War and PC
From Mr John Hughes-Wilson Sir: While I fully anticipated the well-co- ordinated wails of protest from some of the 'Pardons' brigade, furious that someone has
LETTERS
at last dared to expose the falsity of many of their claims, I was saddened to see that they have managed to suck some of my friends in Ypres into their British national campaign as well (Letters, 8 July). I must therefore address some of the ways that history is being distorted for gain. While the In Flanders Fields Museum is undoubtedly an outstanding tourist attrac- tion, it is also, undeniably, a 'peace' muse- um. In fact, like other European museums of its genre, it is a 'PC' museum. The motif that greets the visitor is one of shared suf- fering and `victimhood'. 'Ypres/leper, Rot- terdam, Coventry, Hiroshima' etc. is the main message at the door. German aggression is most certainly not emphasised, despite the fact that Germany invaded Belgium in 1914 and 1940 and shot several thousand of its innocent civilians out of hand. Any mention of German aggression or brutality is de-emphasised and well hidden in the wider theme of shared victimhood. Moreover, on my last visit there was a prominent art display in the foyer commemorating all the British soldiers executed in the first world war and pleading pardons — including for those legally executed for murder.
When we see the In Flanders Fields Muse- um hosting an international seminar called 'German Aggression and Civilian Atrocities against Belgium', then I will believe that the museum is confronting the full historical truth honestly. Until then (despite the well- co-ordinated attacks of those who seek to profit from others' misery) I, and many oth- ers, remain unconvinced.
John Hughes-Wilson Sandwich,
Kent
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