Back from The Battlefields

[Morval Ross]

Hello Pals,

Well eventually I managed to get online, after a very hectic six weeks for me, Have been working away with only a week break on the battlefields. Had a great trip this year, we Stayed with John and Christine a tthe Shellhole inYpres which was fantastic, the Drinks and Chat in the bar in the evenings were very enjoyable. I managed to catch up with Brummy at the Shellhole and enjoyed a few drinks and a chat on the Tuesday night as the bar was not busy, a very enjoyable evening, Cheers Brummy. We had not been on the Salient for more than one day in the past, but will certainly be back again. it still amazes me the turn out for the last post at the Menin gate every night, and a very moving experiance it has to be said. With only our general knowledge of the Salient we found Paul Reads "Walking the Salient" invaluable and we did three or four of the walks, and it has to be said, all the books in the world our not a substitute for actually seeing and walking the ground. We will be back again for a more detailed trip next year.

We headed down to the Somme after four days it our billets at the Hotel de La Basilica, Madam Petite actually smiled when we booked in. Our Plan for the Somme had been to try and get further information on the ground where my Grand Uncle had been killed on the 12/10/16, With the help of "148 days ont he Somme" and various other books and Journals including the actual trench Diaries of the Dublin Fusiliers and my hand held GPS we managed to pin point the spot (roughly) where he fell just out side the village of Les Beoufs. He spoke to a Local farmer who stopped to talk to us and he advised that he roughly knew the area of the Gun Pits that were attacked and these tallied up with all our research. My Uncle Father and i were very happy to at last place our wreaths to Bill and let him know he is not forgotten. We also placed a wreath for him at Theipval. My father was very moved as he remembers my Grand father always talking of his big brother who went to war never to return, and how he always missed him to the day he died in 1982.

On our last day he headed to Etreux to the famouse last stand of the Munster Fusiliers as we all live in Munster, I was suprised to see two men form the town in which I live buried in the little cemetary, we walked the lines of this famous action, and a lady we met when we told her we were from Munster was very pleased that we were visiting our fellow country men. I was however disgusted by some of the notes in the visitors book from two irish people who had visiteded the spot during the summer, they were not even men enough to sign their name, politics is best left to the politicians in such cases. I would very much like to have been present when they were to put them right on their history.

We visted the new Theipval centre also, and I have to say I was initally concerned as I am not a big fan of interpretive centres per se, but we were pleasently suprised and once the flora has grown up around it it will not be intrusive at all. We were treated very well by the people there when we told them our Uncle /granduncle was on the Memorial.

We also visted the new Cafe at Beaucort Hamel Train Station, it is still incomplete but the chap who runs it was very very pleasent and very enthusiastic about the project, I cannot remember his name at the moment but a very nice chap indeed. He clearly has a great appreciation for the the survivors and fgallen of the Somme and the Great war in general and i wish him all the the best on his new business.

So ended our trip for the year, As usual I have a mountain of new books to try and work through and know that I am at last back in my own house i will start to do so this evening and commence planning of operations for next year.

I hope that I have not bored you pals with the lenght of this post,

Regards

Ross.

[burlington]

Ross

Thanks for the report. Very interesting and the trip must have been of great help to your father & uncle.

Regards

Martin

[Guest Brummy]

Hi Ross it was a pleasure meeting you all and glad to hear that you acheived your goals for this trip. Hope to bump into you next trip.

Brum

[sandyford]

Ross

I did enjoy your account.

It was wonderful that you were able to locate the spot where your Great Uncle was killed, and talk to the farmer who knew where the gun places had been.

You're right. The experience of actually seeing and walking the ground of these places is very special, but reading others' accounts of visits on this forum brings something of the atmosphere too.

Kate