Ever since we first contemplated a visit to London, the Imperial War Museum has been on our list. This museum located in the 19th Century home of Bethlem Royal Hospital not far from Waterloo Station and South Bank was founded in 1917 even as the First World War still raged. Its mission later expanded to encompass wars of the Twentieth Century and beyond, it was established not as a monument to military glory but to tell the story of the impact of war on people’s lives. The museum website says, “IWM London gives voice to the extraordinary experiences of ordinary people forced to live in a world torn apart by conflict.” It’s considered one of the world’s greatest war museums and does attract military buffs but it’s truly a powerful testament to the experience of war not just by the combatants but by those on the home front. Indeed it is disquieting. We wandered through its chronologically arranged galleries staring at artifacts, reading placards, watching videos and contemplating the myriad, all pervasive, and lingering costs of war. Thank you, IWM for an uncomfortable but valuable reminder of the fragility not only of each human life but of every human society and ecological system on earth.
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