Somme...few pics

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JF Lux
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Somme...few pics

Post by JF Lux » Fri May 30, 2014 11:14 am

Seeing as there is a bit of a dialogue going in the Marcenterra thread, a few pics from the Somme area we visited...
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Canadian Newfoundland cemetery - this is a mass grave.
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Pozieres - age difference...
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Private Church...16 years old...died a long way from home. Its difficult to imagine my youngest son (who is the same age) being the other side of the world, fighting in a war and dieing so far away. I wonder if his parents were ever able to visit his grave.
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German soldier in Pozieres. From what I can find out he was probably in an allied field hospital and died of wounds after the war ended.
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Thiepval...


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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by DSL » Fri May 30, 2014 11:21 am

Most excellent pics.


If only I could think of something useful to type here!! :(

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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by DSL » Fri May 30, 2014 11:33 am

Been reading up on Louiz Kopp & come across this. Brings home the hell that the soldiers had to endure on both sides. From http://www.arrse.co.uk/community/thread ... ne.200030/" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; so no idea re authenticity.
Righty-o, I had a look at the Regimental History of R.I.R. 84 (William Speck, Das Koeniglich Preussische Reserve-Infanterie-Regiment 84 [The Royal Prussian R.I.R. 84]), which appeared in 1937 as volume 94 of a series of German WW I regimental histories. In the preface, Speck says that he was a reserve officer with R.I.R. 84 from 1914 to 1918. I forgot to bring a USB stick to the library, but will try to scan and save some pages and post them on here, if anyone is interested.

R.I.R. 84 consisted of three batallions, each of wich was made up of four companies. Louis Knopp is listed as one of the dead of 5 Company, II. Battalion, his rank is indeed "Ersatz-Reservist", and his date of death is given as July 27, 1916. 5 Company lost 22 men on that day. In his afterword, Speck writes that from July 24 to August 8, 1916, the regiment lost 52 percent of its officers and and 57 percent of its other ranks, 115 per day on average, and that those were the hardest days for R.I.R. 84 during the whole war.

The actions R.I.R. 84 took part in around Pozieres during the Battle of the Somme are described on about 50 pages down to company level, in some cases to platoon level.One recurring theme in Speck's descriptions is the horror of the relentless artillery barrages, which are referred to as "artillery barrages of all calibres", "raging barrages", "frenzied artillery fire", "annihilating fire" and "huge iron hammers beating down on this tortured bit of ground". He also describes the effects: "The men dart from one hole to the next, famished, nearly dying of thirst. Here a man is close to madness, there an apathetic man lies in his hole, too weak even to protect himself from the iron splinters whizzing around. Over there some men are digging with their spades like madmen, trying to save a comrade buried by a shell going off."

Speck also mentions that the first time steel helmets were issued was on July 24, when the regiment had already moved into preliminary positions at the Somme: "On that day, the regiment received 600 stel helmets, which until then had been quite unfamiliar to us."

British troops are referred to by Speck as "Englishmen" and "Tommies", while he acknowledges that at Pozieres R.I.R. 84 also faced Australian infantry. In one place, he mentions a "brave officer from the Welsh Regiment leading his men in a forward rush" at Pozieres. The general picture he paints of infantry attacks and counterattacks is one of human waves (though he doesn't use that term) advancing, retreating and in some cases gaining some ground only to be dislodged again by the next counterattack.


If only I could think of something useful to type here!! :(

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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by DSL » Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:04 pm

As a bit of a follow-on from this trip I heard of this website on the radio driving up from the other side's PNC. http://www.everymanremembered.org" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

Been spending a fair bit of time doing searches on family names and various locations but also the graves we saw on this trip. John, I hope you don't mind me borrowing your pic for a tribute to Private Church. I'm very tempted to visit Poziers again on the way south in Oct.


If only I could think of something useful to type here!! :(

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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by benp » Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:44 pm

a week and a half until I get there I think it will be interesting to daughter no 1 but a bit over the younger ones head ..... wonder if I will find the chargers for my camera before we go


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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by DSL » Thu Jul 31, 2014 5:52 pm

I didn't take many pics, well 3. Besides Young John had spent a small fortune on cameras but didn't want to cramp his style.

On the serious side, when there I didn't really think about taking pics. Was too lost in my own thoughts as to what these soldiers went through.


If only I could think of something useful to type here!! :(

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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by benp » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:42 pm

fair comment .... just a thought if you know to save me looking it up are dogsallowed in to the cemetery?


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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by DSL » Thu Jul 31, 2014 6:54 pm

No idea but would have though that as long as they're not running around playing it (for me) wouldn't be inappropriate. I don't know if recipients of the Dickins Medal are commemorated from WW1. I wouldn't have any worried about taking mine in (older dogs that would be on the lead) but would be watching them like a hawk for any leg lifting action. :roll:


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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by countrywide » Fri Aug 01, 2014 9:13 am

Was just thinking about this the other day. One of my family died 2 years ago, she was born in 1915. Her father was killed in August 1918 in France by a german sniper and is buried in a small military cemetry in a field. To most of us it seems like we are commemorating something from a long time ago, but it was very much part of her life. It's hard to think that people alive today (albeit less & less) lost parents all that time ago.

I have many letters and postcards that he sent home during the war and it strange to read the normality of the content, which hides what was really going on. The big difference is the thousand yard stare in some of the later photos he sent, you could see the change.

We all grew up knowing about him and family had photos on the wall and his bronze plaque. My son and I plan to visit France this September.



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Re: Somme...few pics

Post by anglefire » Fri Aug 01, 2014 12:36 pm

My Dad's cousin (Past away this year unfortunately) found his Aunt (So my Nan's) brothers grave in France a few years ago - I think he survived the first battle, but was killed in another one - he was something like 15.

My Dad's cousin had a somewhat dim view of the Germans as a result (and the bombings of Coventry in WWII), but when he went with my parents he found them just like "us" and he found he couldn't dislike them.

I do want to go to France etc and see some of the proper places - So does my youngest for some reason....................


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