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Remembered Today:

Passchendaele weekend


bruce

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Not relevant to the ceremony as such, but the eagle eyed might have noticed that the inscription relating to the bunker on which the Cross of Sacrifice stands and which refers to the 3rd Australian Division has what looks like a repair. In fact it was changed from 2nd Division. When visiting Tyne Cot many years ago, my father commented that it seemed strange that the inscription stated that it was the 2nd and not the 3rd Australian Division that had captured it and that this had escaped anyone's notice for decades. So a letter was duly written to the CWGC and about twenty five years (possibly more) or so ago it was duly changed.

 

His other success was with the headstone of Major General Lipsett in Queant Communal Cemetery Extension; this used to state that he was commanding 18th Division when he was killed in September 1918 and he pointed out that it should be the 4th (interestingly enough the Commission's paperwork showed that it was the 4th, so one wonders where the error crept in originally).

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I was there at the weekend and thought that on the whole it was very good and certainly better organised than the commemoration at Theipval last year. We didn't get in to Ypres on Sunday and watched most of it on the TV in our hotel room. At Tynecot at first it did seem strange seeing so many people in amongst the headstones but as i became accustomed to the sight, it dawned on me how the headstones outnumbered the people to give a true reflection of how big the cemetery is. 

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17 hours ago, squirrel said:

 the King of the Belgians  

 

Nice to see someone use the correct terminology. Good man!

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One does one's best to maintain standards...

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20 minutes ago, Stoppage Drill said:

Why is that format used - "King of the Belgians"?

 

We don't refer to other monarchs in the same way. 

King of the Hellenes (now deposed) King of the Yugoslavs (ditto) I'd worry if I were Phillippe, Filip, head of a bilingual state which was with a government for two years;(

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1 hour ago, Steven Broomfield said:

 

Nice to see someone use the correct terminology. Good man!

 

Steven,

 

Yes, and the same on the wreath at the Menin Gate.

 

King Filip is not "de koning van België", but  "de Koning der Belgen". Same for his predecessors Leopold I, Leopold II, Albert (I), Leopold III, Boudewijn (I), Albert II.

Their full name is "Leopold I van België", "Leopold II van België", "Filip van België", but they all were (are) "Koning der Belgen". (Though colloquially we call them "koning van België". But strictly spoken ...

 

And now I wish I remembered why they were named "Koning der Belgen" and not "Koning van België". Yes, I see the difference, but I don't remember why it had to be like that. From the beginning (1831).

 

Aurel

DSC00801.JPG

Edited by Aurel Sercu
Sorry, I forgot Albert II, Filip's dad. But understandably, for he is on holiday, as he always is.
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This is from my Extensive Library

 

The proper title of the Belgian monarch is King of the Belgians rather than King of Belgium. The title indicates a popular monarchy linked to the people of Belgium (i.e., a hereditary head of state; yet ratified by popular will), whereas King of Belgium would indicate standard constitutional or absolute monarchy linked to territory or state.[1] For example, in 1830, King Louis Philippe was proclaimed King of the French rather than King of France. The Greek monarch was titled King of the Hellenes, indicating a personal link with the people, not just the state. Moreover, the Latin translation of King of Belgium would have been Rex Belgii, which, from 1815, was the name for the King of the Netherlands. Therefore, the Belgian separatists (i.e. the founders of Belgium) chose Rex Belgarum.[2]

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Thanks, Steven. I tried to find the answer to my question myself , but so far unsuccessfully.

 

Your posting saved me a lot of time. (Which I desperately need. Like for saying that last Monday Prince Charles was in my village (Boezinge) too, for half an hour or so (he was at Artillery Wood, at the grave of Hedd Wyn), but unfortunately the police did not allow me to get closer to him (Prince Charles) than approx. 100 metres.   :-(   )

 

I'm sure you'll find the Prince of Wales in my pic ...

 

Aurel

Artillery Wood Pr Charles 2017-07-31 (9).JPG

Edited by Aurel Sercu
Adding a photo
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Bit different in the Netherlands.

He is Koning der Nederlanden, which means King of the Netherlands, not King of the Netherlanders.

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As mentioned elsewhere, I saw a trailer for a forthcoming film about Queen Victoria (played by Dame Judy Dench) in which Her majesty described herself as "Queen of England".

 

But we digress. The Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Lord of the Isles, etc, is in the pale suit middle of the picture, talking to the chap in uniform. Is there a prize?

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2 hours ago, Bart150 said:

Bit different in the Netherlands.

