2023 traditionalist pilgrimage to Chartres

I cannot imagine any trad American having any issue with Alaska or Hawaii. They don't have controversial bishops or anything. It was probably just a historic flag, maybe a souvenir from WWII or in someone's family, like put on granddad's coffin.

 Christ Church Cathedral which is the Church Of Ireland's seat in Ireland put away all the colours of British regiments post-independence. For many years these hung in the rafters getting somewhat tatty. In recent years they've taken them down for memorial services at World War One and Two oriented events. This still causes arguments mind you. 


The World War One memorial in my father's home county in Ireland gets vandalized regularly with people smashing statues up or scratching engraved text off. Sadly. I think this is very childish myself. But it is how it is. I've been called, 'A West Brit b*st*d' myself for praying for soldiers from Ireland who died serving in the British military in World War One. 

Those who served in British Forces are often characterized retrospectively as 'traitors.' This is particularly thick and shows a very, very poor understanding of Irish history but it is common. I contributed to the memorial for soldiers who served in World War One in my father's country as my great-uncle Dennis was an NCO who was severely wounded at the Somme and invalided out of the service. Like many Irishmen of his era he support Home Rule achieved via political means. His younger brother James who is my paternal grandfather was more radical. But they were still brothers and are buried next to each other. Such family divides politically were common. Post-independence it became increasingly airbrushed out of history of that these men existed and World War One cemeteries and memorials were ignored. There are parts of Ireland where if you say a relative served in Crown Forces during this era you are risking getting into a physical fight. These men were not perceived as serving a foreign power. The actual history is a great deal more complicated and grey but I wouldn't want to try explaining that to a bunch of drunk blokes in Belfast or some similar situation.

When men deserted from the Irish Army to join the British Army in World War Two their pensions were cancelled and some of them were imprisoned when they returned to Ireland after the war. As they broke oaths to do it I can understand why they were punished but given the nature of the situation the govt. could have used some common sense and enacted the lightest punishment possible such as fining them wages or something similar. Many of those who served in British Forces in WW2 were not popular locally either. It's unfair but remember these men were perceived as serving in an army representing a nation that had occupied Ireland up until 1921 and was still occupying the northern six counties. The hate was still very real.