dedesomme Posted 10 February Share Posted 10 February The decline of Delville Wood through images... The following. The following 2. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew pugh Posted 10 February Share Posted 10 February Hi Absolutely shocking! Their present government have lost interest, I think we have all known this for a long time. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 12 February Admin Share Posted 12 February I got shot down in flames on X/Twitter last week for showing pictures of the state of cemeteries I visited. The air of neglect seems widespread. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 12 February Admin Share Posted 12 February This was last year. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedesomme Posted 13 February Author Share Posted 13 February At the end of winter, all memorials and cemeteries are dirty, especially in rainy winters. The CWGC then undertakes spring cleaning. For Delville Wod, the situation is different. This state of disrepair is due to the disinterest of the South African embassy. No budget, no means. The CWGC has reported the condition of the memorial to the embassy numerous times. No answer. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February One has to take into consideration that the rules for the use of certain cleaning products etc. have been tightened in recent years. This, combined with a more restricted budget (?), may not make the task of the CWGC any easier to keep the cemeteries and memorials in good condition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
andrew pugh Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February Hi AOK4 You may be right about the chemicals, but please don't suggest that the CWGC has a restricted budget, they have enough. Perhaps if they didn't waste a good proportion of it on creating more and more unnecessary managerial positions that are not needed.Too many people at the top including some of the commissioners. The gardeners and the masons do a great job as usual. I personally think Fabian Ware would turn in his grave if he could see how it has manifested. It has changed from what it used to be. Regards Andy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
chaz Posted 13 February Share Posted 13 February there has been a chap on tv recently that uses non-chemical cleaners to clean headstones. does them by request but a google search throws up a couple of commercial cleaning companies. I think Covid is a big factor. Things everywhere have changed since, seems to be less money around , other priorities, Taxes are being raised on homeowners. Prices are rising, not sure about now but the last time we visited , late september last year, there were hardly any visitors around the cemeteries and even fewer drivers on the roads. Michelle might be able to update on today’s situation. I am in contact with relations on my mothers side, in my sig below there are a few interested relations to my findings but they are in their late fifties, upwards . There are none of the younger looking. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
AOK4 Posted 14 February Share Posted 14 February 8 hours ago, andrew pugh said: Hi AOK4 You may be right about the chemicals, but please don't suggest that the CWGC has a restricted budget, they have enough. Perhaps if they didn't waste a good proportion of it on creating more and more unnecessary managerial positions that are not needed, just like the NHS. Too many people at the top including some of the commissioners. The gardeners and the masons do a great job as usual. I personally think Fabian Ware would turn in his grave if he could see how it has manifested. It has changed from what it used to be. Regards Andy You definitely have a point about the CWGC priorities. I also have the impression that it seems to become a bit of a Mexican army (more generals than soldiers). Too much money for managers and unnecessary things and too little money for the real core business (gardeners and masons, but also proper research). Jan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedesomme Posted 14 February Author Share Posted 14 February BEFORE / AFTER Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 14 February Admin Share Posted 14 February 15 hours ago, chaz said: there were hardly any visitors around the cemeteries and even fewer drivers on the roads. Michelle might be able to update on todays situation. We didn’t see a single other visitor, only a couple of gardeners at Etaples and a team at Ribécourt Rd. We do tend to go to the less visited battlefields anyway. The roads were generally quiet, freight lorries on the routes nationale, but not a lot on the back roads. A16 and A26 busier. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dedesomme Posted 15 February Author Share Posted 15 February Visitors are not taken by surprise when arriving at Delville Wood car park. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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