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Epoch Times
26-05-2025
- Entertainment
- Epoch Times
Voices From the Graveyard: Rudyard Kipling's ‘Epitaphs of the War'
During World War I, more than 880,000 men fighting for Great Britain died, One of those who fell in this bloodbath of a war was John Kipling (1897–1915), the only son of writer and poet Rudyard Kipling and his American-born wife, Caroline Balestier. After both the Army and the Navy rejected John's attempts to enlist for reasons of shortsightedness, Kipling used his influence to place his son in the Army, where he was commissioned as a second lieutenant in the Irish Guards. In 1915, just after his 18th birthday, John died in the Battle of Loos in France. Though they conducted an extensive investigation, Kipling and his wife never located their son's body. Later, historians identified what they now believe to be his gravesite, though this issue remains a matter of debate. An ardent supporter of the Empire and the British military, the post-war Kipling was understandably more filled with grief than patriotism. 'As a public man, he became much more angry and bitter,' Portrait of Rudyard Kipling from the biography "Rudyard Kipling," 1895, by John Palmer. Public Domain Tombstone Verse From a Complicated Man During his lifetime and afterward, Rudyard Kipling's novels, stories, and verse have attracted both garlands and brickbats from critics. Though both sides generally recognize his command of the English language, his attackers have labeled him an imperialist, a jingoist, and a racist. These tags can easily be tailored to fit the poet. ' Unfortunately for his detractors, Kipling and his works are a jumble of contradictions. The imperialist penned 'The Man Who Would Be King,' which contains criticisms of the British Empire; the jingoist wrote 'Recessional,' a rebuke to boasting and chauvinistic flag-waving; the racist composed 'Gunga Din,' the poem about the Indian bhisti (water-carrier) who died a hero while saving the life of a British soldier and so won these words as his garland of honor: 'You're a better man than I am, Gunga Din!' Related Stories 8/31/2022 9/8/2021 A similar contradiction occurs with 'Epitaphs of the War.' Kipling was an early and ardent supporter of the war against Germany. He helped popularize the use of 'Hun' to describe the Germans in his poem ' A 1915 photograph of John Kipling, from the Rudyard Kipling papers, University of Sussex Library, England. Public Domain The Boys of War Here, for instance, are two voices: one belonging to a parent, the other to a dead son. Whether Kipling intended these as personal reflections on John's death will always be subject to debate. Surely the father who dearly loved his son and spent so much time trying to learn more about his final hours and the location of his body was at least thinking of John when he composed these two epitaphs: My son was killed while laughing at some jest. I would I knew What it was, and it might serve me in a time when jests are few. I have slain none except my Mother. She (Blessing her slayer) died of grief for me. In several of these verses, Kipling reminds readers that many of the dead, like his own son, were just steps away from childhood. In ' On the first hour of my first day In the front trench I fell. (Children in boxes at a play Stand up to watch it well.) In ' Laughing through clouds, his milk-teeth still unshed, Cities and men he smote from overhead. His deaths delivered, he returned to play Childlike, with childish things now put away. A file photo of a WWI-era plane. Shutterstock Misfits In this cemetery of sorrows, Kipling also made room for those who didn't fit into this world of artillery, guns, and gas. These people were separated by culture or temperament from the ravenous machine of battle and death that was WWI. Here were two who lost their lives to bullets fired by their comrades: I could not look on death, which being known, Men led me to him, blindfold and alone. Faithless the watch that I kept; now I have none to keep. I was slain because I slept; now I am slain I sleep. Let no man reproach me again, whatever watch is unkept— I sleep because I am slain. They slew me because I slept. Outlanders Other troops from the Empire fought and died in this conflict. In ' Prometheus brought down fire to men. This brought up water. The Gods are jealous—now, as then, Giving no quarter. Nor did the man who had spent so many years of his early life in India forget their troops who died on the Western Front: The man in his own country prayed we know not to what Powers. We pray Them to reward him for his bravery in ours. A Vanishing of Differences Class prejudices in Great Britain were still sharply practiced before the war, but as Kipling noted in ' A. 'I was a Have.' B. 'I was a 'have-not.'' (Together.) 'What hast thou given which I gave not.' Some British officers brought a servant from home to the Western Front, termed a 'batman' from the game of cricket. Often the relationship between the two became stronger during this time of duress. In many cases, it blossomed into true appreciation and even allowed the officer to better lead the men in his command. We learn of this arrangement in ' We were together since the War began. He was my servant—and the better man. Relevance The epitaphs of these combatants remind us of the costs of war. Two other poems Kipling included point to one of the perennial reasons for these wars and the accompanying suffering. Here is Kipling giving voice to ' I could not dig; I dared not rob; Therefore I lied to please the mob. Now all my lies are proved untrue And I must face the men I slew. What tale shall serve me here among Mine angry and defrauded young? One of the better-known inscriptions in this graveyard is ' If any question why we died, Tell them, because our fathers lied. In the excellent notes and commentary on 'Epitaphs of the War' A cemetery employee walks between graves of American servicemen killed during WWI ahead of celebrations of the WWI centenary at the American Cemetery in Suresnes, on the outskirts of Paris, France, on Nov. 9, 2018. Vadim Ghirda/AP Kipling published 'Epitaphs of the War' in 1919. By then, the appalling casualty lists of the dead, wounded, and missing were known. Some called the Great War 'the war to end all wars.' They couldn't foresee what lay ahead: another world war, a multitude of lesser wars, and a century of communism, fascism, and the collapse of empires. Kipling laments the personal costs of war. His 'Epitaphs' should act as a warning to all those who call for bombs and bullets instead of searching out every available option for peace. What arts and culture topics would you like us to cover? Please email ideas or feedback to
