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The Great War (1914-1918) Forum

Remembered Today:

Strange Occurrences on the Western Front


Rodge Dowson

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This response might be controversial, but my personal interest in WW1 stems from the fact that I am convinced that I was there!! The 3rd Battle of Ypres. No detail of other battle in any war affects me in the same way.

Unlike some people I have read about, there are no dreams, flashbacks etc., it's just a feeling.

One day I will go to the battlefield, sit in a quiet corner, and know, because my earlier body must still be there.

Gordon

I suspect that more people than care to admit wander about that. I tend to agree with Gordon & yourself.

Still, dont suppose we'll ever know for sure ...

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... but my personal interest in WW1 stems from the fact that I am convinced that I was there!! The 3rd Battle of Ypres...

You're not alone.

I have barely the slightest interest in other wars - well interest yes, but on a different level. I haven't found 'the place' yet, but I have a deeper, darker (?!) non-specific, emotional link with WW1 which puzzles me!

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Here is a rather interesting WW2 anecdote with a WW1 theme,from Gnr Wm Hardings Book..A Cockney Soldier.

Tilloy-Arras 1939

our gun position lay in a Field,where at a prominent point was a scottish cairn memorial about 10 feet high.We were told to dig in,almost every spadeful revealed something,rifle rounds by the Dozen,Buckles from equipment,a well preserved Army Boot,many,many Bones and a Jaw Bone.A hole was dug for the Bones and filled in.Many Dud Shells were dug up and an RAOC lorry took them away.Some idiot lit a Fire and placed a Dud shell on it which exploded sending shrapnel whizzing all over the place.In my spare time i wandered over this are again,when my Toe struck a protruding iron box,which i found to be half full of mills bombs.I looked at one and saw that it was stamped 1916 and was primed.I buried the Box.One night Gnr Turner was on guard,turned out the Guard whilst shouting like a madman,he swore that he had seen group of kilted soldiers coming silently out of the mist,all were muddy and bloody and were led by a Piper who passed him and vanished into the mist.He seemed very shaken and nothing would induce him to stand guard there at night again.I must admit that i felt a sense of foreboding the place at night and felt ill at ease. :o

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The Somme area is the only place I wish to return to again and again! Why? Who knows.

Has anyone ever tried to be regressed to see if there is any connection?

Tony

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The Somme area is the only place I wish to return to again and again! Why? Who knows.

Has anyone ever tried to be regressed to see if there is any connection?

Tony

Given my response in post #149, I've thought about it, researched it in The Reincarnation Forum of My Webpage but wouldn't quite know how to go about it even if I had the bottle to do it.

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Has anyone ever tried to be regressed to see if there is any connection?

Tony

I know a couple of people but the problem is, do you believe it or not?

They, like myself try to be open minded as theres a lot of mumbo jumbo associated to this type of subject & its hard to filter the nonsense out!! How do you KNOW for sure if the details being brought out are real, and if so, from where / who? :huh:

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  • 1 month later...
I once read that in World War one, Hitler was asleep in a foxhole and dreamt that he was in great danger. He woke up, jumped out of the foxhole he was in and turned around to see (I think) four soldiers he was just sharing the foxhole with, get blown away by a shell.

- Chris

IIRC, And it has been at least 20 years since I read this somewhere, Hitler wrote that he heard a voice telling him to move farther down the trench and did so. Shortly after a shell struck the area where he had been standing killing some soldiers nearby.

The story of the British soldier who nearly shot him is even more interesting: http://www.worldwar1.com/heritage/hitler2.htm

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How do you KNOW for sure if the details being brought out are real, and if so, from where / who? :huh:

To start, you would need to find a committed atheist (otherwise you have someone who already believes in some form of the supernatural)

Secondly, they need to have no real knowledge of the War (otherwise they are likely to be drawing on latent memory).

And, even then, I won't believe it.

John

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When I went to Verdun alone for the day, in the ossuary I saw a French and German soldier(With the steel helmet) Shaking hands still in uniforms. I thought it was a bit strange after looking at the bones of the soldiers. Also when I went to Fort De Demounte (I dont know if it is spelled right) and inside a lot of people died inside and the tour guide and everyone inside heard , or what sounded like a loud artillary explosion. Everyone heard it.

Iron Cross

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Recently stopped at Houplines, on French/Border, close to where Pte. G.T. Thornicroft (see below) fell in October, 1914, & at the EXACT moment my Dad placed a 'poppy cross' in a field at the side of the road, his watch stopped. It had worked perfectly since he bought it, & has been going ever since - no change of battery. Very strange.

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Another strange one, stuff is happening all the time like this.........

Thanks for sharing it with us, - Rodge

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Interesting about Flat Iron Copse, this was used as field ambulance first aid post (and remains of soldiers have been found there fairly recently- British) I have two glass bottles one German square type green 'Der Lachts' and one Glen-levit 1898 whiskey bottle I pulled out of there part buried when walking around in 1995.

