Prowse Point
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Renewal
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renewal
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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FOWChallenge-Magnanimous
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magnanimous
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.
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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Jo’s Monday Walk
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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Jo’s Monday Walk
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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