A very interest tour guide in 3 parts to the WW1

[larneman]

A very interest tour guide in 3 parts to the WW1 and the Somme..

VISITS TO THE WW1 BATTLEFIELDS – PART 1

PART 1

BATTLEFIELD VISITS PART one.

INTRODUCTION

Article by Eddie Morton

3rd Feb 2005

PART 2

BATTLEFIELD VISITS PART TWO.

THE SOMME. WESTERN AREA.

Article by Eddie Morton

16th Feb 2005

PART THREE

THE SOMME, EASTERN AREA.

Article by Eddie Morton

25th April 2005

Extracted from PART 1

All the land in France and Belgium used for British war grave is given in perpetuity by those countries, so when you stand in a British cemetery you stand in a little part of Britain.

The Commission acts on behalf of all member governments in all matters concerning their war graves of the two world wars and is responsible for maintaining;

1,179,000 war graves, in 23,203 burial sites, in 148 countries.

It also maintains 170,000 war graves in over 12,000 burial grounds in the UK.

The highest concentration of cemeteries in the care of the Commission is in that band of 70 miles that constituted the British sector of the western front in the Great War.

It runs in a line from northwest to south east through Belgium and France. Here some of the cemeteries are so close together you can stand in one and look into another. Ninety years after the reversion of the land back to agriculture, and after many years of ploughing, the inerasable continuous scar left by the trenches on the landscape can still be clearly seen from the air.

Extracted from PART 2

Keep on the D151 straight through the village and head for Theipval. Theipval ridge was held by the Germans for most of the war and is one of the highest points in the battlefield, this is where you will come to the most impressive “Theipval Memorial to the Missing”. It contains the names of 73,357 men whose bodies were never found and have no known grave. There is a new visitor centre which opened last year where you will be able to get all the relevant information therefore I wont go into detail here. You will be able to get some refreshments here also.

When you leave Theipval take the D73 signed Hamel and Auchonvillers, as you drive down this road you will pass the Connaught Cemetery on your left, and on the hill opposite is Mill Rd. Cemetery. The original Connought Cemetery contained 228 graves of the 1st July fighting consisting of Ulster men, Salford Pals from the 15th Lancashire Fusiliers and West Riding Territorial’s who supported them.

The site of Mill road Cemetery is on German held position known as the Schwaben Redoubt. You will note that some of the headstones here are laid flat; the original burials were made over old trench’s and dugouts which made the ground unstable. The upright headstones came after the war and were placed on stable ground.

A little further on you will come to the “Ulster Tower” This is a replica of Helen’s Tower at Clandeboyne near Belfast, it commemorate the men of the Ulster regiments who on the 1st July came up this hill to try and take Theipval. There is a small museum and a café here, it is looked after by a very nice Irish couple, you will be made most welcome.

Carry on down the road cross over the railway line to the village of Hamel carry on up the hill, still the D73, signed Auconvillers and you will come to “Newfoundland Park”.

It is a large expanse of ground with complete trench systems from the 1916 battle; it contains three cemeteries and three memorials. It was bought by Newfoundland after the war to commemorate the devastating loss their volunteer regiment suffered on the 1st July, 684 men killed and wounded from battalion strength of 1,000. This number of casualties was only rivalled by one other unit that day, the 10th West Yorkshires, 710.

When the first war started Newfoundland was not part of Canada, and the Newfoundlanders refused to be classed as Canadians and asked to be assigned to an English regiment

There is a visitor centre hear that will explain everything so I will not go into detail, also in summer Canadian students come over to act as guides in the park. On a nice day you can spend some time here.

Extracted from PART 3

Continue along the D938, after passing over the roundabout look out for a right turn into the village of Becordel Becour, on entering the village take the first left which will bring you to the Dartmoor Cemetery, a small comrade’s cemetery. It gets its name from the many men of the Devonshire Regiment who are buried here.

There are some interesting graves in this cemetery, in the front row, row F is the grave of Lt Colonel Allerdice who died on the 1st July commanding the 13th Northumberland Fusilier but who’s headstone bears the badge of an Indian Cavalry Regiment, the 36th Jacobs Horse.

In the second row, Row E is the grave of the oldest soldier to die on the western front, that of 68 year old Lieutenant Henry Webber, he was hit by shell fire in Mametz Wood in 1916 while serving as a transport Office with the 7th South Lancs.

In row C is Pr. J Miller who won the VC in September 1916 for carrying important massages although severely wounded.

On the back row is the father and son Sergeant G and Corporal R F Lee killed on the same day in September 1916 while serving in the same London artillery unit.