Times
23-05-2025
- General
- Times
Inside the hidden UK base training Ukrainians for shock and gore of war
Animal organs from the local slaughterhouse are sometimes hung from the fences. Amputees play the role of the injured, screaming for their mothers as the cacophony of gunfire blasts from speakers and drones circle the skies. British military trainers on Operation Interflex, the mission to train Ukrainian forces, are trying to prepare their comrades for the horrors they might face on the battlefield against Russia. 'We are not running these dry and empty-feeling exercises. We are trying to make it look and sound and maybe even smell like a battlefield,' said Lieutenant Colonel Ben Irwin-Clark, the commanding officer in charge of the bespoke training, on an undisclosed military base in East Anglia. The soldiers are preparing to be ready for every eventuality in battle TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE Before deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Irwin-Clark, of the Irish Guards, used to take his platoon to watch port-mortem examinations at the mortuary so they could get used to seeing dead bodies. Many of the Ukrainians at the base will soon be flown back to Poland before travelling to eastern Ukraine. They wanted a spot on the five-week course in Britain because they believed it would increase their chances of survival. Irwin-Clark has no doubt. 'I think the training they receive here will definitely make them more survivable,' he said. As well being taught how to survive, the Ukrainians learn about 'lethality' — how to defeat the enemy with less manpower and equipment — and offensive spirit, a sort of battle-winning mindset. One of those on the section commander course at the base, an experienced soldier and the father of a 13-year-old boy, goes by the call sign Rocky. He signed up after witnessing the impact of the training on some of his comrades on the battlefield in Ukraine. Although he has been fighting since the beginning of the full war in February 2022, he believes he has more to learn. TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE British military trainers, working alongside other nations, have already taught him more advanced medical training and a different way of conducting assaults. Russian forces, meanwhile, shoot dead their injured so they can advance, he said, wearing a scarf to mask his identity. Many of President Putin's troops are given just ten days of training before being pushed to the front as cannon fodder, according to defence intelligence. A 26-year-old soldier whose call sign is Willow said he will be back in the Donbas region next week. 'Donbas, for ever,' he said. How does he feel about that? 'Absolutely great. I love Ukraine.' Another Ukrainian, who has the call sign Fox because of this ability to get anywhere, said: 'I've seen everything. There are things I can't speak about. As we always say, the war is the most scary thing.' For him, training in Britain, away from the sounds of air raid sirens, gives him a chance to concentrate on learning new skills. 'Thanks to Great Britain and all the help and support you provide. We will do our best to move in the direction of victory,' he said. More than 54,000 Ukrainians have been trained in the UK as part of Operation Interflex, which began nearly three years ago. About 130 flights come in and out of the UK every six months. What they learn in five weeks is what the British Army typically takes six months to achieve. For them, speed is essential. There are various courses, from basic training which turns ordinary civilians into soldiers, to commander courses for hardened warriors. On the latest course there is a husband and wife, ready to fight for their nation's survival. None of the Ukrainians at the base are allowed to be named in case Russia targets them or their families. The location remains a secret because of fears of an attack like the one ofSergei Skripal, the double agent who was poisoned by Russia in Salisbury in March 2018. There are concerns that some of the British trainers could suffer from 'survivor's guilt' after six months spent training Ukrainians, who head to into war while they remain safe. Such personnel now take a stress management course before they begin the training. TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE As the Ukrainians depart on coaches afterwards, the British soldiers and their international partners line their route out and salute them. Colonel Andy Boardman, commander of Operation Interflex, said: 'It's sort of our way of saying, 'Good luck, we've given you the best training that we can and we are supporting you.' There's a sense from some of our soldiers that they'd love to be on the coach, going with them to join in.' Irwin-Clark said the Ukrainians were fighting a war so Britain does not have to. 'I am under no illusion that they are the keepers of the keys of Europe, they're the guardians on the gate,' he said. 'That is one of the underlying reasons why we all feel pretty motivated about what we are doing. To no small degree, I feel like they're fighting for us.' TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE TIMES PHOTOGRAPHER RICHARD POHLE
Times
23-05-2025
- Politics
- Times
