WAR HATRED

Evening Post, Volume CVII, Issue 97, 29 April 1929, Page 10

WAR HATRED

(To the Editor.)'

Sir,—ln my letter about the Lusitania medal to which two correspondents have taken objection, I gave a quotation from your review of 'falsehood in Wartime" in your issue of 20th April. It is to be presumed that Mr. Ponsonby "made sure of his i'aets before putting the matter into cold print." I mentioned my own ignorance of the existence of ,this medal, but, of course, there are some things about Germany that I only learnt out here. For instance, I had never before heard of tho Hymn of Hate. One correspondent gives a list of sixteen medals with much detail. He would have taken up your space to more purpose if he had stated' whether | they were official, where and by whom I they were struck, and what circulation they had. An exhibit of these medals would be of historical interest, but' why should one be singled out to give the false impression that Germany specially celebrated the sinking of the Lusitania. It may be that some such medal was struck, but it was not official, and must have had a limited circulation. It still remains a myth that tho German Government officially celebrated the sinking of the Lusitania by distributing medals to a rejoicing people. I'know how the news was received in the district where I was, and I know that there was much murmuring about it, and there was regret for the lives lost. Of course, some justified it, but the German people were not gloating over the death of women and children. It was similarly not right of- Germans to accuse the English people of the same thing, because it was.reported that after the Armistice, while the blockade was still in force, an English paper had given an account of the mortality among children in Germany under the heading, "Fewer Little Huns." For the wrong things done in the war the German.people have suffered. For us the war ended in 1923, not in 1918. However, I had no intention of entering into an argument on this subject, nor eveu to make a plea fop friendlier feelings to Germany, I simply wanted to urge that ten years after the end of the war hatred should not be artificially maintained by distortion of the truth.—l am, etc" - ■'■■;■ t.w. 28th. April. With reference to the correspondence as to the striking of a Lusitania commemorative medal in Germany, a correspondent has. forwarded to "The Post" a copy of "The Commemorative Medal in the Service of Germany" by G. Hill, M.A., Keeper of the Department. of Coins and Medals, British" Museum. Amongst the photographs of medals are two entitled:, "The Sinking of the Lusitania" (by K. | Gotz) with the following description: ' On the obverse the-Lusitania, loaded with, munitions and aeroplanes and furnished with a ram like a battleship, sinking in the Atlantic. Above are the words: No contraband!"" and below: "The liner Lusitania sunk by a German submarine, sth May, 1915." On the reverse, Death at the office of the Cunard Line sellmw tickets to a crowd of passengers; one of them is holding a newsp»|>er with thn words: "Submarine Danger!" but they refuse to listen to the warning of a German in a top hat. Above are the words: "Business First."