Green Fields of France

This is my tribute to those who fought in World War One, in fact all vets of all wars. As a solider, I know the waste of war first hand and WW I was one of the most wasteful. But at the same time, I know you must fight for your freedoms. Eric Bogle wrote the song, Green Fields of France, also known as No Man's Land. Piet Chielens, coordinator of the In Flanders Fields War Museum in Ypres, Belgium, once checked all 1,700,000 names that are registered with the Commonwealth War Commission. He found no less than ten Privates William McBride. The song is covered by the group Dropkick Murphy.

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[Butcher107]

What's really sad is how some people forget that the 'evil Germans' the Allies were fighting, both in the First World War and Second, were also young men, scared, tired, and away from home. Whatever uniform they wore, in whatever conflict they fought. I can only hope that they have found peace and that their deaths, something that always brings pain for every dead soldier is someone's child, will not be for nothing.

[Tóireasa Purviance Meehan]

You are ignorant of the history this song. It is not about the 1916 Irish uprising at all but is indeed about a young man dying in WWI in France-hence the TITLE of the song being "Green Fields of France". It was written by a Scots-Aussie, Eric Bogle, and so "Willie McBride" was likely a Scot or Aussie, but is actually a composite representative of ALL young men who died in ALL wars. You embarrass all the rest of us (Irish) who are intelligent enough to actually understand what the song is about.

[VompoVompatti]

It is possible that without such a crushing peace treaty Hitler would have never risen to power. This of course is just speculation.

[Skean531]

A good freind of mine use to play and sing this song,god bless,Slange.

[Crucible52]

The Germany's defeat and the treaty is one (big) factor, but it should not be wholly blamed for WW2. Nothing is inevitable in history, and things could have went very differently with Versailles still in place. Besides, by 1933, there had been many revisions of the treaty that were in favor of Germany, because the Germans asked for them.

[NZ beachman]

Harrowing photographs accompanying a powerful song. Rothschilds, who funded both sides of the war, said they make more money in 1 year of war than 100 years of peace. I hope the time comes soon when people from all nations simply say 'no' to war that are now only to benefit corporations' greed.

[roadwary56]

Absolutely beautiful! The meaning is mind boggling. No knows the meaning more than the French.

Cheers from the States.

[ThierryLR1973]

no 1914-1918

from begining of august 1914 to 11/11/1918

[buck6439]

1912-1916 wasn't it

[ThierryLR1973]

100 y,ears next year. RIP

[hinerangi1]

The seeds of WWII were planted when Bismark justified Prfussia's brutal annexation of other German states, and called it The Second Reich. They were nourished in WWI, and grew to their evil flowering as the world spiralled down into 1939.

Hindsight is a wonderful thing - but to imagine that a single action by just one nation would have averted that horror, is to be living in the very Cloud-Cuckoo-Land Hitler mockingly declared to be the abode of his opponents.

[poopisnotpoop]

And that would have been the tipping point. The war starts in 1936. But really, what's France going to do? Make them do it? With the tattered remnants of what once was an army? Siegfried line?

In principle, you'd love to think there is no inevitability, but humans are predictable machines. It didn't have to happen the way it did. Versailles was step 1, then the depression, totalitarianism and nationalism rise, Hitler butts heads with... everyone. You know the story.