Inside the secret UK base training Ukrainians for shock and gore of war
Animal organs from the local slaughterhouse are sometimes hung from the fences. Amputees play the role of the injured, screaming for their mothers as the cacophony of gunfire blasts from speakers and drones circle the skies. British military trainers on Operation Interflex, the mission to train Ukrainian forces, are trying to prepare their comrades for the horrors they might face on the battlefield against Russia. 'We are not running these dry and empty-feeling exercises. We are trying to make it look and sound and maybe even smell like a battlefield,' said Lieutenant Colonel Ben Irwin-Clark, the commanding officer in charge of the bespoke training, on an undisclosed military base in East Anglia. Before deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan, Irwin-Clark, of the Irish Guards, used to
Daily Mail
09-05-2025
- Daily Mail
Ex-soldier strangled girlfriend to death with hair straightener power cord on 'make or break Spanish holiday' and now faces thirty years in jail
A former soldier has been found guilty of murdering his girlfriend while on holiday in Spain, where he now faces up to three decades behind bars. Keith Byrne, 34, killed mother-of-one Kirsty Ward by strangling her with a hair straightener power cord after she told him she was leaving him, the court heard. He had claimed during his trial in the Spanish city of Tarragona that Ms Byrne had died by suicide at their four-star Magnolia Hotel in the popular Costa Daurada resort of Salou. The former Irish Guards and Parachute Regiment soldier said he would never commit domestic violence and insisted he was a 'respectful and intelligent' father-of-three. Meanwhile he demonised Ms Ward as someone who could be 'four people in one day', claiming she binged on alcohol and cocaine which he said made their romance 'toxic'. Ms Ward's mother Jackie Ward told the court on day one of the trial that Byrne was someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust'. She said she had found out after her daughter's death that she had planned to leave Byrne during their 'make or break' holiday and had a ticket booked to return home to Dublin on July 4 2023. She was asked as she gave evidence whether she thought her daughter, whose son Evan was 14 when she died in 2023, could have died by suicide but replied: 'She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him.' In a statement, the family of Ms Ward thanked the jury for 'seeing and believing in what was the truth about our beautiful Kirsty'. 'Our family now request our privacy to be respected, while we grieve and come to terms with all that has happened during the past two years.' Byrne is now awaiting sentencing and is expected to find out his fate in around a month's time. A private prosecutor for Ms Ward's family said they were seeking the 30-year sentence they argued for before and during the trial. Public prosecutor Javier Goimil urged the judge to jail Byrne for 20 years, lowering his initial pre-trial demand by a year as he accepted his prior use of drink and drugs as a mitigating circumstance. Jurors found that Byrne had 'diminished cognitive and volitional faculties' due to this when he killed Ms Ward. Mr Goimil, a domestic violence specialist, dismissed Byrne's court claim that Ms Ward took her own life during his closing speech to the jury last Wednesday on the final day of the murder trial. He claimed the former soldier, who had been living in Duleek, Co Meath, decided, 'you're mine or you're nobody's' and strangled his girlfriend to death because she wanted out of their relationship. He said the forensic evidence pointed to Ms Ward having been strangled from behind between 8pm and 10pm on 2 July 2023 after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine. He told the court: 'Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. 'He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. 'What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide.' He added: 'She didn't leave a note for her son or her siblings or her mum and what's more she had bought a plane ticket back to Dublin for July 4. 'Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional. 'She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision. 'His mindset at that moment was: 'You're mine or you're nobody's. You, woman, are no-one to say you're going to detach yourself from me, the man, and have your own independent life'. 'That was why he killed her the way he did.' He also said the amount of alcohol Ms Ward had drunk before being killed would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself. Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking his client's acquittal before the jury verdict and afterwards asked the judge to hand down the 'minimum sentence'. It emerged following Byrne's arrest in Spain that the former soldier was wanted in the UK by Royal Military Police for going AWOL after he left for Ireland in 2017. In a statement yesterday Ms Ward's family thanked the jury 'for seeing and believing in what was the truth about our beautiful Kirsty, that her life was taken from her, and that we were robbed of her and the beautiful life she could have had'. They thanked the police, the public and the private prosecutors for their support, guidance and commitment and asked that their privacy to be respected, 'while we grieve and come to terms with all that has happened during the past two years'. Following Ms Ward's death in 2023, her mother paid tribute to her as 'a fantastic friend' and 'an absolutely adored daughter'. Speaking at the Church of John the Evangelist in Ballinteer, Dublin in July 2023, Jackie Ward said her daughter had been an amazing mother to her son. 'The two of them were an amazingly strong and tight team and I hope to continue the great work she has done. 'To me she was a fantastic friend and an absolutely adored daughter to myself and John. 'She was a caring sister, a cherished granddaughter and much loved niece and cousin. A loyal and true friend.'
