On the left of the entrance to the Pietà military cemetery, one tombstone marks the final resting place of Robert Hutchinson Booth. His tombstone reads: “And when I die and from those I love depart, may the name of England be found deeply engraven on my heart.”
The tombstone gives us some information; he was born in Turton and was 32 years of age when he died on January 1, 1916 as a result of “wounds received in Gallipoli” on December 22, 1915.
However, it is bereft of other details. Other sources shed some light on his life beyond the battlefield. Captain Booth was born in 1883. The son of John and Mary Agnes Booth, he was known to his family and friends as Robin.
He enlisted in the East Lancashire Regiment as a territorial officer in 1905 and transferred to the Army Service Corps in 1910. In 1914, he was deployed to Egypt. He served with the 42nd East Lancashire Field Ambulance at Gallipoli when he was injured and died merely 10 days after being transferred to Malta to treat his injuries.
This young officer was married to Elsie and they lived at Horrobin Fold, Bolton. Their son, Robert Arthur was born six weeks before his death on November 17, 1915. Captain Booth was an active member of the community. He served as assistant churchwarden at his local church and was an active member of the Turton Conservative Club.
In addition, he was an excellent tennis player, a keen horseman, an award-winning shooter and a founding member of the Turton Golf Club. His obituary read: “His death will create a void in the village which will be keenly felt and exceedingly difficult to fill.”
Alas, war is often spoken about in terms of numbers and statistics. Nevertheless, behind each loss of life is the life of precious persons whose presence filled the lives of family and friends. This brief detour into Captain Booth’s life is a testament to this.
The first casualty of war is often the human element- André DeBattista
The rows of simple white tombstones in Commonwealth war graves remind us of the tragedy of war. Returning to the life of Captain Booth, it is worth noting that his son also died as a casualty of war, aged 27, on April 23, 1943 while serving as a captain in the Middlesex Regiment.
On the “eleventh hour, of the eleventh day, of the eleventh month”, many stop to mark the Armistice of World War I, which was meant to end all wars. The fact that this was not the case makes remembrance even more poignant and vital.
The wearing of the poppy is not mere virtue signalling, it is a tribute to those who lost their lives in a cause they believed in and were ready to die for.
The tributes by heads of state are a reminder of the enormous weight on their shoulders.
We do no justice to those who lost their lives when we dismiss their service as “futile”. Wars have consequences and outcomes. The world would have been far more dangerous and sinister if the Central Powers had emerged victorious in World War I or, worse still, the Axis Powers in World War II. That is why we remain grateful for their service.
Nonetheless, we should not assume that war is always inevitable.
This year, Armistice Day is marked against the backdrop of the ongoing war in Ukraine. The United Nations published a conservative estimate: 6,374 civilians are thought to have been killed and a further 9,776 were wounded. However, the number is believed to be much higher.
Until the end of October, the Ukrainian government estimated that 10,000 Ukrainian soldiers were killed, 30,000 were wounded and 7,200 are missing. In addition, approximately 7,822 members of the Russian military are believed to have been killed. Nonetheless, the US government gives a higher estimate in the region of 20,000.
The stories from this war are just as heart-breaking.
Vitalii Skakun was a 25-year-old construction worker who had trained as a welder. At the start of the war, he was drafted into the 35th Naval Infantry Brigade. As the Russian forces advanced, his division decided to mine a bridge to stop the Russian troops from advancing. Skakun volunteered to place the explosives. Unfortunately, he did not have enough time to withdraw from the bridge. However, he detonated the mines, destroying the bridge and dying. His actions slowed the Russian advance and allowed his battalion the time needed to regroup.
Alexei Martynov was a 28-year-old civil servant mobilised by the Russian government on September 23. He was confirmed dead on October 10. He never had combat experience and died a few days after being posted to the front.
The first casualty of war is often the human element. Armistice Day reminds us that politics have failed in the past and will likely fail again. Nonetheless, it is also a prompt to never abandon ideals of peace and justice, no matter how unlikely or utopic they may seem.
André DeBattista is political writer and academic.