From Flanders to The Somme...Your photographs.

[genjen]

My busy weekend is over now so I can't carry on with my trip and your photographs.

The third day had a packed agenda and quite a bit of travelling but I had it ever so carefully planned and was pretty sure we could fit all the remaining places in before we headed off for the other aspect of our holiday, in Auxerre. It was a good thought, whilst it lasted!

Our first stop was at Huts Cemetery, which isn't far from Ieper, where we found Harry Sampson Richards for Cristobel

[genjen]

The last of the cemeteries in the Ieper area was Tancrez Farm at Ploegsteert. The directions were clear enough and with only about ten kilometres between it and the previous one, we thought that we would be well on our way to the next area before it got anywhere near lunch time. Our first problem came with the road works and the diversions, which took us all over the place. The second was the weather which. having been slightly iffy since we arrived, now became truly hideous, with rain so heavy that it was almost impossible to see the road, let alone look for the green cemetery signs, of which there were many but none of them ours!

So we ended up driving up and down the road through Ploegsteert until eventually we spotted the tell-tale cross and a few grave stones, hidden away behind a relatively modern house. It was a tiny cemetery and having found it we had no problem in then finding Cyril Oates for mrspeel

As you can see from the second one, it really is more like someone's back garden.

[genjen]

We were now heading south, with Thiepval as our main aim of the day but hoping to visit four cemeteries on the way and one final one afterwards.

I hadn't really taken on board the fact that Merville cemetery was more than just war garves. The clue was in the name Merville Communal Cemetery but I obviously hadn't thought very hard about it. So finding a large town cemetery with several sections of war graves in it was very different from all of the others we had seen. There was still the book, giving a plan and reference details but it was less easy to follow because of the non CWG sections.
 Here is  Private Robert Willis, for delphi8

[James1950]

Well done Jen.

It is really important that as many of us as possible should visit a war grave cemetery.

I visited the graves at Monte Cassino recently. I have to say that as soon as I saw the lines of well maintained head stones I was immediately moved to tears. To see the names and ages of men from my own home town really did strike home the need for these men never to be forgotten. The rows of headstones also included many carved with the Star of David . I never appreciated how many Jewish soldiers from Lancashire were killed in the battle.

I also visited the German graves and noted that they are maintained by German school children who come every year as part of a school remembrance scheme.

The one thing we learn from history is that we never learn from history.

James

[genjen]

We were now in Pas de Calais region and our next stop was Philosophe British Cemetery at Mazingarbe. I have just noticed that there are distinct signs of dampness on the camera lense on one of the next photographs. Sorry about that but we had by now abandoned the road atlas because what we knew was that wherever the heaviest rain clouds were would inevitably be the direction in which we were travelling.
Here is John Lovatt Knight for millymcb

[genjen]

The rows of headstones also included many carved with the Star of David . I never appreciated how many Jewish soldiers from Lancashire were killed in the battle.

James

We noticed this too James and found it especially poignant to see so many grave stones, for men with different religions, standing side by side.

[genjen]

The next cemetery was interesting as, until we got there and with the ref: Callonne Mill Cem Mem, we weren't sure what we were looking for. Obviously a memorial within a graveyard but was I looking for a wall with names on?

This is what we found. Private Young for davidrigg3 I have included the memorial stone.

[liverpool annie]

Absolutely wonderful Jen ! .... makes your heart go "boom" doesn't it ?

Thank you for sharing these brave soldiers and your terrific photos !

Annie 

[genjen]

It was now into the afternoon and at last we saw signs of the rain stopping. there was even some sun coming through as we came past Bapaume. Because we had had a little difficulty finding one or two places and because the morning's road works weren't the only ones which held us up, I was beginning to think I might be being a little over ambitious with my plans. But my partner said no, we should carry on to Flers before Thiepval - it wasn't so very far off the road. And in this case, the instructions were clear and accurate so although the Flers Cemetery is actually well off the main roads, it was quite easy to find. And the puddle outside the gate wasn't so very deep, after all!

Private Embleton for cavvytri