Has Anyone Got A Photograph Of..........

[Don Regiano]

1 hour ago, Fattyowls said:

The only thing that marred the idyllic shade and contemplation of the sobering statistics of Caterpillar Valley and the London cemetery was a bit of alien abduction.....

 

 

 

With the disposition of that map, were you really intending to walk to our place in all that heat Pete?

[Don Regiano]

19 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Whenever I go there it will always be the Knott bl**dy irritating cable, and I will be inspired to keep it out of picture.

That's my challenge too!

 

20 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

It's kind of ironic that I was trying to move the focus of the thread away from the Somme

 

Not so quick matey.  Here's the lesser known Newfoundland (complete with b....y windfarm

 

 

 

 

[Fattyowls]

43 minutes ago, Don Regiano said:

With the disposition of that map, were you really intending to walk to our place in all that heat Pete?

 

That day we came down from Martinpuich, dropped in on the London Cemetery, down to the edge of Longueval, turned by the Bristol cross and on to Caterpillar Valley. Charlie then took his detour out past Neptune, but was back in time to walk to Bazentin le Petit, then across to Pozieres, down the lane to Courcelette and back to Martinpuich. I walked out to Warlencourt Military cemetery via the Butte solo later on. We had at least two and maybe four maps because they all cover slightly different bits of the battlefield.

 

 

[Knotty]

1 hour ago, Don Regiano said:

1 hour ago, Fattyowls said:

Whenever I go there it will always be the Knott bl**dy irritating cable, and I will be inspired to keep it out of picture.

That's my challenge too!

 

Gentlemen I thank you

I deem it an honour that for a short time, a part of the Somme will be remembered in my name, albeit a bloody cable.

 

John

[Don Regiano]

48 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

 

That day we came down from Martinpuich, dropped in on the London Cemetery, down to the edge of Longueval, turned by the Bristol cross and on to Caterpillar Valley. Charlie then took his detour out past Neptune, but was back in time to walk to Bazentin le Petit, then across to Pozieres, down the lane to Courcelette and back to Martinpuich. I walked out to Warlencourt Military cemetery via the Butte solo later on. We had at least two and maybe four maps because they all cover slightly different bits of the battlefield.

 

 

 

That's a nice trip Pete.  Maybe next time, with your propensity for reverse views, you could do the reverse of the Liverpool/Manchester Pals: Montauban>Maricourt, then>Hardecourt (refreshments if we are around)>Guillemont>Trones>Bernafay>Montauban.  That should keep you busy and, if it's not enough, you can press on to Mametz>Fricourt>Devonshires to take in the view you want>Carnoy.

 

We will send out a search party if you haven't arrived back according to your schedule!

[Fattyowls]

5 minutes ago, Don Regiano said:

That's a nice trip Pete.

 

It was tiring but inspiring; I'd never walked the battlefield before and it was remarkable. The following day John (Frajohn) dropped us of by the better known Somme caribou and we crossed the Ancre valley, stopped for refreshment at Teddy and Phoebe's ice cream parlour, then walked past the cordoned off memorial and down the Leipzig spur and on across then end of Nab valley to Ovillers. From there we went up to the Pozieres memorial, along to Butterworth farm and then across the fields back to Martinpuich. A knackering but brilliant experience.

 

As for your suggested route I love this plan, I'm excited to be part of it*. I'll have to get back into training however, during lockdown my long distance stamina has disappeared. Hopefully I'll be able to do Owls Towers up the coast to the estuary of the Alt opposite where Sassoon lashed his medal ribbon into the sea and back in the not too distant future.

 

Pete.

 

*name that 80's blockbuster movie that this is a quote from.....clue - Bill Murray.

[Fattyowls]

46 minutes ago, Knotty said:

I deem it an honour that for a short time, a part of the Somme will be remembered in my name, albeit a bloody cable.

 

Perhaps we can sort out some sort of plaque.........

 

[tomisitt]

Looking the other way, this time on Monte Pasubio looking back down at the Pasubio Ossuary (the white thing that looks like a white lighthouse in the bottom right quadrant). An incredible amount of tunnelling and mining went on under this mountain.

[Fattyowls]

Absolutely stupendous Tom. I remember Prof. Jim Storr talking about the vertical battlefields of the Alps and that illustrates exactly what he means. What is striking is that the limestone (if that is what it is) bedded near enough horizontally. Quite remarkable.

 

Pete.

[Knotty]

30 minutes ago, Don Regiano said:

in the view you want>Carnoy.

 

9 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Perhaps we can sort out some sort of plaque.........

Last time I was at Carnoy came across this, might well have ended with a plaque😁

[tomisitt]

18 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Absolutely stupendous Tom. I remember Prof. Jim Storr talking about the vertical battlefields of the Alps and that illustrates exactly what he means. What is striking is that the limestone (if that is what it is) bedded near enough horizontally. Quite remarkable.

 

Pete.

In the case of Pasubio it is indeed mostly horizontal, but a little further along the front it can be 45 degrees (this pic was taken while climbing up to the front line in the Carnic Alps. Fascinating geology all along this front.

