People salute Chinese laborers at World War I commemoration ceremony (Xinhua)
The reference news network reported on November 15 that 100 years later, their words can still touch our heartstrings.
The Associated Press published an article on Nov. 11 titled "Am I Dreaming," an excerpt from letters from the last day of World War I.
Soldiers wrote letters to their families from the front lines of World War I, a Chinese laborer was surprised by the end of the war, and a girl dreamed of being reunited with her lover on the battlefield.
This year, at a ceremony in Paris to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the Armistice of World War I, eight teenagers born in the 21st century read aloud some of the letters and notes written on November 11, 1918, the day the war ended. They then assisted French President Emmanuel Macron in rekindling the long flames of the Tomb of the Unknown Soldier.
Here are excerpts from the six letters read aloud:
"Dear Mom and Dad,
Today was fantastic. We got the news of the truce at 9:30 a.m. It took me 10 minutes to calm myself down and get ready to go to Mons Square for the parade. I let everyone around me freshen up. The streets were filled with wildly cheering civilians who threw flowers at us. The streets and squares are filled with colorful flags, of course, most of them Belgian flags in red, yellow, and black, as well as British, French, American, and all the Allied flags you can imagine. ”
— Charles Neville, officer of the Royal Cavalry Artillery Corps
"The war is over and we will be leaving in an hour. We don't need to go back here again.
The ground was shrouded in mist, and the edges of the potholes and trenches were clearly visible. They represent a terrible world, a harsh life.
After an hour, everything will be gone and you will even think they never existed. How does this make sense?
We here and now, who should be cheering and screaming with joy, feel heavy in our hearts. ”
— Erich Maria Remak, infantryman and writer of the German 15th Infantry Reserve Regiment
"There seemed to be a factory whistle outside, someone was shouting, someone was singing with joy. They declared the war over.
...... At 11 a.m., all fighting ceased and all work ceased. I wanted to see for myself how the French celebrated the armistice. In this city, the streets are already crowded: men, women, children, the elderly, soldiers, civilians, people of all colors march together, holding hands, singing, cheering. ”
— Gu Xingqing, a Chinese laborer working in a warehouse in Rouen, Normandy; tens of thousands of Chinese laborers were sent to Europe to support the war.
"There were thousands of American soldiers, British soldiers, Canadian soldiers, French soldiers, Australian soldiers, Italian soldiers and colonial soldiers in the parade. Every soldier had a little French girl in her arm, crying or laughing; every little girl had to kiss a soldier before she let him go. Today, I don't want to go anywhere on earth except here...
I just hope that the soldiers who have sacrificed their lives for this cause will be able to look down on the world today. The whole world owes the joy of this moment to the heroes who have not been able to enjoy it here. ”
- Charles H. Thompson, 127th Infantry Regiment, 32nd Infantry Division, U.S. Army Captain S. Normington
Veterans at a World War I memorial ceremony, November 11, 2018 (Associated Press)
"Dear Pierre,
As I write this letter to you, you will also hear this incredible news in the distant Alsatian Forest! The bells on my side kept ringing.
I was overjoyed. I couldn't even write. I cried out in joy.
I can't, really can't express to you, the ecstasy of the first day of the armistice. My heart was churning, and I couldn't believe that no one would die again, that the long front would fall into silence and silence. I burst into tears at the thought of the end of it all. ”
—Letter from The French girl Denise Bruelet to her fiancé Pierre Ford
"Am I dreaming?" I'm not sure if I'm dreaming... The moment I realized how happy I was, I thought of my brother and sister, both of whom had been killed in this war, and tears had blurred their eyes.
I have never been more convinced of the end of the war than I am at this moment. The soldiers have laid down their arms, and they will not take them up again. I still had a lot to write about, but the roar of the shells and the whistling of the bullets finally stopped. ”
— Sergeant Major of the French 343rd Infantry Regiment, Alfred Rumigier