Louvain WW1

[Suziesmith37]

Hi Ev

It certainly is making things clearer, I've read some eye witness accounts from around that time too.

I set out to understand and the picture is clearer, I knew from the outset that the 'Somme' was the worst point of WW1, but some of the stories - well it is just very difficult to put yourself in their place.  Brave - just very brave.

Su

[ev]

hi su

the somme was just one of the worst points 
but it wasn't all bad , two of the cheeriest men in my family research went
though ww 1 and survived
both of them always wore a smile 
but was it the war that made them ?
one in RAMC was at gallipoli and then france and must have been at the
sharp end yet lived to 1963
he worked for the railways but when he retired he never got his watch
because his sevice was broken by the ww 1 
and still he smiled 

ev

[Suziesmith37]

Ev

We have a lot to learn from these people.

One of my Grandad's brothers sayings was - I used to moan that I didn't have no shoes - until I saw a man with no feet.

Simple but thought provoking.

The word was my G Grandad Harry was a cheerful soul too and I do like to think of him giving the men a laugh right up til the last!

Su

[TessieWessie]

It was great to see how many of the soldiers named their children Louvain.

My own mother was named Edith Louvain on Dec 15 1914 while her father Pvt. William Lawrence was out in Louvain.  Thankfully he survived the war, heavens know how, but I have often wondered what he was employed as in the war effort to have come back in one piece.  Prior to his enlistment he was a crane driver, so maybe he was employed as doing something on those lines while in Belgium. 

In WW2 Edith's brother was serving out in Valerie in France and continued the family trait by naming his daughter Valerie.
T/Wessie