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Lights go out across Britain, 100 years on from WW1
reuters.com ^ | August 4, 2014 | Tess Little

Posted on 08/04/2014 3:16:50 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe

Lights across Britain were being switched off for an hour on Monday night in a tribute to the dead of World War One, inspired by the prophetic observation of Britain's foreign minister on the eve of war 100 years ago.

"The lamps are going out all over Europe," Edward Grey told an acquaintance, shortly before Britain declared war on Germany on Aug. 4, 1914. "We shall not see them lit again in our lifetime."

British landmarks, including the Houses of Parliament, Tower Bridge and St Paul's Cathedral, went dark from 10 p.m., and Prime Minister David Cameron had asked Britons to switch off all but a single light in their homes for an hour.

The "war to end all wars" spread carnage across Europe, especially northern France and Belgium, killing 17 million soldiers and civilians in 1914-18. ....

Prime Minister Cameron and Prince William, second in line to the throne, attended 100th anniversary ceremonies in Scotland and Belgium on Monday. Speaking at an event in Liege, William paid tribute to those who died. He noted that the current fighting in Ukraine showed instability continued to stalk Europe.

"We were enemies more than once in the last century and today we are friends and allies," the prince said, alluding to Germany and its cohorts in the first and second world wars.

"We salute those who died to give us our freedom. We will remember them," he told Belgium's King Philippe and other heads of state attending the Liege ceremony at the Allies' Memorial, near to where German troops invaded Belgium in the early hours of Aug. 4, 1914 - the event which brought Britain into the war.

Commemorations in Germany are understated, with no national initiative to remember the war.

(Excerpt) Read more at uk.reuters.com ...


TOPICS: United Kingdom
KEYWORDS: anniversary
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To: odawg

Didn’t he give French citizenship to Algerians?


21 posted on 08/04/2014 8:25:39 PM PDT by 353FMG
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To: Sirius Lee
One positive result of the Great War was the rebirth of Poland as a nation. Also, the liberation of Palestine from the Ottoman Turks would ultimately make possible the creation of the modern nation of Israel.
22 posted on 08/04/2014 9:02:37 PM PDT by Tailgunner Joe
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To: BobL

Fan of hyperbole?.


23 posted on 08/05/2014 4:39:07 AM PDT by the scotsman (UK)
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To: B4Ranch

Oh, I think we’ll manage.


24 posted on 08/05/2014 4:39:22 AM PDT by the scotsman (UK)
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To: the scotsman

“Fan of hyperbole?.”

You again. LOL! I can understand why you guys live in DENIAL, because the REALITY would be too much for anyone to deal with.


25 posted on 08/05/2014 6:18:55 PM PDT by BobL
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