Bury Grammar School Tour to the Ypres Salient 2012

[Mark Hone]

My annual notice that the BGS gang will be in the Ypres Salient over the forthcoming weekend on our 19th annual tour. This year's tour is entirely Ypres related with the theme of the 'battle for the ridges'. On the first day I'll be showing how Messines Ridge was lost in the First Battle of Ypres, the next day we'll be seeing how it was recaptured in 1917 and on the last day we'll be looking at the struggle for Passchendaele Ridge, focussing on the 9th October fighting in which several old boys of the school and relatives of the tour group participated. A group of our cadets will be at Menin Gate on Sunday night. We're fairly easy to spot as we're probably the only school group with boys of all ages on the tour, several of whom are on their fifth trip. On Saturday we plan to lay a wreath at the Indian section of Bedford House Cemetery and on Monday we shall be carrying out a short Act of Remembrance at Tyne Cot, where eight old boys are buried or commemorated.

We're very friendly, so don't hesitate to say hello if you spot us. Some of the party will be clad in distinctive maroon 'hoodies' with one bespectacled idiot at the front who has a habit of pointing vaguely into the distance at some key tactical feature and declaiming in a loud Birmingham accent.

[Jack Sheldon]

Be prepared for numerous road closures and diversions. Lots of key places are being dug up, including Beselare, Geluveld and, most important for you, Messines, which is still shut off after many months of roadworks. Other than that have a good trip.

Jack

[pgardiner1418]

Mark,

I am also at The Gate on Saturday with a group from Leeds, I will try to introduce myself.

All the best,

Paul.

[ianw]

Mark,

It's a tribute to you that some of your folk will be on their 5th trip. I am sure they will remember these visits long after Boyles Law etc are forgotten.

I still remember your tale of lumps in various throats when turning up at a cemetery to visit the grave of an old boy and finding the school motto inscribed on the grave.

Good luck at the weekend.

Regards

Ian

[ShirlD]

Look forward to hearing about it all, with perhaps a photo or two!

Travel safe

Cheers

Shirley

[Robert Missinne]

Mark,

Look for my mail.

Robert

[Mark Hone]

Thanks Robert. Unfortunately I had left for the tour when you sent your post and was out of internet contact. In the end I went to the Brombeek Bunker which lies on the start line of the Guards Division attack on 9th October 1917. Here the great-grandson of Private Clark Poole, 3rd Coldstreams, who was seriously wounded during the assault, laid a wreath and recounted his great-grandfather's remarkable story. Clark Poole was a farm labourer from the Lake District. During the attack he was hit in the left eye. The doctors apparently told him that the bullet impacting a fraction of an inch either way would have been fatal. Despite losing an eye and suffering facial disfigurement, Private Poole was not discharged from the army but transferred to an Agricultural Labour Battalion. When he was eventually discharged in February 1919 he was recorded as '60% disabled'. Clark Poole lived to the age of 84. Having worn an eye patch since the war he decided as he was getting on that he wanted a glass eye. However he inisisted on it being a different colour from his other eye and spent the last years of his life with one blue and one brown eye! Many thanks for trying to arrange a visit to Vee Bend bunker for us in difficult circumstances. Perhaps we could try to include it on a future tour.

Paul-sorry I didn't get to speak to you in the Stygian gloom of the Menin Gate on Sunday night. We were a bit nonplussed at first by the lack of floodlights so I was rather preoccupied with getting my cadets into postion and looking after our young piper.

Rammylad- we also laid a small spray at the bunker site to Private Walter Taylor, 2nd Coldstreams, from Holcombe, who was killed not far away on 10th October.

[chrislock]

Hi Mark.

On behalf of the Friends of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient, I would just like to thank you for your schools wonderful donation made on behalf of the "Friends" ceremonial running costs.

It was a great honour and a privilage to meet both yourself, the students and the staff in Poelkapelle.

The students bearing was exemplary: the quality and depth of their tank related questions along with their observations were extremely challenging and informative to say the least. You obviously briefed them well!

May I also add that the lament played at the TMYS itself was one of the most beautiful I have heard to date and without doubt he will be in great demand in the future. It also pleased me no end to be in position to award both yourself, and your students who offered the lament and raised the Tank Corps flag at the memorial our coveted bronze "FotTMYS Supporters" pins.

I can safely say the students of Bury Grammar School are welcome to visit us whenever.

They are a credit to you and your school!

Best wishes

Chris

[pgardiner1418]

Mark,

Saw you from afar on Saturday afternoon but only managed to say hi to a couple of your female staff, at least I can now put a face to the Emails even if said face was moving at a rate of knots.

I agree about the lights (they need to switch supplier)

Paul.

[Mark Hone]

Chris-I tried to PM you but your inbox was full. Thanks again for your fantastic presentation at the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient yesterday. The 'veterans' were proudly sporting their tank memorial pins on the way home. We got back safely this morning. Photos to follow. Our wonderful piper is Freddie Bearn, whose parents you were speaking to over lunch.

I shall pass on your good wishes and kind comments to the lads (and the Headmaster!)

Mark Hone

Head of History

Bury Grammar School Boys

Lancashire

[Tom Tulloch-Marshall]

Mark – I’ve got your pm ref the Bedford House headstones but for some reason it wont allow a reply (?). Anyway, thanks for looking – I’m not entirely surprised that the removed stones haven’t been replaced yet as replacements may have been deliberately delayed.

Thanks again - Tom

[ShirlD]

It sounds like another memorable and worthwhile tour, look forward to seeing the photos.

Cheers

Shirley

[Mark Hone]

Tom-I found that my message box was full but I have now cleared a space. Thanks for your good wishes, Shirley. We're on half term at the moment but I'll sort out some photos as soon as we get back. For the first time this year I left the photographic duties on the tour entirely in the hands of others.

[ShirlD]

That was very brave of you!