Nothing learnt from wars
Dear Echo News,
It may be that we may have learned nothing much from two world wars.
Before World War I tensions had been brewing throughout Europe for years.
The war was precipitated with the murder of Archduke Franz Ferdinand along with his wife, Sophie.
A Wikipedia article, based mainly on officially published figures states: “The number of military and civilian casualties in WW I was about 40 million – estimates range from around 15 to 22 million deaths and about 23 million wounded military personnel, ranking it among the deadliest conflicts in human history.”
World War II was precipitated by the rise in power of Adolf Hitler linked to the inequitable post WWI conditions of the Treaty of Versailles.
The US came into the war following the attack on Pearl Harbor by the Japanese.
Prior to this it had been trying to stop Japan’s expansion which included attacks on China and Russia.
The US began passing economic sanctions against Japan, including trade embargoes on aircraft exports, oil and scrap metal, among other key goods.
It was of interest that the UK benefited from the attack on Pearl Harbor as it brought the Americans into the war against the Germans.
Indeed, the British Prime Minister Winston Churchill had suggested to the Americans that Japan was a weak country.
The WW II death and injuries toll outstripped WW I by far.
WW II was the deadliest military conflict in history.
An estimated total of 70-85 million people perished, or about 3 per cent of the estimated global population of 2.3 billion in 1940.
Deaths directly caused by the war (including military and civilian fatalities) were estimated at 50–56 million, with an additional estimated 19-28 million deaths from war-related disease and famine.
Civilian deaths totalled 50-55 million, while military deaths from all causes totalled 21-25 million, including deaths in captivity of about five million prisoners of war.
More than half of the total number of casualties are accounted for by the dead of the Republic of China and of the Soviet Union.
Given the superior weapons of today’s military powers, the death toll in a global war could outstrip WW I and WW II combined.
Yet, we see the US President-elect Trump talking about passing severe economic sanctions on China, which it could be argued, is equal in power to the USA taking into account its large population, rapidly increasing military capacity and expertise in information technology.
If Australia was worried about a Japanese invasion in 1942 it should be terrified if, in response to a war between China and the USA, there was a Chinese invasion of Australia in 2025-26.
In fact, China could wipe out the eastern states of Australia with a few nuclear weapons and take the rest of the country for future Chinese development.
B Buchanan
Kalamunda
Memorial service for WW I unit
Dear Echo News,
The 44th Battalion AIF Memorial Service will be held from dawn until dusk with the main ceremony taking place from 11am to 12.30pm on Saturday, November 23 at the Perth War Cemetery, Nedlands.
The 44th AIF Battalion was raised in Perth in World War I, with many of its members coming from the City of Swan areas.
This will be the first dedicated service in many years for the 44th Battalion, a Western Australian unit that fought in World War I and suffered 482 men killed.
Western Australian Governor Chris Dawson will be in attendance along with a dozen officials, bands, honour guards and school students.
Nearly 100 items (battle stories, songs, hymns and poems) will be recited throughout the day in addition to the names of all the men of the 44th Battalion AIF who paid the supreme sacrifice.
All members of the public are welcome to attend in order to keep the memory and story of the 44th Battalion AIF alive.
The newly formed 44th Australian Infantry Battalion Memorial is responsible for organising this ceremony, being made up of young Australians dedicated to keeping the memory of the unit alive.
For more information email Director@44bat talionmemorial.com or visit 44battalionmem orial.com
L Muir Anderson
44th Battalion Memorial
Western Power ready for bushfires
Dear Echo News,
Western Power is readying the network for the bushfire season by implementing a range of measures to minimise bushfire risk.
The ongoing impacts of climate change and extreme weather events along with Bureau of Meteorology forecasting extreme high temperatures this summer means Western Power is continually refining the way it manages and mitigates bushfire risk across the network.
In addition to Western Power’s annual maintenance program, the organisation is investing $229 million in preparation for summer conditions, with $136m to be spent on pole replacements, $61m on conductor replacements and $32m on vegetation management.
Every year before bushfire season crews prepare the network, particularly in high and extreme bushfire risk zones to reduce the likelihood of a network-related spark that could cause a fire.
This includes inspecting more than 149,000 poles in high and extreme fire risk areas, significantly increased our vegetation management program and replacing more than 3200 insulators.
The safety of the community and our crews underpins everything we do.
We work closely with the Department of Fire and Emergency Services and local governments to make sure we have workable and effective exemptions in place to safely restore power on high fire danger weather days.
The combination of extreme heat and dry conditions across vast areas mean communities must also play a role in reducing the risk of bushfires.
People are asked to keep trees on their properties trimmed away from powerlines and to follow the clearance zones for a safe minimum distance.
If you see a fallen or damaged powerline or an emergency situation affecting the electricity network, stay clear and make the safe call on 13 13 51.
A Viswanathan
Western Power
