A Wonderful Surprise!!

Last night around 9:15pm I received an email from my contact in France that informed me of some fantastic news ...

Some of you may remember last year (or even the year before) I wrote that I was planning something special for the 100th anniversary but I didn't want to say to much in case I couldn't pull it off - well after the email last night I am feeling comfortable enough to let you all in on my special thing. 

This is where the battle for the 1st Battle occurred.

Back Story: 

After my last visit to Gueudecourt for the 95th Anniversary I had the crazy idea that I wanted a monument or plaque erected either right next to the battlefield or in Gueudecourt that commemorated our dead soldiers, especially those still buried on the battlefield. Even though I REALLY wanted this I never thought I could achieve any thing. Though over the last couple of years with the aid of my contact in France I have been trying to achieve something - I had decided at this point in time I wanted a plaque in Gueudecourt. The last thing I did a few months ago was directly write a letter to the mayor of Gueudecourt which my contact passed on for me.

WELL ...

... GUESS WHAT?

The email last night said that the mayor of Gueudecourt had agreed for a plaque to be erected on the wall of the 'mairie'.

 SO ...

This means I need to get busy now organising the creation of this plaque and getting it to France in time for 100th anniversary.

99th Anniversary

Ninety-nine years ago today Australian soldiers were involved in an offensive near Flers and Geuedecourt, France. 

 Thomas (my great-grandfather) and his fellow Australian soldiers of the 1st and 3rd Battalion attacked a 'triangle' just near Geuedecourt, France. Unfortunately a number of them were wounded and/or died during this attack.

This is an attack map for the 'triangle' attack on November 5th 1916

A little further along the front the 25th, 26th, 27th and 28th Battalions were also involved in this offensive. They were attacking a section called 'The Maze' and a larger number of these soldiers were wounded and/or killed then involved in the 'triangle' attack.

This is photograph of the original attack plan for the November 5th offensive.

 

 

Unfortunately for a number of the soldiers killed (especially in the 'triangle' attack) they remained un-buried where they fell until early March 1917.