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Remembered Today:

Anniversary of the battle of Loos


onesearch

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Most will probably know this, but......

Today us the eve of the anniversary  of the beginning if the battle of Loos. I think it was the first major battle the men of K1 were involved in.  Many of them were very early volunteers to enlist & answer the call, keen to do their duty, after all the months o f training, preparation I wonder what was going through their minds in the hours before they were ordered to attack. The ground in parts was open, without cover & easily swept by machine gun fire & bombarded by artillery as they were spotted in the early light & the swirl of mist, drizzle & lingering pockets of gas. Their hopes lay in the barrage that preceded the attack destroying the barbed wire & obstacles but their hopes were misplaced.

So this is written with the men of K1 in mind, & to all of the men who were there, those that returned & those who are still there. My grandfather was with the 6th KOSB, he was wounded & spent at least one night out there before he was brought in. So, ss I say this is for him & his pals & all the other men at Loos regardless of nationality.

Edited by onesearch
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Just arrived in the rental cottage in Loos. Will be on the ground tomorrow.

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Loos this morning 

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And this afternoon 

96C80A38-32E8-4D25-ACC1-505C7C5BA6C5.jpeg

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Superb photos as ever Michelle; the clouds and the rainbow are epic. Is number six the Lorette spur?

Pete.

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Yes indeed Pete, taken from St Mary’s ADS cemetery looking towards Lone Tree and Lorette. 

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They are very evocative photos of the area Michelle, thank you for posting them. The 6th KOSB faced the Hohenzollern redoubt   & were around Mad Point & Madagascar trenches, would you know if any of those areas  can be identified  in them please?

Edited by onesearch
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21 hours ago, onesearch said:

Most will probably know this, but......

Today us the eve of the anniversary  of the beginning if the battle of Loos. I think it was the first major battle the men of K1 were involved in.  Many of them were very early volunteers to enlist & answer the call, keen to do their duty, after all the months o f training, preparation I wonder what was going through their minds in the hours before they were ordered to attack. The ground in parts was open, without cover & easily swept by machine gun fire & bombarded by artillery as they were spotted in the early light & the swirl of mist, drizzle & lingering pockets of gas. Their hopes lay in the barrage that preceded the attack destroying the barbed wire & obstacles but their hopes were misplaced.

So this is written with the men of K1 in mind, & to all of the men who were there, those that returned & those who are still there. My grandfather was with the 6th KOSB, he was wounded & spent at least one night out there before he was brought in. So, ss I say this is for him & his pals & all the other men at Loos regardless of nationality.

A great uncle of mine (my grandmothers brother) was in the east Surreys and died at loos 13/10/1915

i am currently re-reading the battle of loos book by Phillip Warner 

 

wow those photos by @Michelle Young are evocative thank you 

Edited by MrEd
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11 minutes ago, onesearch said:

They are very evocative photos of the area Michelle, thank you for posting them. The 6th KOSB faced the Holenzolen redoubt   & were around Mad Point & Madagascar trenches, would you know if any of those areas  can be identified  in them please?

Photo 5 with the black sky is looking in the direction of Hohenzollern 

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Brilliant photos Michelle, lovely to know that this sometimes "forgotten battlefield" is being remembered 107 years later.

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Will be going to the Mad Point area sometime this week so will bet some more  area photos 

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Photo 1 looking towards Mad Point. 2,4,5 Hohenzollern and 3 the old railway. 

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Good pics Michelle

A few years ago, I used my IGN 2405 E map to try and follow in the steps of 8 Bn Lincolnshire from Fosse 7 to Bois Hugo. I parked at the cemetery between Cite 3 and Cite 7 and struck out North of Loos. I kept to the tracks marked in yellow but I could not by pass Loos to the North to get to Puits 14, I had to skirt through the northern edge of the town. There is a good description of the march in Simpson's Official History.

Brian

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5 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

Photo 1 looking towards Mad Point. 2,4,5 Hohenzollern and 3 the old railway. 

90FF42AF-2A8F-4B4B-9204-6266C77B0B6F.jpeg

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.............those pictures made me stop & think. Chilling,

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Amazing. My great uncle died while trying to take gun trench near Hohenzollern redoubt, thank you for sharing, I must must go here. 

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Would you like me to say hello to W Bashford for you?  

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Just now, Michelle Young said:

Would you like me to say hello to W Bashford for you?  

Please, that would make my day. He is on the loos memorial panels as he has no known grave, panel 65-67

thank you

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My pleasure @MrEd

55D94913-0BB0-405F-BF6F-6F8F1DD93D72.jpeg

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2 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

My pleasure

Kind of you to lend a hand.

Pete.

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2 hours ago, Michelle Young said:

My pleasure @MrEd

55D94913-0BB0-405F-BF6F-6F8F1DD93D72.jpeg

Brilliant. Thank you for stopping by :) 

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