War and Remembrance

If you read travel guide books as I do, you know there are always attractions and sites that are must-see. When you read London books, you know that there's a Top 10 that includes Westminster Abbey, Tower of London, Buckingham Palace, British Museum, National Gallery, London Eye and so on. I've seen them all, and they are all worth a visit - or two. They're all iconic.
We visited a museum that doesn't make the must-see lists, but it probably should. We spent hours there and didn't come close to seeing it all. And with Armistice Day just around the corner, a visit to the Imperial War Museum seemed like a good way to spend a Saturday.
It was definitely the worst weather day we've had since we arrived in August. As they say here, the rain was lashing down. It was also cold and turn-your-brolly-inside-out windy. London is fairly flat so when it rains so much, puddles are everywhere. Walk with caution.
To get to the Imperial War Museum, we traveled to Lambeth North on the Tube and then walked for about eight blocks. On the way to the museum we passed a house where Capt. Bligh (of Mutiny on the Bounty fame) lived. Old house - the man died in 1817. How do we know this? A really cool thing you see around the UK are round blue signs affixed to buildings that give you an historical tidbit about someone who worked there, lived there , etc.. Look for them if you're here - they're fun to spot. (There's one for John Lennon on Baker Street.)
When you walk into the Imperial War Museum (it's free), you see a display of artillery and tanks. To see and touch a tank is just amazing - the size is awesome.
From the first floor, we walked upstairs to two emotion-packed exhibits. The first was on the Holocaust featuring paintings by three Holocaust survivors. Three different styles and the most haunting images you can imagine. I could never describe it. I left the exhibit with anger and tears - how could people do this to other human beings? How could anyone with a heart or mind think this was something right to do?
The second exhibit focused on the "Great War" - World War I - and the Britons who fought in it. It was very personal and heart-tugging. One story that touched me was about a soldier who would not leave his post despite being gravely injured. Two days later, he died - at age 16. We saw a diary entry from a soldier who said we was prepared to die but the thought of never seeing his wife and baby daughter again turned his "bowels to water." He died the day after he wrote that entry. He asked his commanding officer to take care of his family - and indeed he did. He married the soldier's widow.
The collection of letters, personal artifacts and photos is impressive, particulary for a war that was over 90 years ago this month. There are three British WWI veterans alive as of 2008.
From there we moved to an exhibit called "The Blitz Experience." London was hit so hard in World War II, bombed daily for three solid months. Londoners spent their evenings in air raid shelters and subways. We were taken into a darkened room where we sat on a bench. Immediately you notice the acrid smell. Then the sounds of bombing, bombing, bombing. Nonstop bombing. The bench we were on would shake occasionally. The smell, the noise, all in the dark - it was so jarring.
There was so much more to see, but the museum was getting ready to close. Outside, it was dark and still raining heavily. I could only describe our mood as somber. We were walking down the street in a city that was rocked by bombing 68 years ago, but is still standing.
To get in out of the rain, we popped into a pub, The Three Stags, for a warm cup of tea. Only in London ...