He is Koning der Nederlanden, which means King of the Netherlands, not King of the Netherlanders.

 

Bart,

Maar jullie Koning verschilt dan ook heel veel van de onze.  :-)

(But your King is very different from ours. Our Queen is more like yours. Yet, ours is Queen of the Belgians ... )

 

Aurel

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1 hour ago, Steven Broomfield said:

The Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Lord of the Isles, etc, is in the pale suit middle of the picture, talking to the chap in uniform. Is there a prize?

 

Steven,

 

Correct. But unfortunately no prize. Because I was prevented from shaking hands with him. It seems that he was very kind though, even told jokes and chatted with the military. Yet afterwards I heard one of our local policitians complain he was wondering what they were doing there. That they were standing there "voor spek en bonen" (for bacon and beans, not easily translatable, something like "for the show, for the ride (?)". They (our local politicians) were not even allowed to accompany Prince Charles to Hedd Wyn's grave ...

Anyway, I appreciate the Prince was here. Also at the Welsh Monument at Hagebos (between Pilkem and Langemark). But I ... was not allowed there ...   (No Smiley.)

 

Aurel

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7 hours ago, Aurel Sercu said:

Thanks, Steven. I tried to find the answer to my question myself , but so far unsuccessfully.

 

Your posting saved me a lot of time. (Which I desperately need. Like for saying that last Monday Prince Charles was in my village (Boezinge) too, for half an hour or so (he was at Artillery Wood, at the grave of Hedd Wyn), but unfortunately the police did not allow me to get closer to him (Prince Charles) than approx. 100 metres.   :-(   )

 

I'm sure you'll find the Prince of Wales in my pic ...

 

Aurel

Artillery Wood Pr Charles 2017-07-31 (9).JPG

 

It was my wife guiding him during the visit... (as part of her job at CWGC)

Edited by AOK4
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5 hours ago, Aurel Sercu said:

 

Steven,

 

Correct. But unfortunately no prize. Because I was prevented from shaking hands with him. It seems that he was very kind though, even told jokes and chatted with the military. Yet afterwards I heard one of our local policitians complain he was wondering what they were doing there. That they were standing there "voor spek en bonen" (for bacon and beans, not easily translatable, something like "for the show, for the ride (?)". They (our local politicians) were not even allowed to accompany Prince Charles to Hedd Wyn's grave ...

Anyway, I appreciate the Prince was here. Also at the Welsh Monument at Hagebos (between Pilkem and Langemark). But I ... was not allowed there ...   (No Smiley.)

 

Aurel

 

Hi Aurel, can I use your photo in something I'm writing? Part of it is about a training camp not far from where I live where Ellis Evans trained (Siegfried Sassoon and Robert Graves were there too for quite a lot of the war). It will allow me to link what I'm writing to the present day. No is a perfectly acceptable answer.

 

Pete.

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8 hours ago, Steven Broomfield said:

 

 

But we digress. The Duke of Cornwall, Duke of Rothesay, Lord of the Isles, etc, is in the pale suit middle of the picture, 

 

It's The Man From Del Monte and I claim my free tin of pineapple chunks.

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11 hours ago, Aurel Sercu said:

 

Steven,

 

Correct. But unfortunately no prize. Because I was prevented from shaking hands with him. It seems that he was very kind though, even told jokes and chatted with the military. Yet afterwards I heard one of our local policitians complain he was wondering what they were doing there. That they were standing there "voor spek en bonen" (for bacon and beans, not easily translatable, something like "for the show, for the ride (?)". They (our local politicians) were not even allowed to accompany Prince Charles to Hedd Wyn's grave ...

Anyway, I appreciate the Prince was here. Also at the Welsh Monument at Hagebos (between Pilkem and Langemark). But I ... was not allowed there ...   (No Smiley.)

 

Aurel

 

I understood that it was a private visit to the cemetery.

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5 hours ago, AOK4 said:

 

I understood that it was a private visit to the cemetery.

 

Jan,

When I wrote "I was not allowed. (No smiley)", I actually meant : And I understand. And with "no smiley" I meant that I was not sure whether to use  :-)  or  :-(

And if I had known your wife was there, I would have asked you if you could ask her to arrange etc.

And now I will use a smiley. This one  :-)

 

***

Fattyowls,

No problem, but I will send you a PM after this/

 

Aurel

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Yours truly on the 31st of July. I'm only 16, must be one of the youngest on the forum?

IMG_6360.JPG

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Very smart

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You are standing on a dead body, move slightly to side? 

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