Humility (WWI - part 4)

Of course, a hundred years ago people didn't have mobile phones; cars and other motor vehicles were a very new technology and weren't particularly reliable; and there weren't any computers so messages were sent by post rather than by email.

http://cache.wists.com/thumbnails/c/4b/
c4baac42fdada4fea25e5aabc41594cc-orig

We've already read that many people died during WWI. But many animals died too. Eight million horses were killed during the war. At first, horses were used as cavalry, with mounted soldiers charging and engaging in combat. Eventually, the trenches made this impossible. Instead, horses were used to transport goods and materials to the front line as they were more reliable than cars and cheaper to maintain.

One hundred thousand pigeons were used as messengers, with 95% getting through with their message. You can read about one famous pigeon, Cher Ami, here.

Dogs were used for many different jobs: as messengers, sentry dogs, scouts, casualty dogs, explosive dogs, ratters and mascots. You can read about one famous dog, Tweed, here.

As horses were needed on the front line, very unusual animals were taking their place back home! Take a look!

Probably the smallest creature used during the war was this little chap ...

http://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons
/e/ec/Glow_worm_305654931.jpg

Glow worms were caught by their thousands by soldiers in the trenches, placed into jars and used as torches to help with map reading, examining reports and reading letters from home!

We can learn a lot from these animals. This was not their war. They had no idea what was going on around them. They didn't argue or complain, they weren't trying to show how clever they were, nor did they look for a reward. They simply did what they were expected to do.

The Bible asks us to have exactly the same attitude as these animals. (Philippians 2:3-4). We need to do everything without complaining or arguing (Philippians 2:14), with a willing spirit (Psalm 51:12) and honour others above ourselves (Romans 12:10).

Can you think of some ways you can do this at home, today? Ask Jesus to help you!

-----------------------------------------------

QUIZ!

How much do you know about WWI? Test your knowledge with this fun quiz!

If you're not sure of the answers, see if you can find them here.

How many people started the first world war?

1. 10 people
2. 100,000 people
3. 1 person

Where was the first world war fought?

1. In London
2. In trenches dug across France
3. In Pizza hut

 What happened at Christmas 1914?

1. They ran out of bullets so threw water balloons at each other
2. They put on a pantomime
3. They stopped fighting and played football instead

Find out more here.

What was the Women's Land Army?

1. An Army from Women's Land
2. Women became farmers to provide food
3. Women fought against the land

When two planes were fighting in the sky, it was called:

1. A dog fight?
2. A tiger fight?
3. A budgy fight?

Which of the following were used in war for the first time in WWI?

1. Planes
2. Chemicals
3. Tanks
4. Footballs
5. All of the above

Why are poppies used to remember WWI?

1. Because they grew over graves of dead soldiers
2. Because they are red, like blood
3. Because they are pretty