Why no kinghthoods?
HENRY, Harry, Wilfred . . . the kind of names that belong to past generations, but very topical today.
The funeral yesterday of Royal Naval Air Serviceman Henry Allingham, the World War One veteran aged 113, will be followed next week by the funeral of 111-year-old Harry Patch, who fought at Ypres and recalled the mad terror of climbing out of the trenches into slicing hails of machine-gun fire.
They are due the highest accolades, and the funerals reflect the regard in which they held.
But why weren't they given honours such as knighthoods before their deaths?
When knighthoods are handed out to civil servants and captains of industry at the drop of a hat, the Allinghams and Patchs should have been the first in line. As the last surviving World War One soldier, Patch in particular deserved more.
The words of poet Wilfred Owen have been used to commemorate the death of Private Patch. Owen came to recuperate in Scarborough at the Clifton Hotel before being sent back to his death. Lest we forget.
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Weather for Scarborough
Thursday 24 May 2012
Today
Sunny spells
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 12 mph
Wind direction: North east
Tomorrow
Sunny
Temperature: 11 C to 18 C
Wind Speed: 24 mph
Wind direction: East
