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| Taken on a trip to France & Belgium,
Summer 1998. |
We have many relatives who lost their lives in the two World Wars,
'casualties of war'.
France
Belgium
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 France: Faubourg-D'Amiens
Cemetery, Arras |
This is just one of the many cemeteries in Northern France and Belgium
that commemorate the men who died in both WW1 and WW2. The cemeteries
are all different and are beautifully maintained by the Commonwealth
War Graves Commission.
On the walls of the Arras memorial itself, seen in the background,
are inscribed the names of about 23,000 men killed in the area for
whom there is no known grave. They are listed by regiment.
Andy's uncle, Francis George Exell, lies here; he served in the
Royal West Kent Regiment and his grave and headstone is fifth from
the left in the front row. He was 24 years old and was awarded the
Military Medal.
More onsite information
 Our Genealogy
Shinfield
Help Needed
EXALL and
EXELL Surnames
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| France: Etaples |
Both of Ann's grandfathers are buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery
near Le Touquet.
The headstone below commemorates James Hardy Smithies (1892 - 1919)
who had been in the Royal Army Service Corps and was mentioned in
despatches. Ann's other grandfather, John Clay (1889 - 1917), lies
not far away in the same cemetery and had served with the Prince of
Wales Own 10th Royal Hussars since the war began. It is a poignant
coincidence that these two men did not know each other and served
in different regiments, yet they lie only some 30 yards apart.
All the headstones show the name, rank and number of the men who died
as well as the date of death. There is often a verse, chosen by the
relatives. The verse on James Hardy Smithies headstone reads: 'Blest
are the pure in heart, for they shall see God'. It would have been
chosen by his wife, Daisy.
Following the desecration of the central obelisk, which was defaced
with red painted anti British and American graffiti, Ann was contacted
by "The Daily Express" newspaper. Her comments, and photographs
of her two grandfathers, appeared in the newspaper on 2 April 2003.
The base of the obelisk is just visible in the first of the Etaples
photgraphs above.
More onsite info:
Our Genealogy
Matlock
& Matlock Bath War Memorials
Empire Day (1914) recounts a pre-war
parade in Matlock, DBY and has a little information on joining up
and conscription.
Smithies
Surname The first 4½ years of BMD registered in England
and Wales, Sep 1837 - Dec 1841
Smithies
Casualties of War, WW1 & WW2
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| France: Poppies in Flanders
Field |
Little wonder that poppies became the symbol for those who died. Visitors
to France in the early summer will find them lining the roadsides
and the edges of the fields. Poppies suddenly grew where the soil
had been disturbed by shell fire.
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| France: Belfast Tower,
near Albert |
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The striking Belfast Tower is not far from Albert and was built
to commemorate 6,000 Ulstermen who were either injured or killed
in the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It is a replica of Helen's
Tower in Northern Ireland. It is not far from the D73 and close
to both Thiepval and the Beaumont Hamel Memorial Park, the site
of a battle fought by the Newfoundland Division. At Beamont
Hamel you can walk in the trenches, which are preserved. |
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| France: Honlon Cemetery
nr St. Quentin |
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The small Chapelle British Cemetery is at Honlon, a village
6 km west of St. Quentin and south of the main road to Vermand
and Amiens. The Cemetery is north of the village and is almost
on the roadside behind a wall. It is easy to miss, unfortunately.
Around the edge are memorials to soldiers whom they know were
killed, but the plots in which they are buried are to "unknown"
soldiers because they were unable to be identified. Ann's great
uncle, John Vernon Townsend, is buried here, one of the oldest
commemorated at the age of 34.
Our Genealogy
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| France: Thiepval British
Memorial, near Albert |
This memorial commemorates some 73,367 British soldiers and South
African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918.
They were listed as 'missing' and they have no known grave so their
names are recorded here, on panels all round the memorial (the parts
that look grey in the photograph). The Thiepval British Memorial is
a massive brick built structure, as you can see if you compare its
size with the surrounding mature trees. It can be seen from miles
away. The visual impact on the visitor is extremely moving.
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| Belgium: Dickebusch New
Military Cemetery Extension, south of Ypres |
Andy's grandmother's brother, William Stafford Franklin, is buried
at Dickebusch. It is a small cemetery, one of many outside Ypres -
or Ieper - in Belgium and is near the church on a small side street
close to the centre of the village. Ypres was virtually flattened
in the first war and there was an enormous loss of life. The Menin
Gate or Menenpoort commemorates 54,896 Britons and at Tyne Cot there
are a further 11,856 headstones plus nearly 35,000 who were never
found.
Our Genealogy
Also see
Commonwealth
War Graves Commission
www.appeva.org This site is in French but If you can't read French click on the English version and then look at the history to learn about the "Petit train de la Haute Somme", built in WW1. |
Photographs © Andy Andrews. All
other information provided by and © Ann Andrews. Intended
for personal use only
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