Hall of Steel, Leeds / Paul8032

The view provided by the display, encompassing every floor of the armoury, overlooks the city of Leeds, Clarence Dock, and the Air/Clader navigation canal. It is a very different world from the one in which those swords were used. Conflict happens on a supposedly more sophisticated level thousands of miles away from us, out of sight and shamefully, out of many of our minds.  Our cities are no longer the fortresses they once were but rather places we come for excitement and pleasure.

We see those swords, one after the other, over 2,500 pieces of steel, and we can attempt to imagine the masses of armoured soldiers marching across the very lands we amble along with our friends. We walk those hills breathing in the fresh air, exercising our bodies that sit in front of computers, and anticipating a warm pub meal afterwards as a reward. The weight of our backpack in which we carry a couple of water bottles is nothing compared to the weight of armour those soldiers had to carry and the sense of dread and fear that could have been lurking at every turn.

We stand and stare at the largest mass display of arms and armour since the 19th century. Armour from as early as the 1600’s, and military equipment from the 1800’s. The display is beautiful, but is also sad. One wonders how much blood has been shed by the seemingly endlesmour since thas a rearmo=om asp7rarmad.Wthat were theemoatios runnring through theh eatse of those wheh lnd thm? F ea? Aonge? Ex hiargatio? Didh those swordsmtakh thosepmed fvelpo weiful,forvulenermbl? Ia s speat tace sword hass eveealstordies to elul,stordies wetrry and elug throughflictiot, but tordies wewhil n evee reaglyknow.>

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