Snapper

plus this lot...

Coming up are eight pictures of excavations in Thiepval Wood where I sort of met the historian Andy Robertshaw who did one of our interviews after I collared him at Southend WFA. The wood is owned by the Somme Association, an Ulster based organisation. I don't know how much work they really intend to do in the wood, but these snaps show a communications trench, a stokes mortar emplacement, a command dugout and a bit of bog standard trench, just beyond here the wood ends and the saps dug by the 36th Ulsters reaching out towards the German line can be seen in the chalk during ploughing time etc. The chap with the bucket of cordite was our guide. He was superb. The wood is not open to the public. Tours have to be arranged via Teddy Colligan at the Ulster Tower. Don't go when it's f-f-f-freezing. I got the flu.

These snaps show the remains of the huge German fortification at Pozieres known as Gibralter. Now, you will also find it spelled as Gibraltar as you might expect. It's not really so important. You can see by the depth of the thing that flushing Fritz out was no mean feat for the Australians, who did it anyway. This is opposite the 1st Australian Div memorial which I posted yesterday....

Two more. By the way, the flags in the background of the snap below are on the site of the Pozieres Windmill which was captured by the Australians.

The following are details of the scale replica tanks on the Tank Corps memorial at Pozieres. It has tank guns and drive chains as a loose fence around it. Unfortunately the French have put a great tv/radio mast right behind it in recent years, but this serves as a handy location marker. I'm amazed nobody has nicked anything off this memorial. If it was in Britain....

It's difficult to convey the scale of the Lochnagar crater in a picture. I'll go back with a 10mm fisheye one of these days. An aerial view would be best. The crater was made by 23 tons of Ammonal explosive going off at 0728 on July 1st. Imagining the chamber the claykickers dug to make this mine is beyond me. The explosion was heard in Dublin. Over 600 men suffered broken thigh bones from being ordered to brace themselves against the ramparts of their trenches before the blast. The shock wave was immense. The actual debris carried 4,000 feet in to the air, famously witnessed by the pilot author Cecil Day Lewis. Immediately after the explosion, men of the 102nd Brigade - the Tyneside Scottish - raced forward to attempt to secure the far side of the crater as an attacking position. They didn't make it. Hundreds were killed by falling debris, the rest by machine gun and rifle fire. The follow up 103rd Tyneside Irish brigade faired even worse. Among the Tynesiders were the Grimsby Chums - the 10th Lincolns, who included a contingent from Bermuda in their ranks.

These pix show Beaumont Hamel from Hawthorn Ridge with a view of Redan Ridge No 2 cemetery behind. It illustrates how lethal the countryside was for the attacking troops. As you go up Redan Ridge there are three battlefield cemeteries close together. These are very special places because they represent locations where men were buried where they fell and not placed in the larger "concentration" cemeteries. Many of the Somme dead were taken miles away for burial for PR reasons. There were 19,000 on the first day alone.

Here's some more from the Somme battlefield. A view of Beaumont Hamel cemetery (left) and the same location as seen from Hawthorn Ridge, which was broadly speaking the German second line. It's amazing how the perspective changes. These pix were taken about twenty minutes to half hour apart.

You plumbloated muppet - I'M a jeep owner and I've never seen so much as a discarded toe nail of these dancing girls. You haven't gone all Austrian on us, have you, Jack???? M

I'd just like to make it clear we did not touch any of the ordnance shown - except for James' grenade. They were all scattered in fields along our journey. The large pile of shells and grenades was at Auchonvillers awaiting collection by the men in the white Landies. MB

This final duo shows graves in Caterpillar valley and the view towards Thistle Dump cemetery from there. I'll add more as soon as.....

Last of the scrap metal....

and,,,,,

some more....

Here starts a selection of the Iron Harvest from our last trip, Mills bombs and 18 pdr shells are obvious. The top item in the right hand pic here is a Stokes mortar round - or part of it. Other opinions welcome. The French grenade you will see was trodden on by my son James. Oh how we laughed....

The two predominently Canadian cemeteries below Vimy Ridge - The larger of the two is Canadian No2 Neuville St Vaast which affords amazing views of the great French national cemetery and necropolis at Notre Dame de Lorette across the valley bisected by the A26 autoroute. It is a beautiful place The smaller cemetery, in a large circle shape is Givenchy Rd. The latter was difficult to snap, but I had a go.

Here we have the cairn memorial for the mighty 16th Royal Scots at Contalmaison. They were the 2nd Edinburgh City Battalion and were made up of players and supporters of Heart of Midlothian and many other Scottish soccer clubs - professional and amatuer. They attacked Contalmaison on 1st July, 1916 as part of Inky Bills 34th Division. If you get the chance read the superb McCrae's Battalion, a wonderful history of the battalion and the best advert for association football you might find within the scope of HMVF. The second snap shows Bulls Road cemetery at Flers. Lots of Aussies and Kiwis here mixed with the best of British.

The 1st Australian Division memorial at Pozieres (right) and, if my uploading works, the 47th London Division memorial at High Wood. Iconic Somme locations in the October sun.

The view from Pozieres towards Thiepval. The monument there is a place you have to visit once in your life, in my opinion. It stands 150 feet tall and makes for a stunning landmark. This view is from a kilometre or more away.

Here is the grave of Allah Ben Driss a colonial soldier who died for France in 1940.

Actually - in the last shot they are all WW2

Some pix starting with the French cemetery at La Targette. 11,500 graves mostly from WW1 - but WW2 on the left.

Whatever I replace the Iltis with - I am determined to get out and do a lot more in future. Attending events on the continent really appeals. This one looks a belter. But first I have to sell the Iltis. All I've had so far is internet tyre kickers and west african scammers. :-(

I like a conspiracy theory.

Dolly Parton in the parlour with the plunger....I love Cluedo. But surely the hyper inflated one is a septic and didn't spawn from Swindon???? It matters not. She's a well known tank driver. I think I prefer her singing to Melinda Messenger's. Go on Tony...say Melinda Messenger's what? MB