Remembering the Somme.

Well, hello again! Don't you just love this photo of me and my Mum?

I have introduced her to SnapChat.....we have been laughing at this over and over again. I sent it to my brother, he is yet to reply back!

So, another blog, and I've put on hold writing it because I have been mentally busy at work, covering classes. This week I took 7 Insanity classes! Yep, tired today, hence why I am sat on my butt at my school desk writing this now. I need a rest day.

Sooooooo.........I went to Surrey on the train, all very civilized in first class (my Mum is amazing) read, looked out the window at the countryside, had a glass of wine and started to wind myself out of work mode and into a new realm of adventure and discovery.
Mum met me from the train, we went to the pub (as you do) had some tea and went to bed.

So, then off we went on our adventure together. Mum has been going to the Battlefields for years, comes back, shows me photos, I look at them, don't think twice about what I've seen and that's that. Well, now it isn't, because I promised Mum that I would do a tour with her and this was the year for it, the year of my Mum's 70th Birthday. (no, she doesn't look or act like it)
We had a ride in a Merc from Redhill, changed to a coach at Clackett Lane and then eventually got to Stop 24 where we met Brian and Kate - Mum's friends from previous tours.

Now, I'm going to send the link of this blog to Kate, but I do have to say, when your Mum says to you, 'oh you'll love Kate, you will really get on' you have to stop and think.....Mum met her on war tours, it's obviously Kate's hobby, just how will I get on with her? Won't she just think I'm a moron?
Well, she probably does, but what an amazing woman she is, and bloody funny too with great taste in fur babies and films! Now her Dad, there's another thing. The most inappropriate man in a cemetery at times....I digress, we met, they are both awesome people, fun, serious, full of dodgy innuendo, perfect!
So we get on the ferry, get to France and Keith our Leger tour guide starts the serious business of telling stories. Mum wanted Paul Reed to take our tour, but I actually think for my first experience of Battlefields, Keith was just perfect. His stories of the Veterans mixed with the facts and his own passion inspired me so much more than I thought I could have been.

Our hotel was on a motorway! No places to run and explore really but we did check out the services and found a photographic exhibition of the Somme, that Kate had already seen, and taken the day off work to do it! Whoops!
Anyway, Kate and Mum wanted to steal the big map that was on the floor, I honestly think they would have plotted to ninja up at night and steal it.
A couple of expensive drinks at the bar and off to bed ready for the first day of Remembering the Somme.

The rest of the coach seemed a fun bunch, considering what we were there for, I do think that the coach drivers helped with this, in particular, Steve who has the best banter and improved sitting on a coach no end.

We were driven out, Keith in fine flow on the microphone giving historical facts and stories, flitting from one story to another, depending on what he had seen out of the window. This was to become expected of him, but to be fair, he always finished every story, and you can tell that his passion for this place is what drives him, sharing that knowledge. I will probably go on and on about him in this blog, but I seriously think that without him and his passion as a guide (and his humour) I wouldn't be considering going back to learn more.

We got to Gommecourt Wood new cemetery and the first I had the realisation of what 'no-man's land' looked like.
Of course, we were there looking at a wood across a corn field. Other than the rain (it did that a lot) the scene was beautiful.
Then Keith tells you where the German defence is and where no-man's-land is, and the distance at which the first boys over were getting killed....in their hundreds.
Not really sure what was going through my mind at that point. I just kept looking at the field, thinking, trying to image. You can't try to imagine, but being out there, hearing that information is like nothing you can ever read or watch at home about the battle of the Somme. The only way you can really learn is to go out there, preferably with someone like Keith who can tell the story so very well.

Transfer that information of what you just learnt about that field, and those trees, and those men and boys,to this cemetery.
Named and un-named all lying here now, not expecting death, they were cheated. Nothing can ever take that back.
Just going to leave this here for a second....................................................................

