01/12/2024
Over many years I have taken thousands of pilgrims through the battlefields of Europe and further afield from Hong Kong to Hastings.
I always encourage all to ponder at their forefathers graves, or to wonder the cemeteries paying attention to the personal inscriptions on soldiers graves- many of whom have never had a family who had the opportunity to visit.
And imagine, when could these words be written?, after the days work is done, the hush of the evening has come, the children are sleeping in bed, by candlelight, kerosene lamp or electric light, from across the prairies of Canada from the outbacks of Australia from the plans of India from the homes and the palaces in England from across globe of the old Empire, how many times did they write these words and only when they felt them worthy or good enough were they sealed in an envelope and sent across the oceans to be engraved on the soldiers grave, these words -not simply written words, they were full of pain and loss for those that we now pay homage.
We often see “Faithful unto death” simple but so poignant of those who made the ultimate sacrifice, for we who live in peace.
I invite you to read below.
"To stand patiently and hopelessly in a lost position - that is our duty. To stand like that Roman soldier whose bones were found before the gates of Pompeii, who died because they forgot to give him the order to retreat during the eruption of Vesuvius. This honorable end is the only thing that can never be taken from a man." - Oswald Spengler, "Man and Technology".
Mark Twain, who visited the ruins of Pompeii in 1867, called the figure of the Roman warrior who, without flinching, remained at the gates of the panic-stricken city until the very end "romantic". We do not know what exactly prompted the nameless warrior in full armor to die dispassionately and nobly at his post. One way or another, his image became iconic and symbolic for Europe: it embodied the values that once elevated Rome and were inherited by Europe, which colonized almost the entire world. In 1865, Sir Edward Poynter completed his painting Faithful Unto Death, which became one of the most famous works of Victorian art. The sense of duty and the desire to fulfill it even at the cost of one's own life were of particular importance to the British imperial elite, and Poynter's remarkable painting expressed this to the fullest extent: clutching a spear, a soldier stands at his post and awaits his inevitable death. He has not been ordered to leave his post, and he will not leave it under any circumstances.
In my opinion, Poynter's mastery is most clearly demonstrated in the expression of the soldier's eyes. The English artist did not seek to depict a mythical fearless warrior or a fearless caricature of a superman. This is an ordinary Roman soldier, an ordinary man, and in the depths of his eyes you can see excitement and confusion. He is afraid of death, he is tense, and therefore he squeezes his spear with force: Poynter depicts with great care the tension of the muscles of his arms. The nobility of this nameless man lies in overcoming his greatest fear in the name of duty and a free, deep sense of belonging to something greater than himself. The greatness of Rome is in its ability to arouse such impeccable loyalty in man. A terrible and magnificent death.
In the long game, steadfastness, loyalty and discipline always bring results and create enduring images that will live forever. Beacon images that are not subject to even the thickest darkness.
Illustration: Sir Edward Poynter, "Loyal to Death".
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A specialist Battlefield Tour Company. Based on the Somme Battlefields. WW1-WW2 group & individual
