This article explores whether, how, and what young men in interwar Britain heard about the Great War from its veterans. Oral histories are used to enable the first detailed examination of the hitherto largely unexplored topic of the intergenerational transmission of representations of the Great War in interwar Britain. It shows that although many veterans were reticent about their war experiences, young men heard about Great War experiences from veterans more frequently than has previously been acknowledged. What they heard was heterogeneous, like representations in popular culture, but tended to emphasize positive and rewarding elements of wartime service rather than disillusion. While veterans' narratives could be fleeting and ephemeral, this examination of their character shows they should be considered an important component of the wider body of representations of the Great War in interwar popular culture through which young men might 'know' about the Great War. As well as examining what young men heard, consideration is given to alternative ways that young men learned about familial service, and to what triggered veterans' narratives and why some remained silent. Reasons for the trope of the silent veteran are suggested, and its strength in contemporary popular memory is illustrated in discussion of the 'discomposure' it could cause some interviewees.

中文翻译：

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爸爸“从不说太多”但是……两次世界大战期间英国日常生活中的年轻人和大战退伍军人

这篇文章探讨了两次世界大战期间英国的年轻人是否、如何以及从退伍军人那里听说了大战。口述历史被用来首次详细研究迄今为止主要未探索的主题，即两次世界大战之间的英国大战的代际传播。它表明，尽管许多退伍军人对他们的战争经历保持沉默，但年轻人从退伍军人那里听到大战经历的频率比以前承认的要高。他们听到的是异质的，就像流行文化中的表现一样，但倾向于强调战时服务的积极和有益的元素，而不是幻灭。虽然退伍军人的叙述可能是转瞬即逝的，对他们性格的考察表明，他们应该被视为两次世界大战间流行文化中更广泛的一战表现形式的重要组成部分，年轻人可能通过这些表现“了解”一战。除了检查年轻人听到的内容外，还考虑了年轻人了解家庭服务的其他方式，以及是什么引发了退伍军人的叙述以及为什么有些人保持沉默。对沉默的退伍军人比喻的原因提出了建议，它在当代大众记忆中的力量在讨论它可能导致一些受访者的“不安”中得到了说明。考虑了年轻人了解家庭服务的其他方式，以及是什么引发了退伍军人的叙述以及为什么有些人保持沉默。对沉默的退伍军人比喻的原因提出了建议，它在当代大众记忆中的力量在讨论它可能导致一些受访者的“不安”中得到了说明。考虑了年轻人了解家庭服务的其他方式，以及是什么引发了退伍军人的叙述以及为什么有些人保持沉默。对沉默的退伍军人比喻的原因提出了建议，它在当代大众记忆中的力量在讨论它可能导致一些受访者的“不安”中得到了说明。