31 days to go

[Kookaburra]

Great to hear from you Kim and I bet you are all running on pure adrenalin. I look forward to seeing your pics in due course.

Enjoy the rest of your trip and have a safe journey home.

Cheers, Diane

[Andrew P]

Have arrived home, well in Melbourne for a few days before heading back to WA.

The trip was brilliant though I'm sure we would all agree that more time was needed in France & Belgium. With Tim and myself alternating the driving during the trip and Kim navigating (and Frev providing moral support) we weaved our way through France from Charles de Gaulle airport in our Alfa Romeo through the various battlefields of the Western Front. I'll just note down some of the main points of the trip.

We managed to visit a lot of places during our short stay on the western front starting with;

Day 1 - Landed at Charles De Gaulle, hired car & drove to Bapaume, Grevillers, Morchies, Vaux Hill, Queant Rd, Bullecourt, Croiselles and then the sleep deprived made it to Varlet Farm in Belgium and Charlottes kind welcome. (I'm sure the antics of the first day drive will not be forgotten quickly by the 4 of us. 1 person in particularly had us completely in fits of laughter) Despite being without sleep for 30 or more hours we made sure we went to the Menin Gate ceremony on the 31st and we are definately glad we did. While here we met up with forum pals Sabine & Patrick, Mark Hone & Dave.

Day 2 - Visit to Passchendaele, Tyne Cot where we met Kooky and her touring party. The song which was sung by Kooky's NZ touring party in the Tyne Cot Memorial was very moving and won't easily be forgotten. Then on to Zonnebeke and the Passchendaele Memorial Museum where we met up with Jan, then on to Polygon Wood and using Matt McLachlan's guide book looked around the surrounding areas, with a visit to Hooge Crater before going to the Menin Gate ceremony and where we again were glad to meet up with Sabine & Patrick.

Day 3 - Last day in Belgium and paid a visit to Langemarck and then Yorkshire Trench and the Voormezeele Cemeteries before heading to Messines. Saw Messines Ridge Cemetery, the NZ Memorial, Underhill Farm Cemetery where Tim's uncle is buried & then on to Toronto Ave Cemetery where one of my Fremantle diggers is buried. We then met up Richard Osgood who showed us over the work they were doing on the Messines dig near Ploegseert. It was good to be able to see the great work they were doing. Also met up with Matt McLachlan here. Then headed out to Fromelles and paid a visit to VC Corner, the Cobber statue, Rue Pettilion, Rue David and Ru du Bois Cemeteries. Headed back through to Bapaume where Kim found a great local place to eat. (I'll let Kim tell this one) Then it was off to Les Alouttes B&B

Day 4 - Delville Wood, AIF Burial Ground Flers, Bulls Rd Cemetery, Pozieres, Mouquet Farm, Thiepval, Warlencourt Cemetery, Sunken Rd Cemetery, Pozieres British Cemetery and off to Albert for Dinner at Corner's Pub.

Day 5 - Mametz & 38th Div Memorial then on to Hamel were we met up with forum pal Nicolas Goret who kindly showed us around the Hamel battlefield and also back to his parents place for morning tea which was great. Nicolas then took us onto the Villers Brettoneux School Museum, Adelaide Cemetery and the Villers Brettoneux National Memorial. This was very good of him to show us around for so long as it was his fathers birthday and I think he may have got back late to their celebrations. After Nicolas departed we stayed at the Villers Bret Memorial for a while taking it all in. Plus had many photos to take there.

We then drove on to Fouilloy for lunch at a little kebab place and then on to try and find Corbie Communal Cemetery but took a wrong turn so we went to Daours Communal where a few of my Fremantle soldiers are buried, then back tracked to Corbie Communal. Then on to Chipilly, Sailly le Sec and Heath Cemetery at Harbonnieres. We stayed for a while at Heath then back on to our B&B through Bray-sur-Somme and Suzanne

Day 6 - Left Vic & Diane's kind hospitality at Les Alouettes and left for a Day of travel back to Charles de Gaulle airport bound for Turkey. Arrived Turkey and met up with Jeff and Sigrid and spent the night in Istanbul

Day 7 - Left Istanbul early bound for Gallipoli and met up early with Wayne Salliard. Took the 5 hour bus ride and jumped off in Eceabat just before the ferry pulled out and met up with Eric who took us to lunch. Short drive into Anzac Cove & Beach cemetery before going to our accommondation at Gallipoli Houses in Kocadore. The rooms were great as was the food & hospitality.

