Wether I walk in Trafalgar Square, The British Museum, Churchill War Rooms, Tower of London or the various memorials to men and women alike which have become immortal in British History such as the Duke of Wellington. I can’t help but see the reminders of the British Empire. The city of London for over 250 years was the capital of an empire that owned 1\3 of the world’s landmass. This empire was characterized best by the quote of “The Sun never sets on the British Empire”. Before WWII, The British Empire was at it’s largest extent due to acquiring German Colonies after ‘The Great War’. However this was to prove a hollow victory and despite territorial acquisitions, the end of WWI revealed a vulnerable empire. Despite defeating Germany in WWI, the Treaty of Versailles in 1919 and the rise of Adolf Hitler in 1933 as chancellor of Germany made another conflict inevitable.
We learned in the Churchill War Rooms that in order to save Britain, Churchill had to accept the lend lease act even though this plunged Britain massively into debt and so this made Britain unable to retain the empire. I find Churchill is seen as a contrasting figure because while being a son of the empire, he realized that in order for Britain to ultimately triumph in WWII it would need the US and the Soviet Union to fight as allies against Nazi Germany. Especially during ‘The Blitz’ in which the city was devastated by German Bombers of the Luftwaffe. However Churchill and the British people endured and came out the other side of those dark times. I saw a photo at the War Rooms of Saint Paul’s Cathedral surrounded by burning buildings however the church was completely untouched, for the photographer this must’ve been a vision sent strait from hell but god in the end is ultimately triumphant.
We will soon cross the channel which separates England from the continent and so I can’t help but think what the men of HMS Belfast looked out on the channel during D-Day. I have learned through my time on HMS Belfast how instrumental this heavy cruiser was in aiding Britain and the Soviet Union during WWII. This ship was responsible for running dangerous arctic convoys to Murmansk,Russia in temperatures reaching below -30, destroying Scharnhorst which was a german battle ship in the battle of north cape in 1943 and finally culminating during June 6, 1944 when Operation Overlord commenced to liberate France and the rest of Western Europe from Nazi Germany. This heavy cruiser and it’s crew should’ve had a movie done about it’s many accomplishments but like many untold heroes of WWII, this one must be seen to truly get a glimpse of what the British navy went through to guard Britain and defeat the German Navy.
Despite the loss of the British Empire after WWII. I see reminders not just in it’s monuments but in the people of London. This is truly a cosmopolitan city brought about due to the empire. I have seen Arabs from Iraq and Jordan, Africans from Sudan down to South Africa, Hindus and Sikhs from India, Chinese from Malaysia, Singapore and Hong Kong. London while evoking an imperial past can still be seen through modern eyes as a great city which story is still being written. While it’s hard today to understand what the British went through in those dark days when they stood alone against the might of Hitler’s Germany, I am proud to know that our nation came to aid Britain in WWII and liberated the continent from tyranny and oppression.
