Battlefields Forum / Ask the Guides / World War I

Vampir Dugout

iain mchenry — Thu, 23 Oct 2008 14:26:24 GMT

Some of you may be aware that I was on the team that located, excavated and explored the Vampir Dugout, a 50 man underground dugout built by 171 Tunnelling Company, Royal Engineers over the winter of 1917/18. The dig was sponsored by television for two programmes, one a Time Team special on Channel 4 and the other to go out onto the History Channel. The Channel 4 Documentary is ready for airing and will be on C4 on the 10th November at 2100 hrs.

Regards

Iain

Have uploaded my photos! Can anyone identify them for me!

chris194 — Fri, 21 Nov 2008 18:03:24 GMT

Can anyone identify these 3 photos- all taken at the same place and within a 25 min timeframe of St Marys cemetery nr loos. Forgot to make a note of them! Many thanks

Harry Patch leaves message about Haig on lastingtribute.co.uk

Zorba — Mon, 10 Nov 2008 14:02:12 GMT

Harry Patch, who at 110 is Britain's last surviving veteran of the First World War trenches, has left a message on lastingtribute.co.uk on a page dedicated to General Douglas Haig.

You can check out the comment here.

His personal Remembrance Day is September 22. It was that day in 1917 that Harry lost three of his friends when their Lewis gun team was smashed by an explosion that left him badly injured.

In his book, , "The Last Fighting Tommy',he pays tribute to the young men who died as they fought the enemy in atrocious conditions that few could ever imagine.

He wrote: "I had lost three good mates. The Lewis gun team was a little band together and the last three, the ammunition carriers, had, I understood, been blown to pieces.

"My reaction was terrible -- it was losing a part of my life. I'd taken an absolute liking to the men in the team, you could say, almost love."

As we remember them....

RMA — Sat, 08 Nov 2008 20:39:38 GMT

As I prepare to head to Dover to join my first Armistice trip to Ypres I know I am in for an emotional ride. If the 90th anniversary of the Somme is anything to go by the next few days will be truly memorable.

As everyone remembers the loss in so many conflicts I thought about 'time'. As we fall silent in Ypres at home in the UK others will still be 1 hour from their silence. So across the time zones of the world the 11th hour will go on and on.

I have copied some lines of a song which I think says so much , as we remember them.

'The sun's shining down on these green fields of France;
The warm wind blows gently, and the red poppies dance.
The trenches have vanished long under the plow;
No gas and no barbed wire, no guns firing now.
But here in this graveyard that's still No Man's Land
The countless white crosses in mute witness stand
To man's blind indifference to his fellow man.
And a whole generation who were butchered and damned.

And I can't help but wonder, now Willie McBride,
Do all those who lie here know why they died?
Did you really believe them when they told you "The Cause?"
Did you really believe that this war would end wars?
Well the suffering, the sorrow, the glory, the shame
The killing, the dying, it was all done in vain,
For Willie McBride, it all happened again,
And again, and again, and again, and again.

RMA

Leger Battlefields Feature on BBC News

Zorba — Fri, 07 Nov 2008 08:33:47 GMT

BBC reporter Robert Hall looks at some of the ways families and schools are retelling the story of the First World War and are ensuring that those who gave their lives are not forgotten. During this report at around 1:39 a party of Battlefield travellers are featured:-

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7714855.stm

Sydney Lucas RIP

Son of a Mick — Thu, 06 Nov 2008 13:16:17 GMT

A sad loss at this time of year but a very good innings.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/leicestershire/7712943.stm

November 11th in Ypres

RMA — Tue, 22 Jul 2008 14:16:13 GMT

I understand there is a concert held in Ypres during the afternoon of Armistice Day which I think Leger visitors have the opportunity of attending. How do we book for this please ?

RMA ;)

Arras recommended reading?

carolines — Sat, 18 Oct 2008 17:09:11 GMT

We are going on the Arras - Britain's Bloodiest Battle tour next April, do you have any recommended reading before the trip?