Day 8 - We awoke early to be at the Nek at 4.30am for the anniversary of the August 7th Light Horse charge. Here we were joined by Eric, Bill Sellars and Serpil, Tuna, Abdullah and Haluk. Great amounts of bush in the area but Jeff with his original maps was still able to discover some of the original lines which the Light Horse used. Went back to Gallipoli Houses for breakfast and then Kenan Celik took us over a museum at Bigali, and Gaba Tepe before going over the lower parts of Anzac Cove. Had lunch at Shrapnel Valley and then took a wander up to Plugges Plateau and had a look at the magnificent view. A couple of us wanted to try the Razors Edge but we went back down to Ari Burnu and North Beach and then through Outpost No.1, No.2 & No.3 and then Kenan took us through some of the difficult gullies & country the Aussies, Kiwis, Brits and Indians went through during the August 7th/8th attacks. Very difficult scrub to get through. Our last stop when we retraced our steps was Waldon Grove and 7th Field Ambulance Cemetery. Nearby farms had their gas guns going off to (scare the birds) but added to the atmosphere.

Day 9 - Went with Kenan to Cape Helles where we stopped firstly at Achi Baba, then the Turkish memorial at Cape Helles, then the French Cemetery. Next stop was V Beach & cemetery. It was hard to imagine what took place there with all the Turkish bathers enjoying those same waters. Next stop was the Helles Memorial, then on to Lancashire Landing & the Cemetery. Then headed down to the entrance of Gully Ravine, then onto a Turkish memorial/osuary.

Day 10 - Toured the 2nd Ridge of Anzac with Kenan. We were dropped off some distance away and followed Kenan through the scrub until we arrived at Boltons Ridge. There was no path but we managed to get through from here to Lone Pine. We stayed here for a while and then went down to Shell Green Cemetery and also attempted to stage a re-enactment of that famous cricket match held just before the evacuation. We walked back up to the Ridge and then down again to 4th Battalion Parade Ground Cemetery which seems quite isolated in that peaceful valley. Then back up to the Ridge and off to Walkers Ridge, the Nek, Baby 700, Hill 971, Chunuk Bair and down again to the Apex and back up again and headed off for Gallipoli Houses.

Day 11 - Spent the morning in Troy and in the afternoon headed for Suvla where we paid a visit to Hill 60, Hill 10, Green Hill, Azmak & lala Baba Cemeteries and also some of the Bays were the troops landed.

Day 12 - Went to Eceabat to see a local man who makes great scale maps of the Gallipoli battlefields and then had a free day to do what we wanted. Most spent it on doing more walks around Anzac. This was our last full day in this area as the day after we left for Istanbul. Our stay here was great and was made more pleasant by everyone at Gallipoli Houses.

Speaking for myself I thoroughly enjoyed the trip and the company of Kim, Tim, Frev, Jeff, Sigrid and Wayne plus the others we met on the journey.

[DaveMurphy]

Sounds like a cracking trip Andrew, will be good to see the Pics!

Dave

[Andrew P]

Thanks Dave. I think I took around 650 photos and I think Frev took about double that, plus Kim & Tim both took many; hopefully it won't take us too long to post some here

[Auimfo]

Hi all,

Thanks to Andrew for posting all the details of our trip. What a time we had! It started with our intrepid group of four (Kim, Frev, Andrew and myself) testing our mettle on the roads of Belgium and France and finally ended in Istanbul when the Magnificent Seven (after being joined by Jeff, Sigrid and Wayne) finally went our own ways.

