Dead souls restored

F.I.Deryazhnyi. The Fascists are on the run

As some of you know I have, in the cause of education, enjoyed several extended periods living with Russian families.  It is never easy to spend a lot of time with people one barely knows, but life among the Russians rarely turns out in the end to be a difficult experience.  Although on the face of it reserved (Russians think that our constant smiling, for example, is ridiculous), in fact they are generally pragmatic and easy going, extremely hospitable, with a good sense of humour.  Most have the benefit of a large personal dose of the legendary ‘Russian Soul’.

The innate humanity of the ‘ordinary’ Russian was in evidence yesterday evening on BBC Radio Four.  Driving back from Parish Council Meetings  I caught a very moving and fascinating edition of the programme, Crossing Continents which concerned an interesting small corner of life in Russia today.

70 years after the event, it is still hard to escape the high level of attention given in Russia to what they call the Great Patriotic War, and what we call World War ll.

30 million people died on the Russian front, from every corner of the country, of whom some 4 million are still officially ‘missing in action’.  The Radio Four programme concerned the growing number of volunteers, who, armed with spades and metal detectors, are now searching for and identifying the lost soldiers.  Even after all these years they feel a compulsion to look for their remains. 

Although many of the soldiers’ contemporaries are no longer alive, it was clear from the programme that the discovery and identification of a loved father or grandfather brought real comfort and closure to many Russian families today.

This was a fascinating programme, which, if you are interested can be listened to here.