I’m really struggling to understand the sentiments of those who have taken offence at these images – now that is not to say that my viewpoint is right and yours is wrong, we each have our own opinion to which we are entitled and which is formed through our own experiences and morals. But, what I find odd is that the images are being labelled sick and repulsive and have no place on a historic aviation forum, or in any other public domain. I agree that it looks as if the body could have been tended to in a more compassionate way as the images do portray it as having been extracted and put to one side for later, but as some have pointed out, we were not there, we do not know the full sequence of events, so on that I do not think we can comment without undue conjecture.
On the subject of them being made available for public viewing – we have a choice whether to look or not, just as we have a choice on whether or not to watch the documentary’s on the Holocaust which often present to us utterly shocking images of entirely innocent murdered civilians, on ancient battlefield excavations (remember, skeletons used to be people too or visit the British Museum and see the mummfied remains of Egyptian Kings. I just cannot see a big enough difference between these and the images shown of the poor young pilot we see here. To me, seeing him lying there gives me the sharp shocking reminder I need to realise that as much as am fascinated by the machinery of war, those very same machines had and still have, human hearts which, much as we try to sanitize in our modern detached way by looking at shiney Spitfires Vulcans, has and will continue to result in, horrific, dirty, undignified and often unjustified human loss of life.
As I said, I am not suggesting for a minute that anyone is right or wrong in their opinion, I just personally believe that it is valuable and maybe necessary to once in a while see the true cost of war in a way which most of us today will thankfully never see first hand. Many of our surviving relatives never had that choice – they may have had to live with these images of their friends, families and enemies their entire lives.
I for one feel rather fortunate.
Sign In