The remains of a British trench at Gommecourt (correct me if I'm wrong, the first day was hard to take it all in)

The view from that same trench as they would have seen going over the top 1st July 1916.
A view to what was pretty much a certain death. This first day of the trip was definitely a life-changer. I find myself getting teary even typing this blog thinking about all that I learnt in those 3 days. It catches a sigh in my heart and a lump in my throat that hasn't left me since I've been back. I've had dreams of those fields, those trenches and those poor boys who didn't stand a chance.
I think that is my main thought that they really didn't stand a chance.

You can just about see the Ulster Memorial Tower in this photo behind the trees, and a lone poppy in the foreground. I took this in the rain, because it did that a lot, walking up to the Mill Road cemetery.

We stopped at the Ulster Tower for lunch - baguette and ham for me, a packet of crisps and a most insignificant apple. I don't do bread as a rule and had already had a croissant for breakfast so I was a big fat bloater for most of the trip! The bloat has since died down being home and eating lots of veg again you'll be pleased to know!

Anyway, squeezed into a tiny back room behind the memorial tea rooms we ate heartily and then went out into the drizzle to discover Mill Road.

Now please correct me if I'm wrong, but I think that the Mill Road cemetery headstones are like this because of collapsing soil due to the German underground tunneling? I hope I'm right and was paying attention!

So many names to read, so many names not to read, the unknown. I think that made me the saddest to be honest, although he was buried and remembered on Thiepval, he was still there unknown, someone's son, brother, cousin......he was still a somebody, who could have had an amazing future.

Our next stop, the view up to the famous Hawthorn Ridge. This is a photo from the top looking down towards the sunken lane.
At the top of Hawthorn ridge there is now a crater, over grown, there's a famous bit of film footage by Geoffrey Mallins of the explosion, and of our chaps retreating back down the field as fast as their legs would carry them.
Our next stop is to be another famous shot of Mallin's in the 'Sunken lane' a place I have seen photos of, Mum on many occasions has showed me the pictures. But until the moment I came down from the top of Hawthorn Ridge and started to make my way up the Sunken Lane I didn't realise how much this would change me. This was the pivotal moment of the trip for me.

Well, an fairly normal looking little green lane, looks great to mountain bike along..... the growth of trees isn't what it would have been like 100 years ago. Let's put it into contrast, I have found Mallin's photo of the Sunken Lane, with the chaps who were just about to go over the top to defeat the Germans-  meaning, get slaughtered, from front, left and right by machine gun fire, all in the name of duty, signing up for a death warrant. This lane, you see, gets me, more than anything else. Because it's just a lane.
Let's put it into contrast with a view 100 years ago.....

And now look at those faces....there is fear on every one of them, they knew, but what were they to do?
I walked up that lane and 'over the top' to the view to the front, I then looked left up towards Hawthorn Ridge and my heart leaped, I felt sick, I felt panicked, tears welled up in my eyes, it was that gut realisation that they didn't stand a chance again. It was murder plain and simple and I really don't know how I've got around these 41 years in ignorance to just what happened in the 'Great War' because there was nothing great about it. We lost a lot of future on 1st July 1916, never to be recovered in most cases.

This photo is a view to the right as you go over the top at the Sunken Lane. As they went over the expected force was coming straight on. As you can see here Hawthorn Ridge is most prominent and the fire came from front, right and also from the left.
They didn't stand a chance. Those words again, I reckon they could sum up 1st July 1916 you know.

This photo is of Private Benjamin Taylor - aged 15 years old.

Let me type that again for you, just in case you didn't get it...

15 years old.

This was posted up on a split tree in the sunken lane.

Just going to leave that one here with you to think about.

I love this photo of us at Thiepval Memorial. You see, I had always wondered about Mum's obsession, it intrigued me. Now I know. By the time we got to Thiepval on the first day of our trip, I knew I would want to know more, want to return, to learn and discover. My Mum is responsible for this and I really hope that after reading this blog, if you've never been to the Somme, or never appreciated what those chaps sacrificed for us, that you feel inspired enough to go out there and learn for yourself.
I thoroughly recommend Leger (they aren't paying me for this) as a first trip because of the guides knowledge (particularly if you get Keith) coach trip doesn't sound all that, but it was a trip I wasn't expecting to get so taken in by.

