Monday, May 4, 2015

04/05/2015 An emotional day following the Battle of th Somme.

Maximum temperature at Albert 20C, minimum 15 C. Dry.

The Thiepval Memorial, the largest war memorial in the world, commemorates almost 73,000 soldiers who died on the Somme battlefields. 
We discovered one family member.

Looking across the Somme fields.

The Australian War Memorial.

The Canadian War Memorial.

Ulster's War Memorial.

And close to my heart, and to me the most peaceful,  South Africa's war memorial.

6 comments:

  1. All beautifully tended and preserved.

    Lest we forget....

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    1. Its is amazing Gaynor, not a weed in sight and the lawns and edges are immaculate. Hope all is well Diane

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  2. It all looks very beautiful, and very moving to visit I would have thought.

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    1. Craig I did well until I got to the South African cemetery. That was in a wood, so peaceful, butterflies and bird song and I choked up completely. Very moving. Take care Diane

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  3. Hi Diane, my husband & I are also planning to visit the north of France this September.His great-uncle ( Half-german ) fought with the Anzacs during WW1 & my great-grandfather with the French troops. As far as we know, no one in the family has ever visited their graves, so we expect it will also be emotional for both of us.It looks so beautiful & serene, hard to imagine the chaos 100 years ago....What a waste.
    My great-grandfather lived in Germanas ( Ecuras ), his name is among the long list in the church, left a young son behind....

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    1. Isabella I hope you enjoy the trip. The cemeteries are immaculate and so well looked after. We went to a ceremony in Ypres last night where they play the last post every evening at 8pm. The streets were packed and we believe every night is the same, amazing. Diane

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