BATTLES AND IDEAS

INVASIONS AND PROLIFERATION
If you were born between 1900 and 1925 and are still alive, it is quite possible you would have participated in a world war. Those born in 1900 or just before the turn of the 19^th/20^th centuries, might well have participated in two world wars.  That generation of men (and some women) born between 1914 and 1924, give or take a couple of years, might well have participated in the events of the 6^th June 1944 on the beaches of Normandy. 

The children of that generation, in particular those of us born between 1939 and 1945, give or take a couple of years, have every reason to be grateful to them; however, despite their sacrifice, we managed to give them a very rough ride.  I know I did; but what can one expect from a bunch of beatniks, rockers and hippies. Then again, we are the children, not just of heroes, but the flappers and bootleggers of the Jazz age youth culture. The 60’s did not invent smoking marijuana or sniffing cocaine. That was going on just as much in the 20’s, along side the drinking in the speakeasies and nightclubs round the world. So the ‘drug taking’ cannot be the reason for the rough ride. What was it then that so upset our parents about our behaviour? Was it that we did not seem to care about what they had done, that we did not show sufficient respect, that we were so much wrapped up in ourselves? I think not, as it is almost certainly a generational phenomenon, part of the evolutionary process. There are certain patterns in history, and quite a bit of repetition. Take the 6^th of June.

On the 6^th June 1644, The Qing Dynasty Manchu forces, a coalition led by Li Zicheng (former minor Ming official who became the leader of the peasant revolt) captured Beijing during the collapse of the Ming Dynasty. Li Zicheng ruled over China briefly until the Shunzhi Emperor ascended the throne on 1^st October 1644. The Manchus ruled China until 1912 when the Republic of China was established.

Frederick II

Louis XV

One hundred years later, on the 6^th June 1744, during the War of the Austrian Succession a secret treaty was signed between Prussia and France. With 1744 began the Second Silesian War. Frederick II of Prussia, disquieted by the universal success of the Austrians, secretly concluded a fresh alliance with Louis XV. France had posed hitherto as an auxiliary, its officers in Germany had worn the Bavarian cockade, and only with Britain was it officially at war. France also declared war directly upon Austria and Sardinia. Now comes the historical resonance - an army was assembled at Dunkirk to support the cause of James Stuart in an invasion of Great Britain; however, violent storms wrecked the crossing attempt, and the planned invasion was abandoned. D Day in reverse or what?

Moving on another hundred years, on the 6^th June 1844, the YMCA was founded in London, England by Sir George Williams. The goal of the organization was putting Christian principles into practice, achieved by developing "a healthy spirit, mind, and body." Today, YMCAs are open to all, regardless of faith, social class, age, or gender. The World Alliance of YMCAs is headquartered in Geneva, Switzerland. A simple idea that created a worldwide organisation

Williams was born on a farm in Dulverton, Somerset, England. As a young man, he described himself as a "careless, thoughtless, godless, swearing young fellow" but eventually became a devout Christian. He went to London and worked in a draper’s shop. Appalled by the terrible conditions in London for young working men, he gathered a group of his fellow drapers together to create a place that would not tempt young men into sin. That place was the YMCA. Now what would the Village People make of that?

One of the earliest converts and contributors to the new association was George's employer, George Hitchcock, whose daughter Helen Jane Maunder Hitchcock he went on to marry in 1853. Williams was knighted in 1894 by Queen Victoria. After his death in 1905, he was commemorated by a stained-glass window in the nave of Westminster Abbey. Sir George Williams is buried in St. Paul’s Cathedral.

The aftermath of the battles and invasions of the 6^th June may have brought about the end of a particular conflict, but the fruits of a single idea, brought into being on the 6th June 1844 have lasted 100 years.