Moral courage
WALKING past the town hall on Saturday I felt hemmed in by poppy sellers, soldiers, an army tank etc.
Nearby was a soldier I took to be an officer of some kind, so, wanting to explain why I wasn't buying a poppy, I began: "I come from a family of conscientious objectors. My grandfather …"
The officer beat a hasty retreat, shouting: "I don't want to argue, I don't want to argue."
So, to finish my sentence, my grandfather was imprisoned in the First World War, for being a CO, at a time when they were appallingly badly treated and some were even hanged for treason.
Because of the way my mother, as a young child, was affected by her father's imprisonment, there are ways in which I, too, am still suffering today.
Nevertheless I am intensely proud of my grandfather's physical and moral courage. He was prepared to die for his principles the same as any young solider.
There have been many wars since then. Can somebody tell me, as clearly the officer could not, what they have achieved?
G M PHILLIPS
New Street
Sudbury
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Weather for Sudbury
Wednesday 08 February 2012
Today
Light snow
Temperature: -3 C to 0 C
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Wind direction: North east
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