For over 30 years members of Abingdon Peace Group have held a short vigil on the morning of August 6th remembering the thousands of people killed,maimed and reduced to shadows on the ground when the nuclear bomb was dropped on Hiroshima on Aug 6th 1945.
Photographs of people remembering the anniversary are sent from Abingdon to Hiroshima to show solidarity. Prayer services, vigils and demonstrations take place around the world on the 6th, and the 9th, when the bomb was dropped on Nagasaki.
There are specific reasons in 2019 why these anniversaries should be remembered. In 1987 the Intermediate-range Nuclear Forces Treaty was signed between the USSR and the USA to reduce the threat of nuclear war. Last Friday President Trump of the USA officially terminated that agreement after 32 years. Today tensions between India and Pakistan, two nuclear powers, are rising with direct rule being imposed by India on the special region of Kashmir.
Thankyou to Peter, Anne, and Tony for the pictures.
Approximately 225,000 people were killed when the two atomic bombs were dropped, that action brought about the end of the war against Japan,
By contrast over 6,000,000 (6 million) Jews were murdered by the Nazis during the Holocaust but I’ve not seen this group assemble to remember national Holocaust day?
Moreover, according to a directive ratified on 5 August 1937 by The Japanese emperor Hirohito, the constraints of the Hague Conventions were explicitly removed from prisoners of war from China, the United States, Australia, Britain, Canada, India, the Netherlands, New Zealand and the Philippines held by the Japanese armed forces and these POWs were subject to murder, beatings, summary punishment, brutal treatment, forced labour, medical experimentation, starvation rations and poor medical treatment. The most notorious use of forced labour was in the construction of the Burma–Thailand ‘Death Railway’.
According to the findings of the Tokyo Tribunal, the death rate of Western prisoners was 27.1%, seven times that of POWs under the Germans and Italians.
After the war, it became clear that there existed a high command order – issued from the War Ministry in Tokyo – to kill all remaining POWs.
The Japanese when they took Singapore bayonetted the nurses in the hospitals. There was no compasion shown by them
People remember the 6 million murdered Jews with horror. It seems that the other 5 million murdered “undesirables” are less well remembered.
Re the first comment,, it is important that both the Holocaust and Hiroshima are remembered in the hope that we can learn lessons from history and work towards a world where no forms of racism,are tolerated and the use of nuclear weapons is considered unthinkable, given the consequences it would lead to
Snarl Snarl !!! The Peace Group’s dignified silent vigil of remembrance is more impressive and more helpful than your bitterness, Horsesmouth and Janet. It is better to light a candle than to curse the darkness.
Not bitter John-just don’t wear blinkers and have a better understanding of what went on ! As for lighting a candle for peace and understanding, Neville Chamberlain tried waiving a piece of paper proclaiming peace in our time, just a few weeks later the Nazis invaded Poland and chamberlains piece of paper of peace was worthless!
What’s more all the poor souls who perished in wars so as the likes of you can protest freely would have labeled you as conscientious objectors – you may even have been locked up ! Now there’s a positive thought.
Horsesmouth, this is unkind, even for you. Do you also pour such scorn on the reconciliation of Coventry and Dresden and the victims of the bombings there? There is nothing wrong with remembering the victims of war. I suspect not a single member of the services would class an act of remembrance as a conscientious objection.
Sarah, if you read the opening lines their remembrance is for the people who died exclusively in Hiroshima and Nagasaki
My point is how about the hundreds of thousands of soldiers and innocent civilians who perished not only at the hands of the Japanese but also of the Nazis too!
If their slogan and cause was one of anti war then I would join them, but it’s not,
I’ll give you the names of some Abingdon men and boys who died at the hands of the Japanese, dare you to ask their relatives to join that group ? Better still ask anyone who had/has relatives of the East Anglia regiment who were captured and systematically murdered while p o w’s In Burma, of all people I’m one of deep remberance, but it shouldn’t be exclusive nor should it distort or hide the facts, which is of course, like the Nazis, the Japanese started it, so why the sympathy for the perpetrator?
Horsesmouth, I had family stationed in Singapore during the Second World War. I had family on both sides in the First World War, lobbing shells at each other across the trenches. I had a grandfather who worked for the British Air Ministry in the Second World War, and a grandmother who worked for a Messerschmitt factory. My mother was born in a basement coal store, sheltering from a British bombing raid. The sympathy of remembrance is not for the perpetrator, as you put it, but for the dead. For the soldiers, for the civilians. All and any remembrance is worthwhile. Remembering one group does not dishonour another. Most importantly, remembering the dead in no way excuses or absolves those who cause wars.
Ah, I agree, but try telling that peace group that?
I don’t think they’re saying anything otherwise.
Have you asked them? I suspect that what they are doing is remembering a particular group of war dead, and hoping that that particular cause of death never happens again. Is that a bad thing?
Thankyou for your contributions Sarah. The banner on the left reads The best way to honour the dead is to work now to prevent war. That has a much wider reference than just Hiroshima. It takes in all those who have been victims of war, soldiers, civilians of what ever nationality. Working to prevent war is what is most important and that includes challenging racism and the demonisation of `the other`, raising awareness of the terrifying results of nuclear warfare and much else . We can all work in small ways to building up a culture of peace rather than hatred, whether that`s locally, nationally or internationally.
Group Capt Leonard Cheshire VC, DSO (and two bars) DFC was one of two official British observers at the Nagasaki drop.
He was not a conscientious objector or a non-combatant, but a highly and repeatedly decorated fighter. What he experienced in war changed everything for him.
And what is wrong with a conscientious objection to war? If it is a matter of conscience, we ought to respect it – whether we agree or not. Where is the virtue in forcing someone to do what is morally repugnant to them?
I really cant see what in backstreeter’s article has prompted Steve to feel the need to spread a little more of his customary bile and intolerance on line.
Live and let live. These people aren’t out trivialising the death of anyone in the second world war, or trying to justify the actions of the axis powers. They are highlighting the sad loss of life of thousands of men, women and children in Japan.
I think I just died a death reading all this drivel you lot have gone on about! It’s a waste of time these people doing their silly little ‘stand in the square with some rubbish banners and slogans’ vigil. But I suppose it’s their time they are wasting, so leave the Green Party members to it.
“Those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it.“
We have to make sure that each new generation remembers and learns from the mistakes of their predecessors..
I think it is important to note, that in the photos, the flowers look lovely.
Thank you chicken dinner, thing is no matter what I say Iain et will take aim irrespective, so I take no notice of his pc drivel and as for saying they’re merely highlighting the sad loss of wome and children in Japan, how about the women and children killed in the blitz in the east end? or Coventry,
I’m amazed an EX Tory councillor can come out with such subversive remarks, remarks that belong to Corbyns Hamas loving ideology!
“ those who cannot remember the past are condemned to repeat it” bit of an odd statement Hester? are you referring to the dropping of the two H bombs in particular ? In which case I suggest you’re saying that episode was a mistake, or are you referring to war in general?
Think the pair of you need to do some serious reading about the world wars and Iain I suggest you read the list of dead from your old school and think deeply as to what they gave in order for you to come out with utter garbage!
What a patronising post Steve. You seem to think that anyone who doesnt share the little england views you continually espouse is uneducated and unappreciative of the debt we owe to the people who fought for us in the past. I suggest you occasionally engage your brain before you start typing.