[gilbo139]

Grove Town Cemetery.....not the most visited..

[neverforget]

Tyne Cot. 

 

The gate, with a moody sky, as seen from our apartment. 

[Fattyowls]

Gilbo and NF, they are really good. The quality of the light at Grove Town is special, and the lateness of the hour at Tyne Cot is also really evocative. The one of the Menin Gate is interesting, was that from one of the buildings on Hoornwerk?

 

Pete.

[neverforget]

9 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Gilbo and NF, they are really good. The quality of the light at Grove Town is special, and the lateness of the hour at Tyne Cot is also really evocative. The one of the Menin Gate is interesting, was that from one of the buildings on Hoornwerk?

 

Pete.

I'm not sure what Hoornwerk is Pete, please pardon my ignorance, but the picture was taken from the apartment we rented from Benoit Mottrie, seen here on the right.

 For those who may not know, Benoit is the chairman of the Last Post Association, responsible for the last post ceremony every night. Benoit really is a top bloke who does everything he can to enhance visitors to Ypres experience. Lovely guy, and helpful in the extreme. He owns Menin Gate Apartment, where my son and I stayed. Highly recommended. 

[gilbo139]

It’s pot luck when I take photos and this one will probably mean nothing to most but to me, they re awaken the memories of past trips.....

[Fattyowls]

23 minutes ago, neverforget said:

I'm not sure what Hoornwerk is Pete, please pardon my ignorance

 

No apology needed Mr P. It's one for the Vauban fortification geeks like myself; it's the name of that bit of street opposite the gate. The extension in the distance is called Kiplinglaan. In the olden days the whole area was a hornwork, an outer fortification with horns hence the name. This image of Ypres is from fortifiedplaces.com and is of one of Louis XVI's models of Vauban's towns. This one is on display in Lille. You can see the hornwork to the left of the gate across the moat, just further up than the triangular thingy which I think is a ravelin.

 

 

 

[depaor01]

Noyelles Sur Mer.

 

First cemetery I visited on the holiday when I took the distant Thiepval/wheat field photo. This was the nearest one to where we were staying.

A very different war graves experience. Familiar stone shape with memorials whose names are lost to most of us Westerners. Still remembered though.

 

I asked a Chinese girl who was on work experience in a bank I worked in to translate the names so I could write them on the back of the photos. The Commonwealth War graves site had similar but different versions of the names.

 

Dave

[Fattyowls]

Dave if it's the one I'm thinking of I've been past a couple of times and to my eternal discredit never visited. Rose Coombs in 'Before Endeavours Fade' reproduces some of the headstone tranlations. One that struck me was something like "A Good Reputation Lasts Forever" although I can't find my dogeared copy to check. Very good photos.

 

Pete.

 

Edit. If I'd have read the start of the post I would have seen Noyelles - not the one I was thinking of. Doh!

Edited 21 June , 2020 by Fattyowls

[chaz]

 just came down the track from 10 tree cemetery towards Beacourt, turned right and heading for Thiepval stopped the car to see what they were fighting over.  over the ridge is the Ancre valley marked by the trees in across the centre, Grandcourt on the left and Hamel would be on the right

Edited 21 June , 2020 by chaz

[Fattyowls]

6 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

A few more Somme shots 

 

This one of Michelle's signature interesting angles deserves a second look, I can identify the Ulster Tower from the Aveluy direction (possibly) in one, the 51st Highland Division Memorial above Y Ravine at Beaumont-Hamel (but not the viewpoint) in 4, and Beaumont-Hamel British cemetery (from up by the Hawthorn ridge craters) in 5. But I'm struggling with 2 and 3. Anyone care to hazard a guess?

[neverforget]

7 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Dave if it's the one I'm thinking of I've been past a couple of times and to my eternal discredit never visited. Rose Coombs in 'Before Endeavours Fade' reproduces some of the headstone tranlations. One that struck me was something like "A Good Reputation Lasts Forever" although I can't find my dogeared copy to check. Very good photos.

 

Pete.

I left my copy of Rose Coombs' Before Endeavour's fade at Benoit's aforementioned apartment, as a gesture of goodwill, appreciation of a superb host, and a helpful guide for future residents. 

[Michelle Young]

Pete it's a while ago, but.....the 51st Div was I think taken from the vicinity of Hawthorn Ridge no 1, pic 2 is Hawthorn Ridge no 2 and pic 3 is either Fricourt New Military or Norfolk. Here's another one of my weird distance shots 

[depaor01]

13 minutes ago, Fattyowls said:

Dave if it's the one I'm thinking of I've been past a couple of times and to my eternal discredit never visited. Rose Coombs in 'Before Endeavours Fade' reproduces some of the headstone tranlations. One that struck me was something like "A Good Reputation Lasts Forever" although I can't find my dogeared copy to check. Very good photos.

 

Pete.

The 'Good Reputation ' inscription is on a lot of them.

Thanks,

Dave

[Michelle Young]

You might be thinking of the Ayette cemetery Pete? Noyelles is beyond Abbeville