It’s still here….
I’m finally home!
I’m finally home!
Le Mans to Berlin and a bit beyond
- Thread starter Wapping
- Start date
A bit late to the party but (and not wishing to hijack / squat) inspired by Monsieur Wapping, I saw a sign for a German cemetery whilst cycling around in France and thought I would visit. Very different to the Commonwealth sites and located behind a village church.
Access to German cemetery was through a very colourful and decorated cemetery for, I guess, the locals. Quite a contrast to the German area where there were no flags, no flowers, no "celebration", if you know what I mean.
Certainly worth the detour.
Access to German cemetery was through a very colourful and decorated cemetery for, I guess, the locals. Quite a contrast to the German area where there were no flags, no flowers, no "celebration", if you know what I mean.
Certainly worth the detour.
Thank you.
Whilst the Commonwealth War Graves take an almost universal style, the German cemeteries do vary between the First and Second World Wars and in design and layout.
I do always wonder for how long the cemeteries will stay as they are. There is certainly nobody alive today who fought in the Great War, nor indeed anyone born between 1914 and 1918. Time is calling for those left who can even remember the Second World War. Nothing lasts forever. At some future point - certainly not within our lifetimes - nature will take back the land, which (I guess) is somehow appropriate.
As a complete aside, I do want to visit all of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries, where nature does (in part at least) reclaim the area. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. I have done one (Stoke Newington) so, six to go.
PS The grave of the Jewish Sondermann, killed almost to the day in 1917, is poignant. Whilst we will probably never know, any family that he might have had would (in all probability) have been murdered within 30 years of his death.
Whilst the Commonwealth War Graves take an almost universal style, the German cemeteries do vary between the First and Second World Wars and in design and layout.
I do always wonder for how long the cemeteries will stay as they are. There is certainly nobody alive today who fought in the Great War, nor indeed anyone born between 1914 and 1918. Time is calling for those left who can even remember the Second World War. Nothing lasts forever. At some future point - certainly not within our lifetimes - nature will take back the land, which (I guess) is somehow appropriate.
As a complete aside, I do want to visit all of London’s ‘Magnificent Seven’ cemeteries, where nature does (in part at least) reclaim the area. I don’t think it’s a bad thing at all. I have done one (Stoke Newington) so, six to go.
PS The grave of the Jewish Sondermann, killed almost to the day in 1917, is poignant. Whilst we will probably never know, any family that he might have had would (in all probability) have been murdered within 30 years of his death.
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Loosely in common with this thread I know but a good friend in Australia sent me these pics today. He is the workshop manager at a place in Brisbane that work on pre 2000 Benz’s primarily but have a good reputation for their work on classics so they get some interesting stuff come in.
This replica of Jaguar prototype car built for the 1966 Le Mans 24hr but never raced due to regulation changes has just sold for AUS$600k & is on its way to Mexico soon.
This replica of Jaguar prototype car built for the 1966 Le Mans 24hr but never raced due to regulation changes has just sold for AUS$600k & is on its way to Mexico soon.
I finally plonked myself down for a couple of hours to get caught up on this trip report. Thank you for taking the time to to post the photos and write it all up. Very entertaining and informative. 
Thank you.
It’s quite fun - and useful - doing a report, not least as it’s as good a reminder to me of what I did, as well as (hopefully) some interest and maybe inspiration to others.
It’s quite fun - and useful - doing a report, not least as it’s as good a reminder to me of what I did, as well as (hopefully) some interest and maybe inspiration to others.
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