Thiepval Memorial to the missing of the Somme. Amazing piece of architecture designed by Lutyens (of course) I did go here with the school at St. Bede's can barely remember it. But remembered the arches. Now to find one of Mum's boys from the Church memorial.........

Private Roxburgh - Mum has one of the special Poppy pins for the 100th anniversary, she would word this so much better, anyway, all pins I believe were dedicated to the missing and each allocated a person. This was the chap my Mum had, so we had to find him on Thiepval, and it was surprisingly easy too (although Mum was prepared with pillar numbers etc)

And this was Private Horlock, from the memorial at Mum's Church.
I get it, I know why she does it now, she finds them, lays a poppy cross, whether it be at Thiepval or a cemetery, but she does it and they are remembered. It's a life purpose, and an extremely kind one. This is why I love my Mum. She is epic!

And this blurry selfie sums up the rest of day one! Great new friends, not bad wine and me and Mum got to bed around 1am after drinking with Tom, one of the coach drivers. Ex-forces, lots of stories, things to sort out.
What a first day.....I actually passed out I think, ready for Day 2 on the Somme.

Day 2 of the trip and Fricourt Cemetery. When Keith says, 'Well, it's stopped raining now, should be okay' you know damn well it's going to piss it down, just as it did here. A cemetery quite a walk out from the coach and not all as able to peg it as me!
We just got into the cemetery and it went for it, we were soaked, one woman was wringing out her fleece in the coach (naughty) to try and dry it!

There was a lovely lady on our coach called Eve, who was a lot shorter, little bit rounder and somewhat slower than the rest of us, still, last on the coach, absolutely soaked she still laughed and smiled. She turned out to be a great compassionate lady, we liked her a lot!

This is Lochnagar Crater - lives lost? I can't tell you, Keith can, book a tour with him! (I really am not getting paid for promoting Leger, honestly!)
A massive great hole in the ground, a massive great hole in the families of those who died here.
At this point I needed a wee, there is something about coach trips in France in particular (or just France) and there being no toilets! I pretty much deydrated myself all week too because of this fact! Every other aspect was ace!

And then on to 'Albert' just say it in a French accent and miss off the T, basically!
We used the very interesting self-cleaning public toilet (Kate *sniggers*) and then went into the museum, which was odd, slightly scary manequins and then it was time for lunch in the only place seemingly open in Albert!
It was okay I guess, more cheese and bread and ham and beer!
Then the afternoon was going to be very special and poignant, we would be going to the Devonshire cemetery. Although I am not born and bred Devon, it's my home, I know families here that are, some old Devon family names and I was keen to see if I recognised any at the cemetery there.
I also wanted to know the story, and Keith told it like no other could.

Now, if you are my friend and live in Devon, were born in Devon, then this section here is for you.
The CWG (Commonwealth War Graves) who, funnily enough I used to have a contract with at Sodexo, are very particular about cemetery standards.
The Devonshire Cemetery is small, neat, pretty, quiet and respectful.
Because it is so small it is difficult to think of the number killed, I did find Devonshire's in later cemetery's who obviously survived the murderous onslaught of 1st July, but the tiny size of this also tells to me, that there are a lot of chaps still laying in the ground where they fell, or were moved to, unidentified. It's heart breaking.