AND NOW FOR THE BAD BIT !!!!

RMA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:47:34 GMT

I thought I would do the nice posting first !

As a seasoned Leger traveller and hopefully always singing their praises it now comes to the 'brick bat' session.

Well Leger if you wanted to spoil the end of a trip for myself and several hundred other people from numerous tours you have succeeded big time !

For some reason (allegedly to do with the Channel Tunnel problems ?) Leger decided to do the interchange at Calais. No problem as such though it would have been nice to have been informed of this prior to arrival in Calais. I also have great sympathy for those who have long journeys home from Dover and a rapid exit from the port would be an advantage.

But...I seriously question the logic and most certainly the site chosen ! Why choose a bleak inhospitable spot with filthy toilets, one decidedly dubious food kiosk, no shelter and nowhere to make any purchases of refreshments for those with long journeys. Namely 'Cheers' warehouse...nothing cheery about it !

A little birdie told me it was due to financial considerations...I leave readers to draw their own conclusions !

What a shame that Leger chose to turn their backs on another site which has numerous food kiosks, clean toilets, undercover seating, a wide range of purchases of all sorts and a 'toilet drop' for the coaches. Namely 'Pidoux'. I have been told by drivers they much prefer this site to others for all the reasons I have stated.

Come on Leger.....lets hear your excuses. But do remember if it is for financial considerations your biggest financial asset is your customers so start looking after them again. Regretfully I heard a number of people saying they would not be booking with Leger again. You don't get a second chance at first impressions !!!

A very frozen, damp and extremely annoyed....

RMA:angry:

All quiet on the Western Front

andy cooper — Tue, 07 Oct 2008 16:13:05 GMT

Just got back from the "All quiet on the Western Front" (3 - 6 Oct) tour and i wanted to say a big thank you to Leger and especially our tour guide Peter Williams.

He was truly excellent and his knowledge on the war as a whole enabled us to gain a greater sense of what happened at the various places we visited

The tour itself was excellent and he helped to make it that much more special, so thank you.

Another wonderful trip.

RMA — Sat, 04 Oct 2008 11:29:34 GMT

Just returned from 'The Old Contemptibles'. A wonderful trip and with Peter Williams as guide quite a few 'interesting' bonus visits as well. We were on a brand new coach..Silver Service of course....that was several feet longer than the normal coaches. Congratulations to Les who had the dubious pleasure of driving and negotiating some of Peters wonderful 'off the beaten tracks' visits. And to Sharon his wife who worked miracles with a broom to enable the coach to pass a road sign in Mons....enough said !!

The weather could have been kinder but the areas covered and the history from the first shots fired fitted perfectly with 'Advance to Victory' albeit back to front from a date point of view with my booking dates.

Well done Paul & all.....you never cease to amaze me with your trips.

RMA

Walking The Ypres Salient Sept 15th

Simo — Mon, 22 Sep 2008 09:03:27 GMT

Well what a fantastic trip it was and a big special thank you to the best double act in the business - Ian and Peter. You guys made it for us all I am sure. Hope to see everyone on the Somme next year.

East Africa Campaign

RMA — Wed, 05 Sep 2007 08:54:29 GMT

I am like most, familiar with the conflict in France & Flanders and also Gallipoli, but I have recently been a reading another excellent book about the Beechey brothers 'Brothers in War'. One of the brothers killed died in the conflict in East Africa which I was not aware of. The book gives sources of information at the end, but can anyone give me any more info on this conflict. From what I can gather the fighting seems to have been mostly in what we now know as Kenya and Tanzania (Tangyanika) and also mention of Kilimanjaro which until the early 1960's 'belonged ' to Kenya until given as a birthday present to the President of Tanzania as Kenya already had Mount Kenya !

