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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Where am I?


phil@basildon

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Thanks; it would be interesting to see a photograph of the memorial, Martin, as I think they have all gone from the previous threads about Hardy.

Then over to Steve!

Liz

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Thanks Liz,

To recap:

" Seen to be taken from the name of the site of this early encounter, reveals a lt.colonel who fought there, whose name would later command a French Army".....WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE VILLAGE ?

"Another commander of a regiment who fought there shares the family name of another French General but of WW2"

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Here is the memorial in Hutton Roof churchyard. Guardsman Wilson, a Coldstreamer, and Pte Charnley, a Northumberland Fusilier, are buried in the churchyard. Pte Thistlethwaite, of the MGC, is buried at Flers and

T.B. Hardy is at Saint Sever, Rouen

post-15158-0-06096700-1313005147.jpg

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The only difficulty I'm having is trying to work out the answer to Steve's puzzler. Think another clue or two would be welcome. Assume he's referring to the Battles of the Frontiers but not really up on the villages concerned. Nothing to do with skis or nightingales, I suppose?

cheers Martin B

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Sorry for been absent - I've been travelling to Belgium, safely installed in Jamoigne now.

Third clue: " If we were in 1914, the battle would have been fought by now"

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Good afternoon All,

To try and re-kindle interest, a fourth clue:

" A nearby village also bears the name of the village I'm after but with two prefixes that make it sound like an American country and western singer"

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WHAT IS THE NAME OF THE VILLAGE ?

  1. "Seen to be taken from the name of the site of this early encounter, reveals a lt.colonel who fought there, whose name would later command a French Army"
  2. "Another commander of a regiment who fought there shares the family name of another French General but of WW2"
  3. Third clue: " If we were in 1914, the battle would have been fought by now" (12 Aug)
  4. "A nearby village also bears the name of the village I'm after but with two prefixes that make it sound like an American country and western singer"

Unless the above are "cryptic" (and I suspect clue 4 is!:

Clue 1: French Army Commanders (WW1): Joseph Joffre, Foch, Mangin, Degoutte, Philippe Pétain, Nivelle, Franchet d'Esperey, Raspail and Maurice Sarrail

(But Nivelles is not a village - and the French Commander relates back to the Lt Col not to the place)

Clue 2: French Generals (WW2): Petain, de Gaulle and Giraud

Clue 3: Implies either Luxembourg or Belgium (First major battle was Mons 23-24 August), so possibly not involving the BEF (but does clue 1 reference to Lt Col imply BEF?)

Clues 1 & 2: BEF Regimental/Battalion Commanders / Lt Cols: Anyone able to volunteer the units (commanded by Lt Colonels) that made up the original BEF?

David

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Good afternoon,

By way of a further clue I'll refer to David's analysis:

He's in list one

The other's not in list two

Some references refer to Lt Col, others to Col as the rank - to avoid confusion they're both French regimental commanders BUT don't forget it's only the first that refers to the site of the battle (cryptically). The encounter took place even before the "Battle of the Silver Helmets" (see CDR's recent post) and was in France.

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Good morning,

As you say Sabine, Nivelles/Nijvel is in Belgium. this place is 234km to the South East, by road (according to ViaMichelin) and is in France. The first cryptic clue should give you the name of the place.

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Good morning,

As you say Sabine, Nivelles/Nijvel is in Belgium. this place is 234km to the South East, by road (according to ViaMichelin) and is in France. The first cryptic clue should give you the name of the place.

Think I've got it (thanks to much googling)

Mangiennes, from which we get Mangin.

Fighting here on August 10th, 1914 between elements of German 4th Cavalry Corps and French 3rd Army, including the 14th Regiment of Hussars, commanded by one de Hautecloque, who bears the same name as World War II General Philippe Leclerc (unsure if they were related).

As for the country and western singer, it must be Billy-sous-Mangiennes.

Assuming I'm right, I'm happy to let someone else have the next go, as I'm at work at the moment. How about Liz-in-Eastbourne, who worked out my Hardy/Hutton Roof puzzle?

cheers Martin B

Edit: blow-by-blow in French here

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including the 14th Regiment of Hussars, commanded by one de Hautecloque, who bears the same name as World War II General Philippe Leclerc (unsure if they were related).

Well done Martin,

Yes they are related: uncle/nephew.

Mangin is quite a common French name and a Mangin commanded the 120e Regiment d'Infanterie in the battle - Mangin + seen = Mangiennes

......and sorry about Billy-sous !

Your turn Liz !

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Your turn Liz !

What? I come here secure in the knowledge that I am just a spectator, as I certainly couldn't do your horrendous riddle, only to find I've been landed in it by you and Martin!

Well, my turns are always mercifully brief as my knowledge is limited...

I am very young, and the war is still young too. Where I am, you would think from its name it should be soaring overhead, not sinking deep.

Liz

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Al

No, I am not on a shot-down plane. Its name suggests that it flies, but it never did.

And I ( in my WW1 persona!) am not alone here - there are hundreds of us.

Liz

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Yes! It's you again, Myrtle!

Liz

Liz

You didn't arrange that deliberately did you? :whistle:

The captain of The Hawke is one of the men I have researched for the Rhayader Memorial.

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Not guilty, Myrtle, I didn't know that!

A couple of years ago I researched (with help from forum member Martin Elliget) a South African boy who'd been at prep school in Eastbourne before naval training and died as a midshipman on the Hawke. I found a more local Eastbourne boy who'd died too. The whole story and that of Aboukir, Hogue and Cressy torpedoed the previous month by U9, with all those teenage boys on board, made a deep impression on me, so that's why it came to mind. I shall bear in mind for future reference that you know all about Capt. Williams.

It's still your go...

Liz

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It's still your go...

Liz

Don't need reminding :)

Captain Williams of the Hawke was said to be good at training and this is recorded as one of the reasons that there were so many young lads on HMS Hawke. If you let me know the names of the two men that you have researched I will add them to the list of crew that I am compiling.

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I will put their names here, as my question was really in their memory - I'd be happy to e-mail you my account of the first boy if you like.

Robert Craig Macfarlane, former pupil of Ascham St Vincent's school in Eastbourne. The Times In Memoriam notices in the 1920s read:

In loving memory of Midshipman Robert Craig Macfarlane, RN, aged 17, who lost his life on HMS Hawke, 15th Oct 1914, second son of Robert Craig Macfarlane, of Graaff Reinet, South Africa.

(The first son was killed too, in 1917.)

He is commemorated on the Ascham Memorial Arch in Eastbourne and the Chatham Naval Memorial.

Ernest Edward Corder, Ordinary Seaman, aged 19, was a postal worker, commemorated on a plaque in the public area of the main sorting office in Eastbourne and on the Portsmouth Naval Memorial.

Liz

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Thank you Liz and thanks for the offer of information regarding Robert Macfarlane. I will pm you my email address.

Now back to the thread.

As I am going away this evening would someone please take my turn and then I will post something when needed on my return.

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ok, just to keep this thread alive, here's an easy one:

Not the Siegfried line but there's a French connection

where am I?

cheers Martin B

post-15158-0-93213100-1313823338.jpg

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