The Sun
08-05-2025
- The Sun
Twisted ex-soldier, 34, strangled girlfriend to death in Spanish hotel on what family said was ‘make or break' hols
AN EX-SOLDIER faces up to three decades behind bars after being convicted of murdering his Irish girlfriend at a Spanish hotel. Keith Byrne, 34, was found guilty of the shocking 2023 murder after three days of jury deliberations. 3 3 3 He was found to have strangled Kirsty Ward to death with a hair straightener power cord after she said she was leaving him. The ex-Irish Guards and Parachute Regiment soldier claimed during his trial in Tarragona that the 36-year-old mum-of-one had died by suicide in their hotel. But he described himself as a "respectful and intelligent" father who would never commit an act of domestic violence. He also demonised Kirsty, claiming she could be 'four people in one day' - especially after binging on alcohol and cocaine. The trial judge announced he was retiring to consider his sentence after the jury's decision late last night. Jurors had begun their deliberations on Monday following the May 1 Bank Holiday. However, Byrne is not expected to find out for nearly a month how much jail time he will be handed. A private prosecutor for acting for Kirsty's family is pushing for a 30 year sentence, while public prosecutor Javier Goimil urged the judge to jail him for 20 years. Goimil's pre-trial demand was lowered by a year as he accepted Byrne's prior use of drink and drugs as a mitigating circumstance after jurors ruled he had 'diminished cognitive and volitional faculties" when he killed Kirsty. The prosecutor, a domestic violence specialist, rubbished Byrne's court claim that Kirsty died by suicide during his closing speech. He claimed the ex-soldier had decided "You're mine or you're nobody's" and strangled his girlfriend to death when she said she wanted out of the relationship. Forensic evidence pointed to Kirsty being strangled from behind after 'incapacitating herself' with alcohol and cocaine, he said. He told the court: "Byrne has adapted his version of events of what happened in that timeframe nearly two years on in accordance with the evidence he's learnt there is against him. "He's saying Kirsty tied a cable round her neck and attached it to the door knob but in the state she was in it would have been impossible for her to do that and there's nothing showing there was a knot in the cable. "What's occurred here is a violent and painful death, a strangulation from behind where someone is pulling from the front to the back. This was not a suicide." He added that she had not left a note for her relatives and had bought a plane ticket back to her hometown Dublin for July 4. "Kirsty's relationship with Byrne was very toxic, very intense and very emotional," he said. "She decided to end it during the week they stayed at the hotel in Salou and her partner couldn't accept that decision." He further said that the volume of alcohol Kirsty had drunk ahead of her death would have impacted significantly on her ability to defend herself. Following his arrest in Spain it emerged that Byrne was was wanted in England by Royal Military Police for going absent without leave after he left for Ireland in 2017. Byrne's defence lawyer Jordi Cabre had been seeking acquittal for his client before the jury verdict - and asked the judge afterwards to hand down the "minimum sentence". Kirsty's mum Jackie Ward called Byrne someone she 'didn't like' and 'didn't trust' on the first day of the trial. She was asked when giving evidence if she thought her daughter could have died by suicide. But she said: "She did everything for her son. She would never ever leave him. She would never do that to him." Domestic abuse - how to get help DOMESTIC abuse can affect anyone - including men - and does not always involve physical violence. Here are some signs that you could be in an abusive relationship: Emotional abuse - Including being belittled, blamed for the abuse - gaslighting - being isolated from family and friends, having no control over your finances, what you where and who you speak to Threats and intimidation - Some partners might threaten to kill or hurt you, destroy your belongings, stalk or harass you Physical abuse - This can range from slapping or hitting to being shoved over, choked or bitten. Sexual abuse - Being touched in a way you do not want to be touched, hurt during sex, pressured into sex or forced to have sex when you do not consent. If any of the above apply to you or a friend, you can call these numbers: The Freephone National Domestic Abuse Helpline, run by Refuge on 0808 2000 247 for free at any time, day or night Men who are being abused can call Respect Men's Advice Line on 0808 8010 327 or ManKind on 0182 3334 244 Those who identify as LGBT+ can ring Galop on 0800 999 5428 If you are in immediate danger or fear for your life, always ring 999 Remember, you are not alone. 1 in 4 women and 1 in 7 men will experience domestic abuse over the course of their lifetime. Every 30 seconds the police receive a call for help relating to domestic abuse.
