We will remember them
By Graeme Salt
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Students from my school, Dulwich College Seoul, recently joined me at the Battle of Imjin River memorial service to remember the sacrifice of British, Irish, Belgian and Korean soldiers at this important battle within the Korean War. At Solma-ri, in April 1951, a massive invasive force from the North was delayed long enough for the north of Seoul to be reinforced and hence saved from another ruinous occupation. The memorial service, set within the hills that witnessed intense military action, was full of pomp and significance that paid sincere and fitting tribute to the fallen, injured and bereaved.
It is humbling to meet British veterans from that time, so generously assisted with their travel back here by the Korean government, who hold memories of events in these hills as vividly as if they took place yesterday.
It is noticeable even during my relatively short time in Korea that the number of returning Korean War Veterans is dwindling fast. That is not very surprising given an 18 year old in 1951 is now 86 years of age, and thoughts turn to how this service might feel when there are no more veterans to return. How can we replace the arresting impact of the Commemoration to the Fallen spoken by a veteran who is well into his 80s? “They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning, we will remember them. We will remember them.”
Having grown up in the U.K., I learned about the importance of remembrance from a young age. I recall the solemnity of slow marching veterans to doleful music each November Remembrance Sunday on television, always accompanied by the silent tears of my mother. For her father, my grandfather, died in the Second World War when she was just 4 years old, and her father's father, was likewise killed in action during the First World War. How incredibly sad it was for my mother, her siblings and her mother to lose these men at those times, and how sorry I am that my teenage emotional awkwardness offered so little comfort years later. My family is still acutely attached to the consequences of separation caused by war, and this is one clear reason why remembrance means so much to me.
Additionally, I recall the impact of a passionately delivered school Remembrance Assembly during my youth by a music teacher. Thank you, 37 years later, Mr. Ian Hooker. My family history and these associated experiences ensure a Remembrance Assembly will always feature where I am head of a school, and that a younger generation of students will represent us, and learn, at memorial services such as the one at Imjin River.
As a British citizen living in Korea I, like many other Brits, have been personally thanked for the sacrifice British servicemen made during the Korean War, all of 65 years ago. I admire how Korean people value remembrance, out of honor to those to whom they are thankful but also as acts for maintaining peace. My generation has been fortunate to live through the most peaceful period of history. Have Acts of Remembrance contributed towards this stability?
I believe so, just as I believe international education and the promulgation of global citizenship is a powerful force for peace. I want my students, my children and my peers to understand and respect other people, and I want them to know and fear the consequences of war. If we all commit to supporting these beliefs, we give ourselves the best chance of maintaining peace between peoples of the Korean peninsula, and between those across the wider world.
Graeme Salt (Headmaster@dulwich-seoul.kr) is the headmaster of Dulwich College Seoul, a part of the Dulwich College International (DCI) network of schools.