Britain’s Minister for Sport, Tourism & Equalities, Helen Grant MP, has stated that there will be no celebration of Britain’s victory in the First World War.
Speaking to The Lady magazine, she said: “We won’t by shying away from the fact that, in the end, it was an absolutely vital victory for us that changed the course of world history in countless ways, but we won’t be celebrating that fact or sounding triumphant fanfares… The tone has to be right, not four years of gloom and misery, but no dancing in the street either”.
However, the MP’s comments were criticised by prominent historian Gary Sheffield, Professor of War Studies at the University of Wolverhampton:
“I think that avoiding triumphalism is absolutely correct. Nobody wants a triumphalist approach. But we’ve got to be aware that celebrating can mean different things. Celebrating in the sense of acknowledging the national effort made during the war is entirely appropriate”.
To read an excerpt of the article, visit The Times website here.
Date of article publication: 07/02/2014
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