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CKA Uber
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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:18 am
 


DonnaWho DonnaWho:
This is a beautiful thread Marty.
Thank you.


“We cherish too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies,
That blood of heroes never dies”
- Moina Michael (1915)




Thank you DW.

I see Gunny posted something too.


I gotta be honest, I'm just getting started.


Check back in a couple hours, because I still don't have everything
uploaded to photobucket yet.

I'm trying to keep everything quick and easy, but still a lot to show
people who want to have a look. :)


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:20 am
 


martin14 martin14:
I gotta be honest, I'm just getting started.


Good! :D


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:22 am
 


Image


When the competitions for memorials was done in the 1920's, this came second.

The Brooding Soldier.

This was selected, and one other, to be placed in Europe as memorials
to all the Canadian soldiers who fought in World War I.

And the 4 smaller stones, one of which we saw earlier.

Image

Image


When I visited, an Aussie was also there... he was floored by this monument.

So was I.

The camera just doesn't do it justice.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:24 am
 


Quick sidebar.. this is a French cemetery, they also fought and died in the Ypres salient.

Big one, 4000+ men buried here.

Image

Image

Image


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:25 am
 


A memorial to the PPCLI..

Image

Image


I dont know if you can read the inscription, but it says.

Here
8 May 1915
the originals of
Princess Patricia's Canadian Light Infantry
Commanded by their founder
Major A. Hamilton Gault D.S.C.
held firm and counted not the cost.


Last edited by martin14 on Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:28 am, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:27 am
 


I look forward to this thread e3very year. Thanks Martin.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 11:50 am
 


Unsound Unsound:
I look forward to this thread e3very year. Thanks Martin.



Thanks for looking :)



Last of part 1:

This is the Menin Gate in Ypres:

Image

Image

Inside the gate are panels, listing the missing of the First World War.

The numbers are astonishing.


There are almost 55,000 men listed on the panels on the gate,


United Kingdom: 40,244
Australia: 6,198
Canada: 6,983
British India: 4,217
South Africa: 564
British West Indies: 6


but the panels only list men up to August 15 1917.. and then they ran out of room

So the rest are listed elsewhere, but we'll get to that in a while.

This is inside, panels with lists of names..

Image


We have our own panel on the inside, looks nice..
Men are listed according to regiment or battalion as the case may be.



Image


On January 8th, 1915 Canada had our first battlefield deaths.

From the PPCLI, Norman Fry and HC Bellinger.

There doesn't seem to be consensus on who was first,

but Norman Fry is listed on the panel... took me 10 tries to get this,
he is way up and these panels are big.

Image


OK, you say, great a panel with the missing....
















Until you see the panels go around the back of the main building..

Image

and across and then up the stairs..

Image

then back down the stairs and across the landing.....

Image

Image

Very sad to read these panels, and touch them, and remember.


Every night since 1928, ( except for the German occupation from may 1940 to July 1944 )
buglers from the fire department play the Last Post.

You can barely see the buglers bottom right, my camera is complete crap at night.


I went on night 28 thousand and something.



Part 1 finished, now I have to upload part 2....


Last edited by martin14 on Mon Nov 12, 2012 10:31 pm, edited 1 time in total.

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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:50 pm
 


Part 2.. road trip.

I am happy I can travel around this part of the world.

I have been fortunate, I have been here...



















Image


Vimy is huge.. see those dark things at the bottom of the memorial:
Those are people.

Image



The first statues are the mourning parents:

Image

Image


And there are more panels of the missing.. another 11000 Canadians with no known grave.

Image

Image

more pics

Image

Image


Spirit of Sacrifice

Image


This is Mother Canada, mourning her dead.

Image

The dead who are in the stone sarcophagus.

Image




Image


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:55 pm
 


The area around the Memorial are off limits, the lines have not been cleared
of bombs, mines, shells.

Image

Image

A short distance from the Memorial is a Visitors Centre, where they have restored
some of the original trenches and tunnels.


Image

Image

Image

Image


It is somehow fitting, at this time of the year, with the leaves falling,
that the trenches are filling with maple leaves....

Image


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 12:57 pm
 


I took a trip through the tunnels as well, but the only good shot I got
was this, carved in the chalk a very long time ago...

Image


The tunnels we went through are the same as the PPCLI and the Canadian
Black Watch used to assault the Ridge in 1917.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:02 pm
 


After Vimy, a short road trip around the area.


Monument to the Canadian 3rd Division, buried in the forest..

Image

Image

Image


And the Canadian Corps Artillery.

Image


Canadian 1st Division.

Image

Image

Image


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:04 pm
 


Just got back from the ceremony on a cold miserable day in Esquimalt.

The lows

Turnout wasn't as good as previous years and some dirty filthy greasy POS had to show up so he could make faces at the wreath layers. Took off before the MPs could have a word.

The High

As the Flowers of the Forest finished, five Yaks did a low fly past of the cenotaph. A tear jerking moment.

Now out for brunch with the family and maybe a story of two about my grandpa who fought in Holland with the RCR.


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:06 pm
 


Another stone's throw, and it is called Bois Carre British Cemetery, but it should
be renamed as a Canadian Cemetery..

Image

Image

Image

Image


One Unknown gets a poppy for all.

Image



Someone has paid tribute to the 31st Battalion from Calgary...

Image


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:08 pm
 


Gunnair Gunnair:
Just got back from the ceremony on a cold miserable day in Esquimalt.

The lows

Turnout wasn't as good as previous years and some dirty filthy greasy POS had to show up so he could make faces at the wreath layers. Took off before the MPs could have a word.

The High

As the Flowers of the Forest finished, five Yaks did a low fly past of the cenotaph. A tear jerking moment.

Now out for brunch with the family and maybe a story of two about my grandpa who fought in Holland with the RCR.




Good stuff, I might be done by the time you get back. :)


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PostPosted: Sun Nov 11, 2012 1:10 pm
 


Next stop, a place in the forest, a Memorial to the British 29th Division.

Image


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