Question of the week: Guy Fawkes Day has just passed reminding us all of his failed plot! In your opinion, which historical event deserves an annual day of commemoration in the UK? "Just as Armistice Day (11th November) and VE Day (8th May) are poignant landmarks in British history, commemorating the end of some of the bloodiest periods that contemporary records will reflect, Napoleon’s defeat at Waterloo (18th June) marks the welcome closure to one of the more violent and prolonged stretches of attrition that made much of Europe and its surrounding environs a battleground for over a decade – technically lasting longer than either of the 20th century’s World Wars.
Wherever your sympathies lie, it’s undeniable that the end of the Napoleonic era had a considerable effect on the world, be that in simple terms such as the threat to young men’s lives or to more subjective terms such as the arts & culture in general. With so many casualties amassed on both sides and with such a landmark shift in near-global politics attributed to it, it seems a pity that this date may pale into eventual insignificance.
For those less inclined to commemorate the Napoleonic Wars in particular, you may note it’s also the date that the Americans officially declared “war” on the British (which arguably has yet to be resolved) alongside being the date seminal rock guitarist Jimi Hendrix burnt his Fender Stratocaster onstage at Monterey."- Hal
* Photo by Simon D. Gardner, used under Creative Commons, with thanks.
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