Along the way we met some wonderful people including quite a few forum members - Sabine & family, Mark Hone, Dave Crooneart, Nicholas Goret, Jan (Passendaele Archives), Mat McLachlan, Richard Osgood, Eric (Plummed Goose) & his wife Ozlem & staff of the Gallipoli Houses, Bill Sellars & his wife Serpil and last but certainly not the least - Tuna. Your kindness, company and assistance was sensational and topped off the trip in great style. I think I can speak for all of us Aussies when I offer you our undying gratitude for making our trip far surpass even our wildest expectations.

There are many stories to tell and anecdotes to recall, all of which will be very fondly remembered by all - Frev's experience with Raki, the Oi Oi bird, Kim's t-shirt that seriously needed a volume control and Andrew's heroic efforts driving in and out of Charles De Gaulle airport. I still wonder whether all those Belgian residents have worked out who the heck was tooting and waving wildly to them late on our first day and why some lost looking foreign type appeared (and sounded) rather angry everytime they wanted to turn into their driveways!

But mostly we will all never forget the experience of a lifetime, being able to walk in the footsteps of our ancestors and paying our respects to those whose lives were sacrificed far from home.

I haven't managed to check through all my photos yet but here are a couple of my favorites so far.

Hooge,

Tim L.

[DaveMurphy]

Lets see if you can post all 600 at once and crash the server!

Dave

[Auimfo]

And

And finally for now

[nige]

Hi Kim,

Have posted a message in "Meetings", I am so pleased you had a great trip.

Regards

Nige

[ShirlD]

What an incredible trip you all had. Have taken notes of the Western Front part of your tour. Glad it was safe travel for you all, and look forward to more pictures and details

Cheers

Shirley

[ianw]

What an epic trip. I bet they'll be back!

More pics and stories, please!

Regards Ian

[Fedelmar]

What a wonderdul and memorable trip you all had and so pleased that it allowed you to meet up with some of our GWF pals and those that value the history of WW1.

As some of you know I had so much wanted to make this trip ... even if just to Gallipoli, however that did not happen due to other things.

On the morning of the 7th August as I was heading to an appointment at Royal Perth Hospital for Justin I received a phonecall from Andrew P at Gallipoli to let me listen to the commemoration that they had organised for our boys. Very emotional ....

What a wonderful friend he is

Bright Blessings

Sandra

[Ozzie]

Andrew and Tim have given you a rundown of our trip. For me it was as if I were in a dream that someone would wake me up from. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, but it seemed surreal. To walk in places that I had only seen photos of, the smell of the woods, the fields. To see the country they fought over, the villages they fought through, it was a very emotional and eye opening journey.

Some highlights were, well, all of it.

Only got home yesterday so still sorting through things but (hopefully) here are some favourites.

Cheers

Kim

[Ozzie]

and

[Ozzie]

and

[Ozzie]

and

In Rememberance

The FAllen among nature

[Ozzie]

Not the best photographer, please forgive

[Ozzie]

1st cemetery in France, Bapaume

Pozieres

[Ozzie]

Anzac

Trench at the Nek

[Ozzie]

The Nek 4.30am 7th August

Relaxing at Gallipoli houses, sun going down over Anzac

Lunch and rest Kenan worked us hard, it was worth every ounce of sweat.

[Ozzie]

and

Friends at Gallipoli Houses

[Ozzie]

Apex

Anzac

[Ozzie]

Lone Pine

[cockney tone]

Kim,

great photos, thank you for sharing them, glad you had a memorable time, the ones of Gallipoli make me want to return!

Regards and best wishes,

Scottie.

[Michelle Young]

Great photos, I look forward to seeing more of them and hearing more about your travels.

Michelle

[Ozzie]

Too little time, too much to see.

From leaving the airport and travelling towards Bapaume, the strangeness of driving on the opposite side of the road, (Courageous driver Andrew, take a bow), was the first of many differences. One inch on a road map in Oz 50 km, one inch on a road map in France, 2kms! No Kangaroos warning sign, but Deer signs, speed limit 130, everyone doing 160. And that was just the start. Wheat harvest just starting, woods with deciduous trees, corn ears growing, vegetables ripening in tilled soil. We had come out of a winter climate, frost and snow for me. The weather blessed us. Only one day of our trip threatened rain but did not deliver. Not till Frev and I had our last day in Paris. (Melbourne sort of day, sun, wind, rain, sun, wind, rain, all in an hour!)