The brother Charles Beechey was serving in the 25th Battalion Royal Fusiliers. They started out in September 1917 with 250 men and ended in November with only 17 remaining. Also the loss of more than 59,000 out of 60,000 horses and ponies sent out to Africa. The troops were supported by the K.A.R. (Kings African Rifles). What was the significance and purpose of this part of the First World War ?

Any info gratefully received. Thanks

RMA

All Quiet on Western Front with Iain McHenry

Simo — Mon, 03 Dec 2007 21:16:41 GMT

I went on the above silver service trip in early Sept and want to say it was so superb. It was well run from Legers end, with the timings and coaches and drivers being 1st class and Iain's knowledge and passion for what he was saying and guiding us on made the trip for me.

Iain I am not sure if you remember me, but I was ex Life Guards and I had you helping me fruitlessly finding Household Cavalry people and areas of battles. On returning to Uk, I found there is a Household Cavalry memorial at Zanvoorde in Zonnebeke, Belgium, which marks the site where the Life Guards met a severe fate on 30 October 1914 when, while holding Zandvoorde Hill, they were attacked by German forces and suffered substantial losses.

I am planning to go on the 5 day walk at Ypres in 2008 with leger, would it be possible to see the memorial or would another battlefield area cover this?

All quiet on the western Front! First Tour : queries

Collins2k8 — Wed, 06 Aug 2008 16:00:23 GMT

I'm 15yrs old and am going on my first tour "All Quiet on the Western Front" October 23rd.

Just a few queries, much appreciated if they could be answered:

1) In the Somme region of the tour not far from Lochnager Crater there is a Welsh Memorial, My great Grandfather was in the Division it remembers so could a few minutes be spared to take a look at it?

2) On Average, how large are the tour groups?

Thanks for reading. If You are on the same tour let me know.

Royal warwickshire regiment

lala — Sat, 19 Apr 2008 16:29:28 GMT

Can anyone tell me any information on this regiment? during the first world war? my great grandad was killed in 1917 and was a member of the 2nd bn of this regiment. can anyone tell me anything about this regiment at all? or this battalion? or where i could go to get information on it? he was possibly living in bath when he enlisted but i dont know when he enlisted and im wondering where i could get this information too. if not bath then it may be that he was living in wiltshire as this is where he was born. but he was married by 1914 as this is when my gran was born and on his memorial my great grans address is listed as bath.

all help would be appreciated! thanx!

Excavation of mass grave

Son of a Mick — Tue, 03 Jun 2008 17:54:49 GMT

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/world/europe/7428393.stm

This may contain the remains of up to 400 British & Australian war dead buried after the Battle of Fromelles in 1916.

Interested to think what fellow forumites think, should it be left alone and marked as a war grave or should the remains be re-interred in a known cemetery?

Me, I'm not sure.

The Old Contemptibles

S/M Snudge — Wed, 30 Jul 2008 19:33:42 GMT

Came back from this tour last Friday & can say we really enjoyed it. Met a lot of nice people (as usual), we've booked Arras next year to meet up with some. A reporter on the tour thought there was a lot of cemeteries, that couldn't be helped after all there was SIX pilgrimages!!

Peter Sstruggled to find the Old Sugar Factory but to his credit he persevered & it was well worth it in the end.

There was alot of detours which didn't help

Snag is now we've got a year to wait until our next trip!

:crying:

advance to victory tour

fraggle — Mon, 28 Jul 2008 10:49:04 GMT

we returned from this tour on Friday having spent a very hot week in Lille.! The tour was excellent although it did require a few hours spent on the coach:crying:

We were fortunate to have peter williams as our guide. We have met peter before on other tours and his knowledge and sense of humour always makes for a good tour.We met some great people as always and I think this is the attraction of Leger tours. Hope to see some of them again next year:)

Sad News From The Somme

Paul Reed — Tue, 01 Jul 2008 22:11:06 GMT

I know many of you will be upset to learn that M. Jean Blondel, the famous mayor of Longueval, and owner of 'Cafe Calypso', died today.