This here view is almost from the Devonshire jump off trench. The trees to the left of the photo in the distance is the hill where the Germans were.
Keith read us an amazing story about the Devonshires (go on a tour yourself and hear it!) but basically, if you look at this photo, the chaps went over, and before they had reached even the other side of the road - Boom - machine guns wiped them out. I don't want to even find out figures for this blog because it's about feelings and knowledge. not facts.
Imagine that? Go over the top, thinking you are pretty safe......bang bang bang.........bye bye Private T. Lethbridge of Kingsbridge, Devon. The place I first moved to 12 years ago. I knew the family name when I found his headstone, Mum went to the information for the cemetery (there is a proper word for it, slipped my mind) and found him, from Kingsbridge! I laid a poppy cross there for him as there wasn't one.
Thought provoking to say the least.
I keep looking at that beautiful corn field view and thinking what hell they must have suffered.

Our next stop was to Carnoy cemetery and to visit the grave of Captain Nevill of the East Yorkshire Regiment, who's story is just so amazing you wouldn't believe it to be true.
I'm not here to tell you his story about the two footballs, his courage and leadership skills were second to none. But please look him up, and his story. It's very special.
This is where he is now laid to rest after being shot on 1st July 1916.
Rest in peace Captain Nevill, a true hero.

From tales of Captain Neville, Keith our guide told us stories of Somme veterans that he had met and brought back to where they had fought. He had his favourite hero from being a young boy. He started research at the age of 16 and his knowledge and passion have no end.
The photograph to the right is of Mametz Wood and part of 'Death Valley.'
When you know what is in those woods you will fully comprehend what went on here, and for the Welsh, sadly it wasn't good at all.
No proper training or leadership.....the idea of what happened is horrific.
The number of dead still in those woods, undiscovered is ridiculous. Beautiful wood and corn field aren't so pretty anymore.
And it wasn't just people laying here, slowly rotting in the sun, it was hundreds of 'Joey's' too, war horses slain, rotting slowly into the earth that now seems so calm and serene.

So much to take in and only 2 days in and one to go......the photo on the left is of our flag and the French flag at the point where out lines joined on the Somme. A tiny marker, but it means a lot.

So, now back on the coach (and a small beer) before departing to out field kitchen experience and re-enactment night. Which, to me was very exciting. To others with a more expensive palate, shall we say may not enjoy it as much.
Hey, once a girl guide, always a girl guide!

 So....this is a field kitchen!
We had some kind of meat and veg mix, I thought very tasty indeed! Mum's tooth broke - nothing to do with the food, just bad timing!
The French were all dressed up for the after dinner entertainment!
We then had apple pie, which was lush, then tea, biscuits and then someone brought round a basket of apples and pears. Well, I went straight in and picked the biggest, reddest apple in there and started to munch away.
Half an hour later and around 500 calories burnt I eventually finished eating the biggest apple of my life. Certainly an experience.

Whilst there, I was on my last day - day 22 of the push up challenge to raise awareness for PTSD issues, so I went all out.
Tom (coach driver) filmed it for me, the whole of the coach party counted each one and the French actors who were behind me counted too. They even let me wear one of their hats.
It was a great way to finish my challenge, and I absolutely love this photo.
These chaps were about to tell us the story of Captain Nevill, who's grave we saw the same day. Very apt and poignant, what an outstanding evening, despite the massive apple!

The end of another amazing day of education and emotion.
Back to the hotel, a cheeky drink and off to bed before the last day of the trip.

The night before we had been sat having drinks discussing ghost stories, Keith had a cracker of a story, well, I think we all did. I said how sensitive I am to things, telling the story of the Crossguns pub at Avoncliff.
Kate came to me the next day asking what my opinion of Delville Wood was.
The photo on the left is said place, also known as Devil wood, for obvious reasons.
I also think we came here on the school trip, it was familiar.

When I started hearing the story of the wood from Keith I already got goosebumps. When the battle was over, so was the wood but it has since been re-planted.
There are, however, bodies all over the place.
You can see from my photo the trench system still there.

All I can say when walking through those woods is, prepare for climate change and goosebumps!
One step warm, the next freezing cold, two steps warm, the next freezing cold.
We want to spend a night there! Probably completely freak out, but the thought is there. How much could you learn?