The villages, the fertile countryside, small fields, beautiful flowers, sad but elegant cemeteries, they all came crowding into the senses, making you wonder if you were dreaming, could you possibly be in France!

Bapaume, our first cemetery, first French pastry, first attempt at communicating in French. We should have got some idea of the wrong turns we would take in the coming days, when it took us a while to find Bapaume Cemetery, but we stayed blissfully ignorant for quite awhile. Lesson. Never trust a map to have all the right roads marked on it. And yell at the driver to slow down so you can read the sign that is only a few metres near the road you have to take. ( Yes, I was the navigator!) .

The sight of a wall, the cross of sacrifice, the neat lawns, white stone, and beautiful flowers became familiar to us very quickly as we went from one sad place to another. But within the sadness, there was pride, awe, respect, and a sense of vulnerability, in that after the passage of so many years, a cold white slab of stone, could bring forth such deep emotion, with so few words written upon it.

Not much was open in the way of food when we finally got time to think of it. So a trip the the local supermarket bought forth laughter from all concerned. The employees thought we were a hoot. It is amazing how a few words can get you food. Jambon, and it was on the bone, leg ham, cured the old way, fromage, Mmmm, Pain, Beirre, and with the plastic airline cutlery that I swiped, (well I thought it might come in handy, and I hadn't used it, and regarded it as part of the ticket price), we were set for a lovely picnic in the first park we came to. I can still taste that ham.

Sleep dep kicked in around 4pm on the first day, (great way to beat jetlag, just stay sleep deprived!). Tim took over the driving, giving Drew a well deserved rest. Then began the crazys. Silly words and laughter started, a weird sort of drunkeness crept about us, causing much merriment, instead of tiredness and anger. Tim would pull over for a moment, and where? In some-one's driveway, whose owner turned up honking their horn. U turns became the signal to drive on the wrong side of the road, but thankfully only for a second or two. When turning right, the word mentioned was, left. Confusing to anyone else but us. We knew he meant right. A decision was taken, our group ran along majority rules lines, we decided to head for Varlet Farm, instead of going to Plugsteet. (Yes, I murdered all the languages we encountered). And so , in this state we arrived at Charlotte's. Greeted with a hug, country hospitality and Apple tart, it made us thankful to see her. A shower, ( we were a bit feral by then) then a lift with Charlotte's son into Ypres. (Frev was a bit under the weather and elected to stay at the B&. She had been the calm voice of reason all the way, and it was hard to leave her behind.

Menin Gate, in all its majesty, hit like a bombshell. Sure we had seen photos, but the impact of the lists of names, the size of it, just blew you away.

We met Miss Dael, and someone, (me) forgot to remove my hat till a poke in the ribs from Tim reminded me of my manners.

I held it together for about 4 minutes, then could not look at anything but the buglers and pipers, tissues dabbing at my eyes. I believe Tim and Andrew also had some moisture around the eye area.

I don't know if it was Tim's tall bronzed Aussie look, or my De Digger's hat, but Sabine found us, and with great generosity adopted us. Sabine and Patrick guided us over to meet Dave and Mark.

Where else do you go after meeting forum friends? Not to church. Tim tried some of the Belgium beers on offer and we got to know everyone a little better, if only for such a short time.

Tim had the two young boys entranced with his antics.

Twilight is a new thing to us, well, European twilight. The colour of the sky over the market square had me entranced, but the lack of stars made me fret a bit. It was dark when we thought we might get some dinner, only to find it was 11 pm and not much available. Patrick showed us to a cafe that had some sandwiches left and we said goodbye to our new acquaintances.

Catching a taxi back to Varlet Farm (Thanks Charlotte, for thoughtfully providing the phone number,) we sat outside and Tim had us in fits of muffled laughter with his work stories.

And so ended our first day of the trip.