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Post by icarus001 on Apr 22, 2017 16:33:22 GMT 1
We parked up in the centre and made our way to the Menin Gate; Dusty I did the Ypres 100km walk a few times, we always finished by attending the Menin gate for last post, in full uniform, it's a very moving experience.
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Post by JonW on Apr 23, 2017 0:05:35 GMT 1
Great write up Dusty, feel like I was there with the group.
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Post by dusty350 on Apr 23, 2017 8:27:52 GMT 1
Hi Jonw I'm glad you feel like that - the intention was to try and relate as much of the atmosphere as possible - hard to do really as everywhere you go is an assault on the senses. Every field you cross, regardless of whether there is a cemetery or not is basically a war grave - so many men lay beneath your feet. It is hard to believe the scale of death and destruction that occurred here 100 years ago. The beauty of the internet is that it is easy to view images and film from the battle. You can easily watch the film "The Somme" online, and the book "The First Day On The Somme" is well worth reading. I read it before we left for France, and now I will read it again as it will take on a whole different view.
Dusty
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Post by mouse on Apr 26, 2017 8:31:43 GMT 1
Brilliant Dusty!
Mouse
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Post by Tobyjugs on Apr 26, 2017 18:31:10 GMT 1
Nice write up dusty. I looked forward to every section.
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Post by fozzy17 on Apr 27, 2017 15:36:31 GMT 1
Great write up and really interesting, but heart breaking the loss of life, now dusty has done this, its on my bucket list..
there is a old lady who lives near me, and she was telling me about her about her father who fought in the Somme, he was injured by artillery, and spent close to a week buried under a horse before being rescued, he had life threatening injuries and was in hospital for close to a year, when he got out he lived in poverty and didn't have a pot to piss in, he was so badly injured he spent his life bent over and couldn't look up, when she was telling me I could see the sadness in her eyes even talking about her father.
my old man used to be in the special forces, Sas D squadron, and and served in Suez and Malaya, in the jungle for a year at a time, he was a bren gunner, there were no airstrikes, if you got in the shit you had to fight your way out.
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Post by fozzy17 on Apr 27, 2017 15:42:04 GMT 1
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Post by dusty350 on Dec 29, 2017 20:17:47 GMT 1
All pics now reinstated Dusty
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