Many of you will have enjoyed Jean's hospitality over the years... so it is the end of an era.

Jean was a big hearted man, and few know how much time he put into ensuring that the generation who fought on the Somme should not be forgotten. The Somme is poorer for his passing, that is for sure.

Rest In Peace, Jean - and our thoughts go out to his family at this time.

First Time Tourist

IanMc — Wed, 09 Jul 2008 19:21:59 GMT

I am looking to book my first ever tour and the two that leap out at me are All Quiet on the Western Front and the Passchendaele tours.

I will be on my own and am looking to go end Aug early Sept and any views on which to go on would be appreciated (I am Irish if that influences).

I have read the various mail but am still undecided!!!

Daily Mirror Today

RMA — Sat, 12 Jul 2008 10:44:18 GMT

An excellent write-up in todays Daily Mirror of the recent 'Advance to Victory' trip. Great detail and a real credit to Leger. I have tried to find a link to see if it's available online anywhere but no success.

Perhaps one of you computer buffs out there might be more successful!:D

RMA:)

Another triumph !

RMA — Sat, 28 Jun 2008 11:26:35 GMT

Advance to Victory....another triumph for Paul and his team !

Arrived back yesterday from the tour and what a great tour it was. The hotel was very good but really too remote from the areas we were to visit. It was over an hour each day to get to our starting points and we would have been stuck in the hotel in the evenings if it hadn't been for the coach drivers who took us into Ypres Tuesday & Wednesday evening. But never mind....it was great.

We travelled through the areas finally captured during the last 100 days of the war and it was so easy to see how difficult the terrain would have been with so many ridges and sunken areas. The highest areas gave such a vast view of any advance from almost any direction. It was almost unbelievable to think this ground was captured in days and sometimes hours yet had been virtually impossible to take during the Battle of the Somme in 1916. The comparisons throughout the tour with previous events right back to the first shots fired painted a picture of the war almost from start to finish and showed that the end was as fiercely fought as the start.

The cemeteries as with all CWGC were immaculate but far less frequently visited than those on regular tours. In every one the roses were in bloom.....predominantly red but in Dury they were all yellow. The picture of the flowers against the white marble headstones was beautiful. On one headstone I saw the inscription:

'Forgotten by men. Remembered by God'

How wrong they were. We all remember them and the sacrifice they made. Tours like Advance to Victory and all the others only make the remembrance stronger. Long may they continue.

Keith as usual was a superb guide and I think I speak for everyone when I say a huge 'THANK YOU'.

Here's looking forward to The Old Contemptibles again with Keith in September. From one end of the war to the other !

For those still to travel on this tour....look forward to it. You will not be disappointed

RMA :D

5th Battalion Dorsetshire regiment info please

gjd — Thu, 26 Jun 2008 12:30:02 GMT

Hi--My Grandfathers cousin (Reginald Hadley)died of wounds in April 1915 at Aldershot military hospital.He is buried in a family plot in a small welsh village called Nelson.

The question that my family would like to know is why was he in this regiment and not a Welsh(Welch) one ---and also does anybody have any info on the first use of gas during ww1 as again the family rumour is that he may have been gassed.

Hoping someone can help.

Regards

Happy Birthday Harry

Son of a Mick — Tue, 17 Jun 2008 13:00:52 GMT

Harry Patch is 110 years young today.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/7458315.stm

Have a great day Harry. I'll raise a glass to you and the ones you left behind this evening.

Great New Trips for 2009

RMA — Mon, 16 Jun 2008 14:00:02 GMT

Just received a letter from Leger about 2 of the new trips for 2009. They are now on the tours page. They look great.....bookings here I come !!

RMA:D

Walking the salient

S/M Snudge — Thu, 28 Feb 2008 19:18:57 GMT

Hi my wife & I have been on 6 Leger tours to date.The 7th was going to be The Old contempibles tour. My wife surprised me by booking walking the Salient on 21 Apr.

