The Western Front?

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simonineaston
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonineaston »

My own grandad went through all four years of the Great War, first as a despatch rider, then after the inevitable injury - I learn that the 'bikes were early technology and always breaking down, punctures being common-place and the enemy would do their best to target the riders - then managed to get a job driving staff officers. Prompted by an interest in this story, I found quite a lot of books on the subject. Grandpa would not willingly talk about it. As a youngster I didn't understand why not, but now I'm older and have read about these people's experiences, I can quite see why. This book in partic. describes events, characters and the day-to-day risks that my relative must have been familiar with. It's quite possible that he may even have known or lived alongside some of the people described in the book.
https://www.amazon.co.uk/gp/product/B01 ... k_ro_title
S
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Audax67
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by Audax67 »

Considering that around 500 tons of unexploded munitions are still collected every year I wouldn't go wild camping.
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rjb
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by rjb »

Here's a selfie of Mrs Rjb's Grandad. Signed off as "Somewhere in France".
Did they know where they were or was this to confuse the enemy if it fell into the wrong hands. The Dorsetshire regiment.
Arthur William James Pipe on left.jpg
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simonhill
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonhill »

Did anyone see "They Shall Not Grow Old" a wonderful piece of work by Peter Jackson.

It is archive footage of the war in black and white. All the usual stuff making it look long ago and far away, almost Keystone Kops - ish.

Then some way through it becomes 'in colour'*. The difference is quite staggering and suddenly it seemed like only yesterday.

A masterpiece.

*Digitally colourised.
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simonineaston
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonineaston »

Yes, They Shall Not Grow Old was stunning - agree the way it morphed from b&w into colour part way in really emphasised making the personalities come to life. How truly aweful it must have been to end up in those mud-soaked front lines. I started learning about the Great War reading Graves's Goodbye To All That, as a teenager.
re the photo, I'm sure I've read that letters and postcards were strictly censored by local officers and were required not to convey any info about troop strength, position and anything else that could be of use to the enemy.
S
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simonhill
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonhill »

Yes, strict censorship.

Shame the Officer class didn't adhere so strictly. There were numerous incidents of Officers carrying secret plans when they went over the top.

In the excellent series on the Somme by Peter Barton, "Both Sides Of The Wire", he recounts numerous security breaches that helped the Germans and hindered the British.

He had access to original German war records, which show our incompetence in this respect. Even down to treating captured men well and having a friendly chat.

For anyone interested in the Somme, that mini series is a real eye opener. To summarise, the Germans were better at most aspects of the conflict than the British were.
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simonineaston
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonineaston »

the excellent series on the Somme by Peter Barton
Hard to find, but got there... :-)
S
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Woodtourer
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by Woodtourer »

Currently reading "All Quiet on the Western Front". My....
wheelyhappy99
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by wheelyhappy99 »

It's not just the undiscovered munitions. On one family trip to Ypres we stopped to picnic near the Railway Dugouts Burial Ground and noticed a collarbone on the edge of the cabbage field opposite. Reported it to the police in Ypres. Either they or the army have a team who do little else.
scragend
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by scragend »

I was in a bar in Poperinge one Armistice Day afternoon years ago with my dad. We were people-watching as the locals got steadily more lubricated and ended up dancing round the bar (them not us!). A guy on a scooter turned up and came inside carrying a plastic bag. He spoke to a few of the locals and then came over to us, plonking the carrier bag on our table.

"This is for you."

Inside was a (spent) shell casing and several bullets. He drew pictures of various bullets on a scrap of paper, indicating which ones were British and which were German from the shape of them. Then he left.

My dad still has them. The shell casing makes a great vase for artificial poppies.
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simonineaston
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Re: The Western Front?

Post by simonineaston »

Just finished watching From Both Sides Of The Wire. As suggested upthread, it's a really good, measured piece of history film making. I'd read about the German's development of their battle management tactics elsewhere, so it was interesting to learn a bit more about it. There's reference too to a weapon I'd never even heard of - the Livens Projector - a really crude trench mortar, quoted as being the cheapest, most effective weapon of the war. And we learn too that the Allies' artillery shells could be massively unreliable - up to 9 out of 10 failing to explode. All in all, the message is clear - War Is Hell...
And it's a reminder too how pivotal the Eastern front was on both WW1 and the sequel. In fact, the German's tactical intention at the Somme is said to have been to hang on until the victorious troops returned from success on the Eastern front, which of course never happened. Ditto WW2.
However, from the pov of folks who want to take in the sights over there, to recall relatives who served, it looks like there's a great deal to see. Even now, over a hundred years since the battles.
S
(on the look out for Armageddon, on board a Brompton nano & ever-changing Moultons)
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