In Memory to the Fallen of the Great War

[alanec]

Hello All

In April of this year, I along with two good friends and military colleagues, fulfilled a long held ambition to visit the World War I battlefields and memorials of northern France and Belgium I served 27 years in the Royal Air Force and was involved during the conflicts in the Falklands, Iraq and the Gulf, so this visit had real importance to me. My great uncle – George Henry Cook - was killed in Ypres in 1915 serving as a Lance Corporal in the 1st Btn East Surrey Regiment and I have spent many years researching him through my family tree. I wanted to travel to the battlefields to visit his name on the Menin Gate and to pay my respects. It was a very moving experience and I am immensely proud of him even though I never knew him.

In August 2014, the world will mark the 100th anniversary of the outbreak of the First World War. There cannot be many people today whose family were not in some way touched by World War One. My family and I are testament to this though even with the passage of a century, it’s a war many of us are very familiar with. We see memorials in every village, town and city in our country and we are all familiar with the national acts of remembrance held every November.

Whilst images of the fighting in the mud and trenches of the Western Front remain vivid and powerful, the Great War was also fought on many other fronts which may not be that familiar to us. It was fought across the continents, at sea and in the air. It was fought by servicemen from Asia, North America, the Caribbean, Australasia and Africa. It was also a war that gave rise to technological innovation and scientific discovery. As members of the GWF, you will know all to well, that those involved in the Great War suffered hardship and made sacrifices beyond our modern day comprehension. As the Centenary of the 1914–18 war approaches, we should ensure we do everything we can so as not to forget. If we want to understand today, we need to know and remember what happened yesterday.

During the trip, I laid wreaths in honour and remembrance of British and Commonwealth soldiers who fought and died during the Great War. The attached video is a portrayal of our visit and which my work colleagues and I have spent two months putting together with the images we brought back. I hope you find it an interesting, sobering and moving experience.

Ferno Great War Tribute

This is their story and to appreciate the video, I would advise turning your sound up.

Thank you.

Alan

[Rollerbeadle]

Well done Alan...a very fitting tribute,

[Delta Golf]

Beautifully done Alan, thanks for sharing

Dave

[WhiteStarLine]

Nice work Alan.

[Anneca]

Wow, that blew me away. Absolutely wonderful, and very moving images. It might be fitting to refer to this thread again in November under "Remembering Them". Thank you for posting Alan.

Anne

[mandy hall]

Congratulations very beautiful and moving.

Mandy

[Dave Phillips]

Very well put together.

Thankyou

[JaneEH]

Thank you for sharing this.

[HeatherC]

Alan - thank you for sharing, that's absolutely beautiful and that damn song from Lord of the Rings always makes me cry...