Any body been on the tour, I ask the question as we are both approaching the big six o & are not particularly fit! What's the tour like? I'm a bit worried about the missus as she can fall down on a snooker table& am sure she will se more of her feet than the surrounding country side.

A question for Mr Reed, Paul you don't happen to know the guide for this trip do you?

regards

John

Gallipoli Website

Son of a Mick — Thu, 24 Apr 2008 17:55:41 GMT

Just received an e-mail from a chap called Eric Goosens containg the following:

Hope this e-mail finds you well !!

With just a few hours left to the 25th April -the day the Gallipoli landing is commemorated- I though it a good idea to let you know that my website “a kaleidoscope of the Gallipoli battlefields” has been through a serious update.

http://www.gallipoli.com.tr/battlefields_gallipoli_campaign.htm

In the section “If stones could speak” many of the cemeteries have been updated with texts, pictures, a number of “then and now” shots and a some aerial pictures thanks to the Gallipoli National Park. The highlights of the update being :

1. the French monument section (2 pages now) .
2. The (disappeared) German monument, thanks to the help of Klaus Wolf, who is publishing a book on the German aspect very soon.
3. The (colourful) history of the Turkish monument at the Nek, thanks to Haluk Oral, writer of the book “Gallipoli through Turkish eyes”.

In “silent reminders” many texts and pictures have been added as well, especially in its subsection “famous battlefield locations” which has seen an addition of many new pages, hence locations.

Enjoy it ... and do not forget to forward the link to whoever might be interested.

Questions ?? Remarks ?? Something inaccurate ??? ... Let me know ... my aim is to be as accurate as possible !!!

Eric

Anyone else received this or know anything about him?

And was it nearly a year since I was over there. Blimey.

2nd Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers

bandboy — Fri, 25 Apr 2008 16:34:16 GMT

Anyone interested in the pre 1914 and first weeks of WW1? of the above.Have read Frank Richards, Duty Done, and The War The Infantry Knew, ancestor joined in 1906 KIA October 1914

Meet The Guides - WW1

Paul Reed — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 20:30:16 GMT

While some of the guides photos are on the site, thought some of you might like to meet the regular WW1 team.

The photo was taken while we were out on the Walking The Somme recce last week.

Left-Right:

Keith Quibell - Peter Smith - Iain McHenry - Vic Piuk - Peter Williams

[img]http://farm3.static.flickr.com/2248/2383622510_0a27799ca8.jpg[/img]

Favourite War Movie Music

Pegasus — Wed, 02 Apr 2008 23:00:10 GMT

My favourite Music from a war film has to be "The Longest Day" march, written by Paul Anka

I had the privilege to be at the village of Granville, Normandy for the 60th. Anniversary of D-Day, I went with Leger and it was a Lifetime memorable event.

To see the veterans of the British 6th. Airborne marching to this music brought tears to my eyes, these guys became 20 years old once again............

Thanks again to Leger we then went to the Merville Battery, where the veterans did a "March past" , words cannot describe these wonderful events.......

Thanks to everyone concerned.......

That's my favourite "Movie" theme ....what's yours?

Ed.

Commemoration Scroll

brians — Mon, 31 Mar 2008 18:38:57 GMT

In September last year whilst on the Passchendaele Remembered tour we visited the grave of a relative, James Wood 20th Battalion DLI killed at St Eloi in February 1917.

Whilst we have no history regarding him other than a photograph of his wife at the grave side, I would like to obtain a copy of his Commemoration Scroll which I believe I can down load from the internet.

Can anyone advise me what is the website address?

Brians

Simply Amazing

RMA — Sun, 23 Mar 2008 17:32:53 GMT

What can I say ! Another Paul & Leger triumph (not forgetting the other guides of course).