I could now tell you all about the issues of the coach toilet, but I shall spare you! Ordinarily I would pee in the woods, these wood are still full of bodies, therefore a graveyard, therefore I held it.......okay, no more!
Never pee in a coach toilet.......NEVER!

We then went to the Guards Cemetery, Longueval and Caterpillar Valley, more stories, more battlefields, more sadness, heart ache and family lines discontinued forever.
I'm trying to keep things light on this blog, but only 2 days ago did my dreams not consist of French corn fields and war. It was going to happen I guess.
So now on to Albert again for lunch...and a little lighthearted laughter with Brian and Kate...I also got to meet another Leger tour guide Vic, Keith's mate who lives in France now.

I love this photo, we got baguettes and sat in the park behind the museum in Albert for lunch and I took this shot of Mum, Kate and Brian. Mum was saying 'Jambon' and Brian was saying 'Fromage' both of them not in usual expression mode, Kate, looking shocked somehow! Anyway, we had lunch, looked at the pigs and ducks in the park and got ready for the final part of our tour of the Somme.

So.....we were at Poziers cemetery and there were some fairly fresh graves there.
100 years on, every day they are finding the remains of people killed in this murderous battle.
Now at least these are laid to rest properly.
You just carry on with your life, worrying about trivia, and when you know this happened 100 years ago, your own trivia seems to be trivial! How amazing is that?

When I got back from this trip, I saw on the news that a 16 years old had gone missing after taking drugs by the river Dart, not 5 minutes from my home.
I got slated for my musing on the news of 100 years ago, to the news of today. Thousands of our boys died, for giving their life to their country. One boy takes drugs and sadly dies because of the consequences of his own actions and suddenly I'm the devil for making a comparison. But the fact is, if you had just come back from learning what I did and then to that, maybe you would have thought the same? Who knows!

 Now, I know what you are thinking right now.....that would be an amazing place for a Windmill. Now of course being Windmill obsessed myself, it was the site of an old mill, it was also the site of a massive German trench and tunnel system. Of course, higher ground every time!
When we arrived here they were preparing for a ceremony. This was Australian territory, again, lost men.
We left briskly on to out next stop at the Butte de Warlencourt.

The Butte de Warlencourt was a Roman burial mound, a chalk mound, now covered in vegetation but now part of the the Western Front's domain, so more work will be going ahead. Mum is part of this deal, so I am sure she shall keep them no their toes! haha
Anyway, it was, again, German, high ground, a shining white evil piece to conquer.
When we were all gathered at the top, Mum read a poem, which made people cry, I shed a tear, but I was forewarned so turned the other way and breathed in deeply!
The view from the top of this mound was awesome...hang on, and I shall show you......

Here's the view 100 years on in modern day France......the view then? Well, they could kill anyone they wanted to from that prospect couldn't they?
Changes the view don't you think?

And our last cemetery, Warlencourt.
I found a 'Wright' in there. I think I want to trace back Dad's history, see if there's anyone who was brave enough to face the Somme on his side of the family.
I didn't tire of cemeteries.
Name after name, no name after no name.
Differing ages.
Best to die at 15, or 43?
That war was just.....well, I have no words, which is something for me.
The 3 days were long, but flew by.
The friends I made are epic.
Leger Holidays - well, I'm not working for them but if they want to send me on more trips to write blogs for them....you know where I am!
Keith was outstanding.
The drivers fun and informative.
The others on the coach - just great!

Left to right....Tom (driver ex forces) Keith (the most amazing guide ever!) me, Steve (driver, lovely)

So there you go..... this has been 4 hours of my life trying to write this and get it over to you in the most appropriate way without boring you or being too full on.
These are my own words and thoughts, my opinion is my own, I am not here to be judged, until you do something like this....well....just do it.
It's humbling to the max!
Special thanks to my Mummy for being epic, always. Brian and Kate for living up to Mum's representation of you, and Leger Holidays for starting my journey into further education......