I pioneered the Blue flash colour scheme remember, then BMW copied it for the S.E.
I knew you'd like white ones, coming from Barry
Less than a month to go, bought your ferry ticket yet?
Sorry Tim, hijack over.
Anniversary, birthday and goodness knows what else
- Thread starter Timolgra
- Start date
Less than a month to go, bought your ferry ticket yet?
Sorry Tim, hijack over.
I remember being there a while back and being transfixed by a grave that said (something like) 'Unknown Australian soldier aged 18'
It stopped me in my tracks and almost brought a tear to my eye. Here is some kid, who had a mum and a dad, maybe brothers and sisters, and he's lying in desperate solitude in cold Somme clay, buried the other side of the world from his home, and we don't even know who he is (and more to the point, his family will never know where he is ..).
All very sobering ....
Yep, all too often a lad who in another time could've been my own son came to die in a place he never wanted to be, yet all those Australians were enthusiastic volunteers
No mate you carry on it's just about done.....anyway, anything that can get JB to finally admit he should have bought an SE has to be a good thing
Mine took me through a French farmyard once. I don't think they had many drive throughs, because the look on the old boys face as his chickens scattered was pricelss.
I'm pretty sure that families were given the chance to have known bodies repatriated. Thousands felt it best that their loved ones were buried in the areas they died. I find the commonwealth graves far more moving than the American ones. A lot of the British graves have messages from families inscribed at the base of the headstone; if you can read more than 10 without getting something in your eye, you're a better man than me.
A lot of the British graves have messages from families incribed at the base of the headstone, and if you can read more than 10 without getting something in your eye, you're a better man than me.
And many don't, families had to pay 3.5 old pence per letter with a maximum of 66 letters.
I guess many simply couldn't afford it.
I didn't know that.
We have a Fabien Ware to thank, he was in charge of a Red Cross unit soon after the war started and noted there were no records of the dead so instructed his unit to record all casualties and care for the graves.
After about a year his unit was recognised as the Graves Registration Commission which went on to become the Imperial War Graves Commission.
At first there was a big debate as to where to bury all the British and Dominian soldiers but it was decided to bury them where or near they fell.
At first the graves were going to be marked with a simple stone or cross but it was Rudyard Kipling who suggested a proper headstone which would give room for the various inscriptions.
Then in 1960 the name was changed to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who now care for soldier's graves from both world wars .....1.7 million of them, with three quarters of a million names missing!
After about a year his unit was recognised as the Graves Registration Commission which went on to become the Imperial War Graves Commission.
At first there was a big debate as to where to bury all the British and Dominian soldiers but it was decided to bury them where or near they fell.
At first the graves were going to be marked with a simple stone or cross but it was Rudyard Kipling who suggested a proper headstone which would give room for the various inscriptions.
Then in 1960 the name was changed to the Commonwealth War Graves Commission who now care for soldier's graves from both world wars .....1.7 million of them, with three quarters of a million names missing!
The max. quota would have cost 19/3 (nineteen shillings and threepence), a substantial part of the average £5 13s 11p weekly factory wage for men in 1950. A much bigger part of the £2 16s 6p weekly factory wage for women.
And I would guess that most families could never afford to come and visit the graves either.
Was there ever any assistance offered by the governments for people to come and visit the graves of their loved ones ?
My local church across the road here in Balby has such ... even his WW1 headstone was brought across with him ...
Funnily enough that's what I was thinking when Timolgra mentioned the families had to pay for the inscription. When you think about some of the crap that our tax gets spent on these days, I would be quite happy for some of it to be diverted to families to take them across to see their relatives graves or to pay for an inscription. I know it won't be much comfort, but it may be some comfort and a nice gesture.
I knew one man whose dad was killed in France when he was just a few months old, so as far as he was concerned he never met his dad. To the day he died he never visited his dads grave even though he could easily afford to. In his case the money wasn't the issue, but in some cases it will be.
Shep
Shep of the Dessert
Great stuff, cheers Tim
As an engraver i still have to engrave memorials, medals, brass plaques presentation pieces etc etc relating to WW1 & WW2, always very sobering
As an engraver i still have to engrave memorials, medals, brass plaques presentation pieces etc etc relating to WW1 & WW2, always very sobering
Great penmanship making for an very enjoyable and informative RR Tim 
Looks like you've given yourself an impossible task to raise the bar for next year's birthday/anniversary goodies......Early on the morning of our anniversay, I bring her tea, half a Lidl's waffle, a card and some flowers from the hedge...........
Cheers Tim.