Kaisers Battle was a great tour, visiting places not so generally visited on other tours. The weather wasn't too kind at times but it didn't spoil a terrific trip.

And.....we were the lucky ones !!!!! We got to visit the Wellington Tunnels in Arras. Due to Pauls persuasive powers and Legers standing in the Battlefield Tours (and arriving as soon they opened the gates !).

What a superb place to visit. It is amazing...exceptionally well presented and a real feeling of how it must have been in 1917. It's a 'must visit' for all WW1 devotees and I know it will be included in as many Leger tours as possible when it can be arranged. If any of you have time to spare in Arras make it a priority to visit......book first ! Also.....be warned they don't accept credit/debit cards (yet) so you will need a supply of euros. 6.5 euros per person to get in and worth every penny (cent).

Thank you Paul and Leger for another wonderful trip. Roll on the next one....Advance to Victory.

Happy Easter to everyone.

At the going down of the sun, and in the morning we will remember them.

RMA

The Caves of Arras

Son of a Mick — Wed, 19 Mar 2008 10:26:24 GMT

Fascinating.

Link to Daily Mail story can be found [url=http://www.dailymail.co.uk/pages/live/articles/news/worldnews.html?in_article_id=534236&in_page_id=181]here[/url]

Wonder if we'll have time to visit on Sunday morning (if open) before we return from the Kaisers Battle trip?

Training Trenches

hawkeye — Tue, 04 Mar 2008 17:37:32 GMT

I found an article on BBC NorthEast and repeated on BBC Tyne.

Some training trenches have been uncovered by volunteers in the Rothbury area of Northumberland, I think they were looking for something else. I'm not sure if they may have have something to do with the Otterburn ranges (established 1912).

Chris Burgess the archeologist in charge described the find as exciting and a memorial to the sacrifice that the men made.

West Yorkshire Regiment

brians — Fri, 22 Feb 2008 19:06:07 GMT

In September 1916 my great uncle was mortally wounded whilst attacking the Stuff Redoubt on the Somme.Records indicate that he was a volunteer who joined the 9th Battalion of the West Yorkshire Regiment.

I have recently come across a photograph which we think is him but the cap badge appears to be that of the East Yorkshire Regiment. Is it possible that there may have been some sort of transfer from the East to the West Yorkshire Regiment, perhaps during training.

Whilst I would like the photograph to be him I need to be sure. Can anyone offer any advice.

The Vampire Dugout

Son of a Mick — Fri, 15 Feb 2008 12:14:51 GMT

This looks fascinating:

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/uk/7246038.stm

and I'm sure it will reveal a lot more about life in the trenches and tunnels.

walking the somme

wakeypride — Thu, 14 Feb 2008 14:39:16 GMT

Hello,I've been reading the book "Walking the Somme"to get some insight,before my battlefield tour with ledger in september and theres mention of "Special Memorials" placed in the cemeteries to certain soldiers ,where these placed by their families?and are these as well as the normal headstone?,one last question any idea who will be the guide on the silver service trip"all quiet on the western front" on the 15/9/2008? Thanks

The Great War( the complete series(

Pegasus — Wed, 24 Oct 2007 19:58:02 GMT

I am presently collecting the tokens in the Daily Mail so I can send for the complete series of the BBC production "The Great War"

I've not seen any postings on the forum, especially from our WW1 chaps regarding the offer in the Mail.

Any thoughts.

Ed.

Passchendarle Remembered

brians — Tue, 22 Jan 2008 11:36:02 GMT

As a regular with Leger Tour, I went on the Passchendaele trip in October last year. I now plan to revisit the area in March and would like to visit the area where my Great Grandfather fought. He was a driver in the 3rd Brigade of the RFA of the 50th Northern Division. He would therefore have been located in the region south of the Houthulst Forest.

Can you assist me in obtaining further information? Which trench maps would be helpful and are there any particular land marks to look out for. Your help would be much appreciated. Brians