Coincedences

[MartinWills]

Today, of course, is the anniversary of the start of the onslaught that was 3rd Ypres.

Pte A Morley (7th Northants) wrote in his diary on 1st August 1917

I reflected that on July 31st 1916 I had travelled away from war to hospital and that on July 31st 1917 I had done the same thing. Now that I look forward into the mercy. Shall I again cross the channel on August 28th as I did last year. Woke up from a comfortable sleep of about 10 hours solid ......

July 31st was obviously a significant day for Pte Morley.

I wonder how many other soldiers saw such dates recur in their story?

[Paul Reed]

Remembering the 11th, 12th and 13th Royal Sussex Regiment who went over in the attack on St Julien and Kitchener's Wood on 31st July 1917, and in particular Private Len West MM, a 13th Bn stretcher-bearer, who was killed this day.

[Simon Furnell]

Hello Martin.

The date of my Great-grandads death,in action on the 24th of April,1918,was something that i have known,for many years.

When i started reasearching him,i found that when i mentioned the date of his death,my family knew the date.

The reason being that,49 years after his father died near Villers-Bretonneux,his eldest son died undergoing an operation for cancer.

My birthday is the day before my other Great-grandad was KIA on September 27th,1918.

Not only did these dates repeat themselves for the guys at the front,but they seem to have carried on,at least in my family's case,for sometime after.

Regards.

Simon Funell.

[Andrew P]

When looking at my Fremantle soldiers who were killed at Fromelles, 3 of them enlisted on the 19th of July 1915 and were killed on the 19th of July 1916.