Poperinghe

[Guest belgiumpoppies]

I know Poperinghe was a resting area near Ypres and the front line, as well as Toc H being there. I would like to know more about the town and what soldiers did there, as well as any cemetries near by, specifically in relation to the Chinese Labour Corps (of course!) Thanks

[Paul Reed]

There is a chapter on Poperinghe in my Walking The Salient; and in Talbot House you can buy several books on the area - I think there is also a 'Cameos on the Western Front' about Poperinghe as well.

What is your interest in the CLC?

[Guest belgiumpoppies]

Thanks - I think I have your book My interest in the CLC is all encompassing - I have had documents translated from Chinese from SOAS and some information from Hong Kong. I'm interested in Poperinghe as I'm setting my book in Flanders and Ypres and would like to get it as accurate as possible - I feel it would be disrespectful if I don't.

[zijde26]

There was, at my knowledge, in Belgium no particular Cemetery for the soldiers of the Chinese Labour Corps. Some of them are buried in Reningelst.

Gilbert Deraedt

[Cnock]

Hello,

Popering Old Militatry Cemetery

Headstone for Wang Ch'un Ch'ih,

executed for murder 8/5/1919.

Regards,

Cnock

[Jacky Platteeuw]

There is a large plot of CLC at 'Lijssenthoek' Poperinge. Most of this men died in 1919.

Jacky

[gericht 1914]

Headstone for Wang Ch'un Ch'ih,

executed for murder 8/5/1919.

With the motto "A Good Reputation Endures Forever"!

I know this is one of the standard CWGC inscriptions for the CLC, but it's a little ironic here!!!

Dave.

[ian turner]

There is a great description of train arrival at Pop in Henry Williamson's 'The Wet Flanders Plain' - he describes the 'strange' behaviour of the trains, stopping first outside the station, and then speeding straight through, to stop outside the other end - the Crown and Anchor schools tumbling first one way, and then the other inside the waggons, as the driver sped the train past Pop station. The reason being that the train arrivals were observed by the long range German guns, which would of course try and hit such traffic.

Then came a sound in the air - at first a droning then deepening to a groan, and a sound like a diamond cutting glass in the air, ending with a crash and roar that lifted a section of rail track and sleepers and dumped them back down, followed by the hum and whine of hot splinters flying past.

That's all from my memory, not a direct quote - just a small snippet of life at Pop.

Ian

[paul guthrie]

With the motto "A Good Reputation Endures Forever"!

I know this is one of the standard CWGC inscriptions for the CLC, but it's a little ironic here!!!

Dave.

Well Dave maybe the guy needed killing. There's an old Q&A in my native Harlan COunty,:

Why can you get more time for stealing chickens than for killing a man in Harlan County?

We aint got no chickens that need stealing.

I have a January 1934 front page of the Knoxville News Sentinel, " Harlan County Ends Its bloodiest year 56 shot to death in 1933 only 6 killers convicted longest sentence 15 years" Bloody Harlan it was called then known all over the country. These were the days of the coal field wars.

Edited 27 December , 2005 by paul guthrie