Letter - Creating a place to offer our thoughts on peace

My friend Dave Barnett, like many, seems to have absorbed the official politicians' line that war, while evil, is inevitable.

In 1939 that may have been true but it could have been avoided if our leaders had acted much sooner. However, if he had had my experiences he might well have agreed with me.

There are very few of us left now, the front-line infantry that invaded Normandy in 1944 and kept on to the end in 1945.

I wouldn't wish our experiences on anyone. When you have looked at the faces of boys of 15, 16 and 17, knowing you may well have been the one who killed them; you carry their stinking dead bodies and bury them and know you are likely to join them soon, it changes your outlook on life.

We few could tell many memories of the most horrible and blood-curdling things that happened to us in 11 months of fighting.

Whether or not my decision was right is unimportant now, 68 years later.

I have no doubt that Dave and pretty much everyone I know, would agree that war is evil.

The main point of my first letter on the subject and of this one is that we should all do everything we can to avoid getting into wars, and that Wellington is about to have its own Peace Garden.

In March we will have a plot of land in Wellington Town Centre, where our Peace Garden will develop.

There will be no charge on taxes and it will belong to us all, like the town clock.

Schools, religious bodies, clubs and everyone will be able to bring along a plant and say 'This is for peace'.

Here we will be able to sit and think, to remember someone or just enjoy the sunshine and be at peace with everyone, whether we agree with them or not.

Civilisation is about living and enjoying the company of people with whom we sometimes disagree.

If this simple little idea takes off as we hope it will, every town will want one. The garden is still within the building site so we have to wait until work is finished and we don't know the date yet but we've been promised it for March.

The War Memorial was built in 1922 and the Peace Garden in 2012, just 90 years later.

Keep reading the Shropshire Star and watch out for more news when we have the opening date.

George Evans, Wellington