Albert Bapaume Posted 11 June , 2007 Share Posted 11 June , 2007 Frans, as usual you continue to educate, entertain and amuse. Thanks again. Regards. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 11 June , 2007 Share Posted 11 June , 2007 Has anybody got any idea who the little character is? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick.Wotherspoon Posted 11 June , 2007 Share Posted 11 June , 2007 Even fresh, Sloan's Liniment is lethal to social contact! Put it where you put the gas shells, and let the DOVO deal with it! Just out of interest, did all the small finds come from a single area, or were they spread over a length of trench? That's a lot of razors to lose in one spot! Adrian They don't look like standard issue razors from what I can see of them - the sides look to be black rather than the lighter buff coloured horn on the standard army issue razor of the time - could they perhaps be a "seven-day set" privately purchased - perhaps belonging to an officer? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
7:29am Posted 14 June , 2007 Share Posted 14 June , 2007 two button cleaners, four razors other personal items, looks like the contents of an officers hut/ bunker Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
loganshort Posted 14 June , 2007 Share Posted 14 June , 2007 Re English, British. Remember that recruits were drafted in to Battalions to replace losses. Scots, English Irish and Welsh could find themselves with a totally different Battalion to that which they signed up for. Remember the Cockney who signed up and found himself issued with a kilt outfit, He said " I didn't join the army to be a ..bloomin.. Harry Lauder!" A Scotman working in Yorkshire could join up localy and not be in a Scottish regiment. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Black Watch Posted 14 June , 2007 Share Posted 14 June , 2007 What rank did button cleaners hold? Neil Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 20 June , 2007 Share Posted 20 June , 2007 Last saturday the sixteenth we recovered a commonwealth soldiers remains number 212 from the Boezinge site. It looks like we are looking at the remains of an officer. The CWGC has been informed first of the find of the soldiers remains. A couple of items found with the soldier. Whistle Golden watch. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 20 June , 2007 Share Posted 20 June , 2007 That's great news! Perhaps there are initials inside the watch case, which would make identification a lot more possible. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ShirlD Posted 20 June , 2007 Share Posted 20 June , 2007 Frans, These continue to be such poignant reminders of those who died. We have a watch like that from our relative who survived. Again, thanks from those of us who watch the work you do from afar with so much appreciation Cheers Shirley Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 20 June , 2007 Share Posted 20 June , 2007 Well Done Diggers. I hope we may have time to visit the site on the Sunday following the Forum Dinner for the Last Post Association on Saturday 21st July. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 23 June , 2007 Share Posted 23 June , 2007 Recoverred from under the road in Langemark when the road surface was being renewed. With a bit of spit and polish this shrapnell fuze is back in good working order. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 23 June , 2007 Share Posted 23 June , 2007 Over the last few weeks we have been uncovering a big number of boxes with dynamite. The boxes which are german and were dug inn below the german trench. It looks like the germans had early in 1915 a system in place to blow out anybody who enterred or captured the trench. It has got a few people very excited as this has not been uncovered before as far as we know. On the photo Patrick and Ronny checking out one of the many boxes we found. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 23 June , 2007 Share Posted 23 June , 2007 Never a dull moment when digging. This is a coach of recruits today on there nice day out at Her Majesty's Expense. Just before they came to visit us, two of them were disciplinned in front of us. The person dishing out the punishment was a rather good looking lady. When she came to look at the dig none of the group dare ask the lady why, just in case she made us dig extra holes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ianw Posted 23 June , 2007 Share Posted 23 June , 2007 How odd. Some people really get off on "beasting" people. She must be a member of the Guild of Battlefield Guides (Only joking!) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 24 June , 2007 Share Posted 24 June , 2007 It is funny how certain events can bring back memmories. In my days in the dutch army in 77-78 we had a lady soldier called Anja Naaktgeboren, translated it is "Anja Born naked". She came from a little town by the Zuiderzee/ijsselmeer where there was a lot of interbreeding and where men were men and women were men. She was one of the first woman to join the dutch army and I think purely because she hated men. They kitted her out and gave her size 15 boots and hereby she became the first NATO soldier to be able to cross the Rhine without a bridge. She was accepted by the dutch paratroop regiment. She used to jump out of the plane without a parachute, land on her head and just walk away if nothing had happenend. Showing up these tough fighting men they rewarded her with a promotion to another regiment, which was sadly mine. She was known to us as corporal "Anja the Hunn" and she was put in charge of a six ton ammunition truck. My Captain a fine gent wanted to protect his soldiers and deviced a way to get rid of her most of the time. Being stationed in northern Germany he used to send her on little errands with her truck to Holland. A round trip would take her three days with the old DAF truck but my captain always hoped she would break down so he would send no assistance. To cut a long story short this could have been a great turning point in my life because I could then have easely turned gay. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
59165 Posted 24 June , 2007 Share Posted 24 June , 2007 Franz?I believe that after the army,she became British prime minister...... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 24 June , 2007 Share Posted 24 June , 2007 Franz?I believe that after the army,she became British prime minister...... I think if we would have sent this one abroad we would have caused an internationall incident. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 24 June , 2007 Share Posted 24 June , 2007 Two of these machines are going to be driving concrete piles on the building site over the next six months. I managed to climb part way up the machine to take this picture of the area where farm 14/wasserschloss was. Farm 14 was just left of the bulldozer where the new street light is. The International trench would have come straight down from there "Farm 14" towards us. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alliekiwi Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Gosh, Frans, you really make a wonderful story teller on the site. You make the whole dig process come alive, and I wish it were happening in the next town over so I could pop over to look. Thanks for the fabulous photos and anecdotes that go with them. Any idea which commonwealth country the officer may have come from or served with? Allie Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Franz?I believe that after the army,she became British prime minister...... Tony Blair! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
stevem49 Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 As ever Frans some wonderful finds. Many thanks for keeping us informed of De Diggers work. I wear my De Diggers cap with pride. stevem Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Any idea which commonwealth country the officer may have come from or served with? Allie Hi Allie, It is most likely a British officer. It is the only spot where the New Zealand and Australians wern't active in the Ieper salient. If it is a commonwealth officer it could be a Canadian. We are on the area where the international trench is, but the soliders we have found are not from 1915 but 1916 or later, New uniform. It looks like a forward dressing station we have found. The soldiers we have found are close together and have no weapons on them. The first thing you would take of a wounded soldier would be the excess weight before you would carry him. I am hoping that over the coming weeks it becomes a bit clearer. Frans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Michael Johnson Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Hi Allie, It is most likely a British officer. It is the only spot where the New Zealand and Australians wern't active in the Ieper salient. If it is a commonwealth officer it could be a Canadian. Did any buttons survive? That would be the quickest form of identification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PoW1988 Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Has anything else been found. This is truly fascinating. Lynz Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
frans Posted 27 June , 2007 Share Posted 27 June , 2007 Did any buttons survive? That would be the quickest form of identification. Hi Michael, I will dig up some photo's of the items tomorrow. The soldier we found looks like he was one of the collecting types. We found many buttons, two purses with coins and an array of other items. Another problem I think is that many men were cared for on this spot, there is an array of buttons and kit, to much for one soldier to carry. A soldier who dies while fighting and is found on the spot he fell, will always have his rifle near him and carries ammunition and his bajonet. This makes for us the whole process eassier. What I am trynig to say is that with the soldier who died fighting he is surrounded by his own items, on the site we are now this is not the case because it looks like many men passed through here. Frans Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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