Fromelles

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Lens-ArtistPC-131-Emotions

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Happy

Laughing at a quip.

I always thought these windows

lent a sad demeanour to this old house.

Perhaps they knew the fate of the house.

It no  longer exists.

****

Finally, I have no known relatives who

perished on World War I Battlefields,

however, on more than one occasion

I found myself taking deep breaths

to suppress tears as I contemplated

the loss of life two World Wars

have inflicted on our planet.

I created this image of the

Thiepval Military Cemetery

for another challenge.

I often wonder if there are

unseen guardians at each cemetery.

 

 

The wall at the back of Belgium’s

Tyne-Cot Cemetery,

contains the names of 35,000 soldiers

who have no known grave.

This is the overflow from

Menin Gate at Ypres,

where another 54,000 names

are inscribed

Nearly a decade ago Fromelles’ mass graves

were discovered. 

From these six graves

250 Australian and British Soldiers…

 

…were exhumed and re-interred in the

Fromelles Military Cemetery.

One of MGW’s relatives is among

those resting peacefully at Fromelles.

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Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Patti:...Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Leya:...Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Amy:…Emotions

Lens-Artist Photo Challenge Tina:…Emotions

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Inspired-January19-Corner

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This is not the type of corner I was thinking of

when I began my search for ‘corner’ photos.

However, VC Corner, near Fromelles in France…


…was the site of some terrible fighting.

No VCs, (Victoria Crosses…our

highest bravery award at the time)

were awarded during that battle.

V.C. Corner Cemetery contains the graves of 410 Australian soldiers

who died and whose bodies were found on the battlefield.

However, not a single body could be identified.

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Word-of-Day-Challenge-Hero

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In June 2017, I visited France for a short tour of

the Western Front Battlefields

where my Grandfather served

during The Great War.

One of the Battles which has made headlines

in Australia over recent years is

the Battle of Fromelles in July 1916. 

After that battle 250 Australian soldiers were buried

in mass graves just this side

of the Pheasant Wood treeline.  

 

 

In 2009 these graves were discovered and

remains exhumed and re-buried in

the new Fromelles Military Cemetery.

 

However, it was not until 2016 that one of

the soldiers was identified as

being MGW’s (Maternal) Grandmother’s relatives.

According to this 2016 article there are

still 100 australian soldiers who remain

unidentified at Fromelles.


Although not related to this soldier it was an

honour and a privilege to be able to visit his grave

and bring back some images for his family. 

Every man, woman and child involved in

those years of two Wars is a hero in my opinion.

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Word of the Day Challenge: Hero

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THURSDAY’S SPECIAL-Way

 

 

Way

While searching for this week’s post…

I found this sight-seeing bus…a way

for visitors to see Melbourne.

York’s signpost pointed the way to

various point in the city…

as did these signs on a

Freeway/Autobahn in Germany.

While visiting Fromelles we had to walk down this path…

to see the site of the Fromelles mass graves

which were recently exhumed and created

the Fromelles Military Cemetery.

 

Finally, this is the way to the

Toronto Avenue Military Cemetery

in Belgium.

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Thursday’s Special: Way

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Cee-BW-Challenge-Corners

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First up we have two…

corner units for a bedroom or else where.

These pylons in Venice’s Grand Canal

are effectively street corners as

they mark the corners/intersection of waterways

in the same fashion as a street corner does.

Finally, VC Corner near Fromelles, in France.

Not sure why it was named VC  Corner.

No VCs (Victoria Crosses…the highest award for bravery

in the British/Australian Army)

as no VCs were awarded.

However I read that fighting was so fierce

that all soldiers fighting here should have been

awarded a Victoria Cross.

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Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Corners

Black-&-White-Banner

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Weekly Photo Challenge-2017-Favourites

 

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My contribution for this week’s challenge…

2017 Favourites

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Hard to believe 2017 is almost over.

Some of my favourites photos from this year are random.

The exception being my visit to the

Western Front in France and Belgium mid-year.

Early morning at Corio Bay

I like the silhouette of the lone fisherman.

Maybe better if there had been no horizon…only water.

 

Reflections of a still, foggy morning.

One of my favourite photography spots.

 With Autumn came a surprise as MGW

had booked us a Hot Air Balloon flight…

 over Melbourne to celebrate

our 30th wedding anniversary.


An early morning sunrise shoot at

Point Lonsdale Lighthouse provided another surprise.

Two minutes of this rainbow after an

otherwise uneventful shoot.

I love this photo taken at Torquay in March.

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Now the most moving photos of 2017.

These all come from France and Belgium

where my Grandfather served during World War I.

I only pray the world never sees anything like this again

Whether it was Fromelles Military Cemetery

and its cohort of Australian Soldiers

only recently discovered in mass graves,

or Tyne Cot Cemetery and its wall of 34,0000 names

of soldiers Missing in Action,

or the Menin Gate Last Post,

or the Polygon Woods Cemetery.

Many of the  photos can still bring a tear to my eye

mainly due to the suffering on both sides of the conflict

and the age of those interred at these cemeteries.

My Grandfather was described, by his superior officer,

as ‘old’ in a diary extract.

He was 28 at War’s end.

The same age as our eldest.

And we think he is still baby number 1.

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Weekly Photo Challenge: 2017-Favourites

(dailypost.wordpress.com)

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Cee-BW-Challenge-Fences-Gates

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 I discovered that I had… more photos…

of cemetery fences…

than any other fence.

I also thought them…

a bit more interesting….

than other types of fence.

 

Gates were going to be a problem until I expanded

my thinking from farm gates to other gates.

Above is one of the gateways into York City….I hope.

 

 The gateway to Fromelles Military Cemetery.

I am not sure if other parts of the world know

about Fromelles Military Cemetery.

It contains the remains of over

258 British and Australian WW I soldiers

who were found in mass graves on the edge

of Pheasant Wood, just outside Fromelles.

The cemetery was established on 2010.

MGW  has a relative buried there.

Menin Gate entrance to Ypres,

in Belgium.

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Cee’s Black & White Challenge: Fences-Gates

Black-&-White-Banner

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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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