Hello bloggettes, glad to have you about again. This week, starting Monday 15th 2010 sees me and my dear Father in La Belle France. We are here with the sole purpose of visitng several war graves and monuments from the First World War, or The Great War as it was called at the time. No one thought it possible that so many nations could ever entertain the thought of doing that again....
So, we took the ferry from Dover at 9am and by lunchtime had arrived at the Canadian memorial that is Vimy Ridge. This is staffed entirely by young Canadian nationals, they were all keen, knowledgeable folks, indeed we only confused one by referring to the time as 'half one' rather than 'half past one'. Fortunately a delightful young lady showed us (and two other visitors) the site and the underground tunnel complex. We spent an hour there marvelling at the engineering feats performed in virtual silence (the germans could hear the tunnels being dug) whilst enduring a constant barrage of artillery and mud and cold.
After the above we drove on to Thiepval. This is simply huge, a monument to mark the 72,000 missing after the first battle of the Somme. Just so huge, so many men.
I'm still surprised it's not referred to as the Ghastly War. Sure it was a great big war, but not a great war.
ReplyDelete