This painting by the Italian war illustrator Matania depicts 'A' Company of the 2nd Battlion Royal Munster Fusiliers, stopped en route to Aubers Ridge in Belgium on 8 May 1915. The central figure is Father Francis Gleeson, a Roman Catholic priest, who is pronouncing a general absolution on the soldiers before they go into battle. The next day, 19 out of 22 officers and 320 'other ranks' out of 520 died. World War I is notorious still for the high rate of attrition amongst troops, and the apparent pointlessness of the conflict - although it appeared otherwise at the time. If men weren't in charge, would this sort of thing happen?Friday, 24 April 2009
God and War
This painting by the Italian war illustrator Matania depicts 'A' Company of the 2nd Battlion Royal Munster Fusiliers, stopped en route to Aubers Ridge in Belgium on 8 May 1915. The central figure is Father Francis Gleeson, a Roman Catholic priest, who is pronouncing a general absolution on the soldiers before they go into battle. The next day, 19 out of 22 officers and 320 'other ranks' out of 520 died. World War I is notorious still for the high rate of attrition amongst troops, and the apparent pointlessness of the conflict - although it appeared otherwise at the time. If men weren't in charge, would this sort of thing happen?
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