I feel fine there but as soon as I start down the track oposite Mametz Wood then I start to feel watched the further away from the cemetery the worse the sensation gets, felt really sick on the last visit there. I have only been in Mametz Wood once a long time back (1989) felt ok'ish in the wood but felt the same starting down the track towards the Dragon again......Felt that specifically German soldiers were watching me from trenches around the wood...As I said before I don't do Newfoundland Park now...

Rodge

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Was mooching around a cemetery yesterday looking for memorials on family graves to support the memorial Id just visited (intend to research it) & was getting nowehere.

Id just decided to give it up & was turning on my heels to leave when I heard a distinct cough to my left, so instinvtively turned to see who had done it as the graveyard was empty (apart from my partner & myself).

No-one was there but I found myself staring at a memorial inscription in a place I had not even seen!

That was handy! Whether it was help from unseen forces or coincidence, it works for me!!

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the ulster tower did it for me.i went in there this year on our tour of the battlefields.as soon as i walked inside i got this feeling that i should get out of there,it was a really depressing feeling.so much so that i walked outside but the feeling stayed with me until i went onto the road where the coach was parked.i went back into the grounds and the feeling came back so i went back to the coach.

andy

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This response might be controversial, but my personal interest in WW1 stems from the fact that I am convinced that I was there!! The 3rd Battle of Ypres. No detail of other battle in any war affects me in the same way.

Unlike some people I have read about, there are no dreams, flashbacks etc., it's just a feeling.

One day I will go to the battlefield, sit in a quiet corner, and know, because my earlier body must still be there.

Gordon

Gordon, I do believe that you were there, when you go to the area walk as much as you can, be aware of your feelings then find out which Regiment was there, then look on soldiers died, print the names and you might find that a name pops out at you,

I am still trying to determine who i was from my experience in the Sunken Road at Beaumont Hamel on 1st July this year. That place has held me for the last 9 years but this year was special, I know that eventually I will determine who i was but not until next year when i return will i know for definate who i was, I am either in Beaumont cemetery, Redan Ridge or of course on the Thiepval Memorial.

Mandy

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  • 1 month later...

My brother-in-law is from the Solomon Islands (Guadalcanal), in the South Pacific.

Although he lived in the UK for a couple of years (recently), if he does know of WW1 it would be fairly superficial as his culture isn't aware of that war as much as WW2 ("The big death" as they call it). Certainly I don't think his education would have covered it.

I have a plan to take him over to the battlefields on the pretext of a day trip to Belgium/France, and although the number of cemeteries might alert him, I would be interested to see how he responded to the battle zones. Does he think they are 'happy' or 'sad' places - or nothing at all.

It's probably the closest one could get to an impartial test.

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Don't know if any other pal's have the same scary experience that i always have when I go the the Western Front?

I wake up in the morning with a headache and when I check my pockets all my money has gone! :lol:

Best wishes to you all,

Scottie.

(Sorry, couldn't resist it)

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wow, that's happened to me too Scottie.

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Uncle Bill,

thank God that I am not alone in this strange phenomenon, perhaps we should seek help?

Regards,

Scottie.

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maybe we could hold a séance at the Tommy

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Uncle Bill,

sounds like a great idea to me! but if we are holding hands how do we hold a glass? plus with Hymyn around we will have to have one hand on our loose change! :)

Actually I did have a strange incident once when i was staying at a well know B & B in Auchonvillers!

My mate and i had retired for the night and were snuggling down for some well earned kip (seperate beds I hasten to add) when the bedroom door that had been securly closed slipped its latch and opened! After a bit of childish giggling I got up and closed the door and secured the latch.

A couple of minutes later the latch slipped again and the door opened. This time i must admit there was no giggling from us and I closed the door and put two suitcases, a chair and other assorted soft furnishings behind it to keep it securly closed.

Now i am not supersitous but everytime I take a party back there i ensure that i don't get that room!

Sweet dreams to you all,

Cheers,

Scottie.

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I think you can count me out. :(

Ain't going anywhere where my roomies can't take the hint from the local girlies lurking in the corridors.

:lol:

Two suitcases,armchair plus other stuff. Talk about hard to get!! :lol:

Hywyn

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Guest KevinEndon

This happened to me last Tuesday along with forum friend Wulsten who I hope will prove my story to be correct and in his own words.

I had gone to his house to see his collection of stuff, and it was pouring down outside. Once I had looked over his collection I told him I was going to Hanley to photograph a grave. For those who have been following the Endon thread it was the grave to Alfred Collumbell. I found him at last. Anyway back to the story. Geoff and I set out in my car to the cemetery. Now Hanley Cemetery isnt small by far but you can drive round it, which is a blessing due to my disability.

I stopped the car in an area which was like any other area of the cemetery. Graves, trees, bushes and grass the usual. There was a great big tree to my left, Geoffs side. For some reason I leaned forward to look round the tree and there it was the grave of Alfred Collumbell jumping out at us. It wasnt a big headstone by far the photo shows infact it was quite small. I remarked to Geoff at the time how spooky it was to find that in the manner we did, you couldn't even see the front of the car for the tree.

Pure luck or something else, who knows. So maybe the feelings on the battlefields are not just restricted to them but to all grave yards.

post-11197-1160394550.jpg

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