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Description

Reflection piece on honour for thinking about the promise or for remembrance

Resources

None

Instructions

Pose the following questions to reflect on honour

In thinking about World War II:

• Who was more honourable, the British Soldier or the German Soldier - invariably, they say British.
• Why? responses are likely to be about them being on the right side, being the good guys etc. Which is all fine.
• Imagine they were German, did the Germans not have honour towards their fellow soldiers, did they not work together, did they not think they were right? - You get, ah well, I guess so
• So honour isn't one-sided, Honour is about how you behave and how you treat others.
• Has anyone been to the Menin Gate? The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium, dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.
• In WW2 Ypres was in the hands of the Germans. and they made a point of not desecrating war memorials, why? It was a matter of honour. They start to get it.
• On the German side, who were the bad guys? They might respond the SS.
• There is a story about an SS Officer walking back to his billet, passed a German soldier urinating on the Menin Gate. Ask them what he did? For here was his comrade dishonouring the fallen? Good discussion around honour. Answer: he shot the chap, on the spot.
• So, we have honour, but as with everything, there is good and bad and we strive to be on the good side of things. You can do the same with honour, with being careful of time and so on.

Tags

• Honour
• Membership Award
• promise
• reflection
• scouts Own

Badge Links

• World - Values