Prowse Point

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Word-of-Day-Challenge-Poignant

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evoking a keen sense of sadness or regret

In 2017 I visited the Western Front Battlefields

in France and Belgium

where my grandfather served during

World War 1.

 

Serre Road Cemetery No. 2.

Merricourt Cemetery.

Nowhere was it as poignant as at…

…Menin Gate,

Ypres,

Belgium…

 

…during the Last Post Ceremony

held each evening at 8 PM.

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Word-of-Day-Challenge-Renewal

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renewal

an instance of resuming something
after an interruption.
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One of the most moving sites we visited

was next to the Prowse Point Military Cemetery,

in Belgium.

Prowse Point was of one of

the 1914 Christmas truces.

Apparently both sides were singing Christmas Carols

and eventually decided to lay down

their arms for the day.

  However all that changed once the British Command

heard of what was going on.


They ordered the renewal of hostility and soldiers from both sides

of the battle who had formed friendships for a short while

were again trying the kill each other.

So sad!

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Word of the Day Challenge:  Renewal

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FOWChallenge-Magnanimous

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magnanimous

generous or forgiving, especially towards a rival
or less powerful person.

Could it be argued……that the 1914 Christmas Truce

during World War I…

…was a magnanimous gesture,

from both sides who understood

the sacrifice each was making

for their country.

It saddened me to hear that once news

of this Battlefield Truce reached commanders,

soldiers were ordered back to war.

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Tuesday-PC-Wk157-Connections

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During The Great War,

Belgium’s…

…Prowse Point was one of the sites where,

in 1914, a Christmas truce

came into effect for a few hours.

Soldiers in both trenches began singing Christmas Carols.

After that connection was made these same soldiers

decided to have a game of football/soccer.

I suppose we could have borrowed a ball

and had a few kicks in memory of that event.

However, I don’t think it would have felt right.

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Wordless Wednesday18_0418

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As we approach ANZAC Day I thought of some

of the memorials and cemeteries visited last year. 

Toronto Avenue Cemetery.

Prowse Point Cemetery, Belgium

A cemetery dedicated to the soldiers

of the German Army, near Bullecourt.

An American Cemetery…

also in the Bullecourt region.

 

 

 Polygon Woods Cemetery.

Merricourt Cemetery.

 

 

 Fromelles Military  Cemetery.

Polygon Woods Cemetery.

Australian Memorial Villers Bretonneux.

Lest We Forget.

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Hope you enjoyed. ~ ~ ~ ~ ~

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Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Wk48_Prowse-Point

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Jo’s Monday Walk

Week-48

Prowse-Point
Belgium

Last week I should you some photos of the

1914 Christmas Truce Memorial.

This memorial is located next door to…

Prowse Point Cemetery.

Prowse Point is the resting place of

233 Great War Soldiers

from a variuos countries.

United Kingdom: 165

New Zealand: 42

Australia: 13

Germany: 12

Canada: 1

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Again, a well maintained setting for…

the final resting place of these brave men/boys.

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walking-logo

Jo’s Monday Walk

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Jo’s-Monday-Walk-Wk47_Christmas-Truce

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Jo’s Monday Walk

Week-47

Christmas-Truce
Belgium

Another short drive through the Belgian countryside…

brought us to another…

memorial of the Great War.

This was a memorial to the well known

Christmas Truce of 1914.

Again another patch of ground in rural Belgium

where a significant event of World War I took place.

This monument was created in 2014 by the

Union of European Football Associations…

 

as testament…

the Small Peace…

in the…

 

Great War.

 

The thing which fascinated me was the fact that

it appears travellers have  left soccer balls/footballs…

 

as their memorial to this particular event…

and they remain….untouched.

 With the advent of the memorial….

 

 some of the trenches…

 

were also re-constructed.

 

The memorial, itself, represents the back end

of a canon shell upon which is mounted a football.

As mentioned earlier, these footballs, I think,

have been left by tourists/travellers, in memory

of the event or loved ones.

While I did not touch a ball,

they appeared not to be fixed and part of the memorial.

Instead like many other memorials they appeared

to be simply left for all to see.

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walking-logo

Jo’s Monday Walk

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Daily Prompt-Miraculous

Miraculous

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At Christmas 1914, with both sides singing hymns and carols,

it was indeed a miracle that so much carnage was halted,

even for a short time…

to exchange Christmas greetings, gifts and

for an impromptu game of soccer.

My sons say I should call it Football.

 

While the 1914 Christmas Truce was not observed

all along the Western Front it has been

written into folklore in my lifetime.

We visited the site of this miracle

near Prowse Point Military Cemetery,

in Belgium.

Merry Christmas

and a safe and prosperous

Near Year

to all.

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Dailypost-Prompt: Miraculous

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Travel Theme-Warm

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My

Warm

Travel Theme.

In early June I set off on my tour of

Western Front WW I battlefields. 

MGW was not interested,

hence it was a solo trip.

MGW was not all that happy to see my Facebook

posts with me in shorts and shirts sleeves

at her relative’s Fromelles grave.

The weather had turned cold Down Under.

The sun shone on the road to

Vlaanderen, in Belgium…

 and continued to do so at

Hill 60…

the site of the Christmas Truce

at Prowse Point.

All in all one could not ask for

better weather while travelling.

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Where’s My Backpack: Warm

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