#659 Remembering the Great War

During the 100-year anniversary of the Great War, I've been thinking about life back then.

Today, we discovered this WWI monument in a small park about 5 miles west of Aurora. 

The 1910 census shows that the largest population of foreign-born residents in our small county came from Germany.  It's hard to imagine that 423 of Lawrence County's residents were born in Germany.  Can you imagine the debate among Lawrence County citizens about whether the US should remain neutral and not enter the war?  Yet this monument commemorates the 32 local men who left their Missouri homes, crossed an ocean, and gave their lives to the war effort.

Also today, I read The Care and Management of Lies.  (What can I say?  I'm retired!)  Jacqueline Winspear, the author of the beloved Maisie Dobbs series, tells the story of Tom, an English farmer who leaves his farm in the capable hands of his young bride when England declares war on Germany in 1914.  In my imagination, Tom is not that different from those young Missouri men, likely farmers, who never stopped thinking about getting back home to the farm.   

Yours in remembering the Great War,
Mary