done right by the mates they had left behind. At last, they had shared the truth of the suffering and the sacrifice of that terrible war.
All because of that one remarkable book.
And most importantly of all, we gave many of that hallowed generation the finest gift we could bestow upon them – that of quietly passing with contentment and closure.
I know I speak on behalf of all the Trustees and Friends when I say it was a privilege to walk in Martin’s footsteps for those priceless years.
RD
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