World War I
Pic-and-Word-Challenge_Wk161-Remembrance-Day-2018
My own Remembrance Day post
along with some Canadian Memories for you Patrick.
Although I must confess they are
memorialising a New Foundland Regiment.
and not a BC regiment.
As we walked the trenches my thoughts were that there
was not enough cover and I would be wanting to
dig down another foot or so if someone was shooting at me.
If anyone recognises this young lady
and she would like a full copy of the photo I will oblige.
I don’t like posting photos
if have not asked the subject.
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Remembrance Day 2018
Before visiting the Western Front Battlefields in June 2017,
I had heard that Flanders poppies grew like weeds
on the Somme battlefields.
While this photo was taken in a cemetery,
the second image was a typical farm sight.
The photo below however, was not

And was an unexpected sight…
On this day,
the eleventh day
of the eleventh month
at the eleventh hour
World War I ended
in 1918.
Today is Remembrance Day
“We will remember them.”
~~~~~
Pic-and-Word-Challenge_Wk161_Rememberance-Day-2018
November 2018 WitsEnd Inspirations: Unexpected
Remembrance-Day-2018
Remembrance Day 2018
Before visiting the Western Front Battlefields in June 2017,
I had heard that Flanders poppies grew like weeds
on the Somme battlefields.
While this photo was taken in a cemetery,
the second image was a typical farm sight.
The photo below however, was not

And was an unexpected sight…
On this day,
the eleventh day
of the eleventh month
at the eleventh hour
World War I ended
in 1918.
Today is Remembrance Day
“We will remember them.”
~~~~~
November 2018 WitsEnd Inspirations: Unexpected
Word-of-Day-Challenge-Spectre
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~~~~
If I had the ability I’m sure cemeteries of
The Western Front…
would have many onlookers
such as those imposed over this shot.
~~~~~
Word of the Day Challenge: Spectre
Daily Prompt-Ceremony
~~~~~
On August 5, 1914, my Grandfather was part of a gun crew
which fired the first allied shot of what was
to become known as The Great War.
At the time he was stationed at Point Nepean which
is situated on the eastern side of the entrance to Port Phillip Bay.
The cannon on the right was the one used for the task.
The barrel on the left was used to fire the first shot
of World War II.
One hundred years later, August 5, 2014,
on bright sunny day in winter
a ceremony was conducted to commemorate that event.
All the ceremony the military could muster
was included to mark the occasion.
We had mixed messages about who could lay the wreath,
so as my Grandfather did we took things into our own hands
and I and my two Aunties, Dad’s sisters,
to lay our wreath.
My Auntie, on the right, has since passed.
Just before 1245 a freighter came into view as it did in 1914.
Then at precisely 1245 a ceremonial shot
was fired from Point Nepean,
to mark the centenary of firing of the
First Shot of World War I.
~~~~~
Daily Prompt: Ceremony
~~~~~
ANZAC-Day-2018
ANZAC-Day-2018
Today, ANZAC Day 2018 the
Prime Minister of Australia… 
Mr. Malcolm Turnbull…
is visiting the co-located
Australian National Memorial
and the
Villers-Bretonneux Military Cemetery
located just outside of Villers-Brettonneux
on The Somme Battlefields of France,
to open the Sir John Monash Centre.
~~~~~
The Sir John Monash Centre was…
under construction when
I visited early in June, 2017…
and is situated behind the Central Tower…
from which the views are stunning.
It was extremely difficult to imagine
all the lives lost…
and bloodshed in
this idyllic farming land.
There are wing walls flanking the central tower…
upon which are engraved the names of
10,732 Australian casualties who died in France…
and who have no known grave.
Used as an observation post by
the French in World War II…
the Memorial was extensively damaged by
German aircraft and ground fire.
During the repair process it was decided to
retain some of the scarring.
~~~~~
~~~~~
~~~~~
Lest We Forget
Black and White Tuesday18-0424_ANZAC
~~~~~
Black and White Tuesday
ANZAC Week 2018
~~~~~
Some ANZAC Day related posts this week.
The Ayette, Indian and Chinese Cemetery.
I just could not get over how care goes
into maintaining these cemeteries.
Headstones sitting shoulder to shoulder
indicate that all these lives were lost in one battle
and I think on the same day.
The age of most was 18-23 years.
No wonder my Grandfather was known as ‘old’
at the ripe old age of 28.
The Thiepval Memorial to
the French and British
missing on the Somme.
My first look at how much these sites mean
to people of all ages from all parts
of the world.
Children or Churches
remembering ancestors.
MY Grandfather survived World War I
however, he now has his own
small memorial in France.
Lest We Forget.
~~~~~
DISCOVER CHALLENGE17_0112_Transcript
Transcript
In April 2013 around ANZAC Day (April 25) I
transcribed this diary extract about my
Grandfather during World War I.
The entire post may be found HERE
One day of routine manning I left Carlin and another at the tap in with instructions that if the line went we’d mend it at our end as it always got out about 150 yards from the O.P. the Hun strafing that point every day for no reason whatever and doing no damage except to a few telephone lines. Sure enough the Hun had his strafe and the line went. Harper was with me and another man, probably Davis. Of course they wanted to go out and mend it, but as the line was of no great importance at the moment told them to wait till the strafe stopped – we could see and hear shells bursting. Next thing Harper got a buzz on the phone showing it was through and a little later old Carlin’s head appeared at the parade, beaded with sweat and much wind up. I strafed him for coming out when he was told to stay in. His reply was, “I saw the O.P. was getting it and thought someone might be hit.” That did not prevent him stopping to mend the line amongst the S. 9.
I have always said that “Windy Bill Carlin” is the bravest man I have met and one of the windiest. The man who is not windy cannot be brave, but the man who does his job at all times and under all conditions and with the wind up all the time, is the man I admire.
It is one of the few pieces of memorabilia
I have of either of my Grandfathers,
and even though I think the conflict was abhorrent,
I am still proud of their efforts during that time.
My Grandfather was awarded a
Distinguished Conduct Medal
for this and other action while serving in
France and Belgium.
There are some typos or spelling errors and
are included to maintain faithfulness
to the original copy.
~~~~
DP_Discover Challenge: Transcript
Weekly Photo Challenge-Admiration
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My contribution for this week’s challenge…
Admiration
~~~~~
In February
The Spirit of ANZAC
exhibition was in Melbourne.

As I have regularly mentioned my Grandfather was
a Gunner on The Western Front after being deployed to Europe.
Was this the type of gun he was using?
Whichever side of the ‘fence’ soldiers were on…
they are people I admire.
For their courage….
in such appalling conditions.
For their ability to help a mate…
and for their ability to continue marching on.
However, these statistics we must never forget…

because these number only represent
about half the casualties of World War 1.
LEST WE FORGET
I was granted permission to photograph the exhibition
by a representative of the organiser.
~~~~~
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