Generations of War
The industrial revolution and civilization that engulfed the European nations in early 1800 pushed my great grandparents to the periphery of Europe, at the shores of the Red Sea. Many a time, my great-great-grandpa, Mr. Andrew, considered that the early period of the 18th century could mark the beginning and scramble for material wealth. Mr. Andrews’ wealth and influence was common knowledge to many in the region. He had accumulated much wealth during his time as a long-distance trader between Northern Africa and Europe. As Europe prepared to expand its territory and colonies beyond its marked borders, a war was gradually brewing between the Scandinavian countries and some European countries, notably Ukraine, Poland, and the larger Russian region. It did not take long before my family look for a neutral ground to avoid the growing dispute that was soon to engulf and pit the countries against each other. My grandfather considered it his moral duty to safeguard the family’s wealth and protect them from any harm. Even though the disagreement did not spill into a full drawn war, it set and left a volatile atmosphere, which many of my family members later related to the beginning of the civil war that took place in the late 1880s.
In the mid and later years of the 1870s, my grandfather, Mr. Ambrose, considered the looming conflict as the death knell to fostering peace in the larger region of Europe. As a member of the security detail of the country’s intelligence unit, my grandpa participated in the war that left a painful landmark in the entire region of Europe in addition to some parts of Russia and Asia. Although he did not take part directly in the battlefield, he took the role of helping wounded soldiers in addition to relaying information between troops in the battlefield and the official residence of the Queen. My grandmother remained as the pillar of the family as my grandpa was fully engaged in his duties between the battlefield and the administrative unit of the Queen. My uncle, Mr. George, had forged a close relationship with my great-grandpa, a relationship that saw them participate in the war actively. When my uncle succumbed to injuries because of an explosion close to the Queen’s residence in 1891, my family members took the central role in nursing him back to health. My grandpa, Mr. Devol, was away during the whole period of the war as he had taken up an assignment at the Port of Victoria along the Mediterranean Sea. Peace became an elusive commodity for my family, and until later years of 1940, it had become clear that my grandpa would move out and seek for asylum in England.
My grandpa passed away during one of the heightened wars close to the border of Poland, an incident that shook the family to the core. Despite this, my family continued offering moral and material support to the victims of war in addition to playing host to many families who were moving to safer grounds. The war and conflict in the larger region of Poland left ugly scars on many of my family members’ lives. Not only were majority traumatized, but they went through trying moments coming to terms with the destruction, psychological torture, and inhuman condition that they went through. My mother, together with my father went against the family’s decision to relocate and get a better and safer region to live. In the early years of 1970, peace and tranquility were restored in Poland, and the majority of exiled men and families returned to their motherland. My parents decided to stay in England until they were sure beyond reasonable doubt that their mother country was back to its feet. As the last born in a family of four and born in the mid-1990s, I undertook the role of tracing my family’s roots and experiences. The conflict that occurred in the late 1870s became the worst part of my family history right from my great-great grandpa’s time.