Willywombat Posted 22 October , 2006 Share Posted 22 October , 2006 I always thought that the rather sombre atmosphere and layout of the German cemeteries was a Teutonic thing combined with with the Germans losing on both occasionsand not really having the infrastructure remaining to do much else? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 22 October , 2006 Author Share Posted 22 October , 2006 Yes i agree,The Oak Tree represents Strength,but is also a very old Germanic Symbol,i have some old photos of the German Cemetery at Broodseinde in the late Twenties and all the Grave markers are Wooden Crosses.I dont really think that the Colour of the Crosses in todays German Cemeterys reflects on the fact that they are admitting war Guilt,i think its more to do with being Sombre,in fact in a lot of German civilian Cemetery,the Sombre theme seems to run there as well.As previously mentioned the Belgian and French powers that be certainly didnt want Enemy Dead buried all over their Countryside,hence the massive concentration Cemeterys. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take on me Posted 22 October , 2006 Share Posted 22 October , 2006 Thank you, answers at last. I will edit the original post. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
asdarley Posted 22 October , 2006 Share Posted 22 October , 2006 I visited Vladslo, Langemarck and Neuvelle st Vaast in early October. All three create powerful emotions I feel. As to the modern "entrance" at Langemarck I don't know what others think but there and at Vimy and Thiepval I felt things were in danger of becoming "theme parked". The trouble is people are being catered for who haven't a clue about what it is they are seeing. Hence the need now for "interpretation" centres. Sad, sad, sad. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Crunchy Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Australian one at Hamel would be bad if in good shape and is held together with chicken wire. T Paul, I agree. Saw it not long after it was put up - a garish embarrassment then - and saw it again last month - in bad shape. I understand there are calls afoot to remove it, which would be a good thing. I hope they replace it with something more tasteful. Regards Crunchy Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 23 October , 2006 Author Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Any photos of aforementioned thing at Langemarck ??. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
nfh249 Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 It looks like a portacabin. I hope the architect wasn't paid a fortune... Regards, Neil. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 23 October , 2006 Author Share Posted 23 October , 2006 Thanks for the Photos it looks to me like someone has just dumped a large sea`container there.What is inside the Thingy and what function does it serve ? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
IanA Posted 23 October , 2006 Share Posted 23 October , 2006 I was there. I have a great affection for Langemark and I like the addition. It is stark, it is sympathetic to the spirit of the place and it will do something to further educate the many groups who go there. Inside, there are screens (3 I think) which explain the course of the war in that area complete with sound. Maybe you have to see it in context. If anyone feels they would be mortally offended by it, it is possible to visit the cemetery without ever setting eyes on the new installation. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 23 October , 2006 Author Share Posted 23 October , 2006 I will check it out Next Week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Marco Posted 24 October , 2006 Share Posted 24 October , 2006 Marco, you seem fairly certain that I am currently perpetuating myth so would you please elaborate upon what you have written. Jon Thank you, answers at last Hello Jon, Is the last one aimed at me? Here you are: http://www.xs4all.nl/~aur/Oddsandends/myth4.htm Regards, Marco Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Take on me Posted 24 October , 2006 Share Posted 24 October , 2006 The last one was aimed at you and I apologise for it, the tone was inappropriate. Very interesting link, that is one myth that I certainly will not be repeating. Jon Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTLawson Posted 26 October , 2006 Share Posted 26 October , 2006 I have four candidates:- 1. The memorial at Nomeny which remembers the civilians murdered by the German Army in August 1914. This is in a disgraceful state and should either be knocked down or restored. It insults those it purports to remember. 2. The statue "La Lorraine et L'Alsace retrouvee" in Nancy. Deserves a good clean and some clear signs as to what it represents. 3. At St.Genevieve the memorial to the Battle of La Couronne. Again in an awful state. 4. The memorial at Flirey celebrating the joint Franco-American action there in 1918. The dedications have fallen away from the base and the whole structure needs attention. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PBI Posted 26 October , 2006 Author Share Posted 26 October , 2006 Do you have any photos of these Memorials that you can Post for us please ???. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
GTLawson Posted 26 October , 2006 Share Posted 26 October , 2006 Do you have any photos of these Memorials that you can Post for us please ???. They are all in a book which I am trying to get published at present so I prefer not to make them public at this moment. However if there is some way I can get them to you privately then that would be fine Gordon Lawson Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
paul guthrie Posted 26 October , 2006 Share Posted 26 October , 2006 Many, including me, believed Versailles mandated dark stones for Germans, I finally read the treaty, as Marco says, not true. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 The memorial to Captain Herbert Meakin on the road between Ginchy and Lesboeufs - or rather, well back off the road, in the middle of a field, very difficult to get to if the weather is bad and from a distance looking in a very sorry state. In 1991 the Middlebrooks wrote in Somme Battlefields that it would hopefully be restored soon - it hasn't been. But, I would hasten to add, this is difficultt; it is a private memorial, presumably erected by the family. Ninety years on, the family may not have the money, the inclination or the will to look after this memorial. The family as such may no longer exist! So I'd rather hope that at some point, someone does something about this memorial than just criticise. Alan Does anyone have any further information about this memorial and whether it might be restored. Its condition has been raised by a member of the French Pages 14-18 forum and I have told him I'd find out whether anything was planned. Is this something the WFA might consider getting involved with? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 The WFA did say they were going to renovate this back in the 90s; I helped them look into it, and spoke to the local farmer. Sadly nothing was done, the WFA Memorials fund was disbanded, and the memorial still sits there, fading away (along with others). I salvaged what was left of the memorial railings and have them ready for whatever is done in the future but I suspect the cost would now be huge. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris_Baker Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 I thought WFA still had a designated memorials fund, Paul. I might be out of date, though, and I am not sure what it does with it now. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Paul Reed Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 According to the annual accounts, a few years ago the fund was disbanded and the money distributed amongst WFA funds. Personally I think that was a mistake. The WFA seems to have lost interest in battlefield memorials; I asked them to look into the damage to the memorial at Laffaux in 2008 but never heard back. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bmac Posted 23 December , 2009 Share Posted 23 December , 2009 What a shame. I have passed this on to the Pages 14-18. Personally, I could do without the Bulletin and spend some money on these little memorials but there you go. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Admin Michelle Young Posted 24 December , 2009 Admin Share Posted 24 December , 2009 Can I put in a vote for the anchor memorial at Gavrelle? Admittedly it looks a bit better these days as all the shell cases aren't blue and gold anymore but I have always thought it tacky. Michelle Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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