FredJCarss Posted 31 July , 2005 Share Posted 31 July , 2005 Hi While on the Somme I visited COURCELLES-AU-BOIS COMMUNAL CEMETERY EXTENSION and was puzzled by the red head stone when all other cemetries in the area have the common white stones. Why red here. I also came across a run of a five in FONTAINE-AU-BOIS COMMUNAL CEMETERY where the rest were white. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Terry Denham Posted 31 July , 2005 Share Posted 31 July , 2005 Fred CWGC headstones are made from many different types of stone - often locally sourced. I have recorded about twenty different types. On the Western Front the vast majority are made of Portland Limestone, Botticino or Hopton Wood but there are others such as Corsehill and Stancliffe Sandstone. Elsewhere you will see various stones - granite, slate, green limestone etc etc. The majority are certainly Portland but not all by any means. The types of stone were/are selected for a variety of reasons including suitability of the stone for the soil/weather conditions, local availability in whatever region of the world and some were, no doubt, experimental. I have been told by one stonemason that even a form of concrete has been used in the past although I have never seen this myself and have my doubts! If you search the Forum you will see the topic discussed several times and sometimes with pics. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Guest Posted 31 July , 2005 Share Posted 31 July , 2005 Just a question really. Quite a few of the original headstones are by now quite badly eroded and many have been replaced over time. From the amount of wear, do these look like originals or replacements? These look like sandstone, but limestone cannot be ruled out without further information, because the range of colours found is considerable. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Malte Znaniecki Posted 31 July , 2005 Share Posted 31 July , 2005 Hi Fred, this is from a german book. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredJCarss Posted 31 July , 2005 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2005 Thanks for all your comments. I too have seen many and varied types of local stone used but what puzzled me with this one was why a sandstone (I think) cemetery in a sea of Portland cemeteries. Was this an experimental one? The Black watch stones that I was interested were in good condition. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Muerrisch Posted 31 July , 2005 Share Posted 31 July , 2005 On a day of battlefield touring, after many "Silent Cities" have been visited, a "red" cemetery is both unexpected, beautiful and moving. I have to say that a red/white mix is a mess from an aesthetic [my] viewpoint. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
FredJCarss Posted 31 July , 2005 Author Share Posted 31 July , 2005 My thoughts entirely. All red was great. The partial row of red in a white stone cemetery is a bit jarring. On the plus side red is easier to photograph in the bright sun than white. Fred Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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