97 years

Today it is ninety-seven years since Thomas and the other soldiers were killed on the battlefield near Gueudecourt. In three years I will be standing at the spot - hopefully unfailing a plaque to them and sharing the moment with other families. Unfortunately their burials didn't take place for another four months.

Actual Attack and Burial Site

Over the two trips I have made I have come close to the actual attack and burial site of the soldiers. On many different maps I have been able to pinpoint and highlight the areas but have never had a photograph. Thanks to Google Maps now having the street view options for the area I am looking at I have now got an actual image of the burial site and attack area.

The area surrounded by the blue line during the war linked up and made Bayonet Trench. The area marked with red is where they attacked from. The area surrounded by the pink line is Hilt Trench. The green arrow is pointing roughly to the co-ordinate given in the military files. The yellow line shows the area where the soldiers would have died and been buried.  The road makes up part of what was called Fritz Folly.

The above map shows the actual attack and burial sites. In 2016 when I go back for the 100th anniversary of their death I will be stopping here and if there are no crops in and the weather permitting, I hopefully will be able to walk out onto this or at least up hilt trench.

This is the same image as above, however without the coloured lines.

Memorial at Gueudcourt

After my last visit to Gueudecourt for the 95th anniversary of the death of Thomas and the other soldiers I decided that for the 100th I REALLY want to place a plaque in France commemorating them and the battle they lost their lives in.

A couple of months ago I decided to start to try and make this happen, I have contacted someone in France in the hope they can help me and I have started saving money for the plaque.

I have to admit in a perfect world I would be able to get the plaque I have imaged (and drawn) and it would be placed right near their burial site. I know I am going to have to settle for something else, but I will not settle for anything less then a plaque recognising the battle and the loss of lives.

I may have already posted the following previously on here - My image of the perfect plaque (or monument) to Thomas and the other soldiers would be the return of what was placed for them when they were originally buried (though in stone) - A simple cross bearing all their names. I have to admit when I told my family and friends most were a little confused (confused might not be the right word) as I am far from religious, but I feel it is only fitting that the cross be returned. I know others may not feel this way.

I will post updates on what happens when things occur (hopefully).

ANZAC Day 2013

Hi All,

I have been up to the local ANZAC Day service and then the gathering at the RSL afterwards. This year was the biggest gathering there has been so far in the last few years and surprisingly it was not that cold, I do have to say that since I began going to the local service, each year has seen a little more attend.

Once I returned home I set to my normal routine for ANZAC Day - undertaking research, though this year I am trying to help some other people discover information about their soldiers.

This year I didn't lay a wreath. My memorial was a personal one - I have had two (metal) dog-tags made for myself with my grandfathers and great-grandfathers war information. It is so special on different levels. I look at the tags I wear around my neck and think in some way finally they are together - unfortunately due to the First World War my grandfather grew up never knowing his father (my great-grandfather).

The left tag is for my grandfather, the right tag for my great-grandfather

The top tag is for my grandfather (I used the exact name he fought under), the bottom tag for my great-grandfather.

OTHER THOUGHTS ABOUT THE STRANGENESS OF WAR

When looking at my mum and dad's families there is are a couple of unbalanced situations between the two families with regard the wars.

On the one side, my mum's family had a large number of family members participate in various wars, however nearly all of them came home and came home without any issues.

Where on the other side, my dad's family had only a few members (about a handful) participate in World War One and Two with the majority not returning and/or returning with some serious issues (and not just physical ones).

The results of war can be strange.

A NOTE - one of the main reasons my mum's family had some many go off to war is that most of the children born into her family have been males, where with my dad's family most of the children born into to the family have been females. If I had to put a ratio on it, it would be something like for every 1 female in my mum's family born 3 or 4 males are born. Where dad's family is the opposite - 1 male to every 3 or 4 females.

The word is getting out

I received noticed a week ago that findmypast.com.au were going to included the brief summary I wrote about the research I have undertaken / the soldiers of the November 5th 1916 in their ANZAC memory bank.

 This is the image seen by all in the memory bank

When I got to their site I was totally surprised and very pleased to see that this brief overview was the third story, so everyone that visits that part of the site will see what I have found / been doing.

My main hope is that this will give the families that I have not been contact with another avenue to get in touch with me and the website.

Findmypast also put up the poems I have written (they are in another section on this blog), they are on the second page - story number 6.

This is entry for the poems. This also includes a poem found amongst my pop's World War Two items that he had.

The address to view my overview along with all the other stories and memories findmypast have included in their memory bank is: <http://www.findmypast.com.au/articles/anzac-day-stories/page-1>