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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

My trip to Verdun


spconnolly007

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A short walk through the customary lunar landscape......

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..whilst avoiding bits of old light railway track sticking out of the ground....

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Nice little collection Norman :thumbsup: the only battlefield relic that I came home with was a pine cone from Mort-Homme :blush:.

We now return to the car on our way to Fleury-devant-Douaumont, but on the way we pass the Wounded Lion Memorial at Chapelle Sainte Fine crossroads, commemorating the 130 Division d'Infanterie. This denotes the official high-water mark of the German advance.

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The remains of the village of Fleury. The once peaceful, hard working community was to bear the brunt of the German advance in June 1916. Between June and August, the village would change hands 16 times. The white markers denote the village streets as they were, and the numerous posts are engraved with the trades of the inhabitants that lived on those sites.

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No need for such trades in Fleury after 1916!

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From here we move on to the French Cemetery at Douaumont and the Ossuary. See you soon :thumbsup:

Sean.

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Have visited Verdun many years ago, only one day. WAY too short...

Roel

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Some fantastic images there. Aside from the British, French and US memorials, any sign of anything to commemorate the German losses?

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Hi Nick,

There are several German cemeteries in the area, I particularly like the one at or near Romagne, which contrasts in its beautiful simplicity to the American cemetery nearby and is more in keeping to the surrounding countryside.

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Thanks Steve. I was wondering more about memorials or monument-type things etc. Shiny Seventh's images above got me wondering, because at first glance those look like German Crosses on top of those shells, but on reflection they could also be taken for VCs, that's why I wasn't sure.

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Why would there be VCs on a memorial on the Verdun Battlefield? I guess you already know that the British cemetery and memorial portrayed is at Arras nowhere near the Verdun Front.

Norman

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Because they looked like they could be VCs on those shells in the image above, irrespective of where it is. Did not want to just "assume" it was a German memorial.

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Okay, well I'm unable to make out the wording on it, on either picture in post #84, and thus couldn't work out *which* country it belongs to. But thank you anyway. Again, that's why I queried what they were, as assuming would be wrong.

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Oi, Norman, leave him alone. He's only been a member for a week and he doesn't yet know you're a pussycat really. We all have to start somewhere.

Gwyn

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Thanks Gwyn, I prefer to walk away than argue with people. Life's too short.

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Great stuff, if these images do not inspire a trip to Verdun then nothing will. Where was the photo above taken please.l

Norman

Norman, the last two photos are of the Memorial to the men of Fleury village who died during WW1, located at the edge of Fleury village. There is a seperate Memorial to the village on the opposite side of the road...

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Some fantastic images there. Aside from the British, French and US memorials, any sign of anything to commemorate the German losses?

Nick, it was my intention to visit one or two German cemeteries on my travels, but sadly time was a factor and the French stuff was my priority! The Ossuary, which we will be looking at next, also contains the the remains of German soldiers. Glad you are enjoying my thread :thumbsup:

Regards

Sean.

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Sadly, we arrive at the Ossuary in the middle of a massive face-lift project. Whilst this does not interfere with our visit, it does prove to be a problem when photographing the exterior. One half of the cemetery is fenced off as the grass has been removed from around the graves, and my photographic problems are compounded by having half of the Ossuary covered in scaffolding! I soldiered on looking for the 'money shot' but had to make do with these.....

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