You are witnessing a rare occurrence on this site. The memorial you see perched atop the hill in this photograph has nothing whatsoever to do with the Great War…
…but it’s a sobering thought, as you wander these fields as I did earlier today, that many years ago two great armies met in battle here, leaving, in just a few hours, an estimated 14,000 men dead or dying on the battlefield.
We are still horrified, and quite rightly, by the number of men who fell day after day during the slaughter of the First World War, but how many occasions can you think of on the Western Front when so many lives were lost in such a short time?
So where is this place? The clues are in the photos. Answers on a postcard.
The lament that skirled o’er the Fields of Flanders in the Great War, and still does today has it’s roots here.
“The pride o’ oor land lie cauld in the clay”. A Scottish mother could have as well cried the tune in the Edinburgh of 1513 or in the Perth, Canada, or Perth, Australia of 1916.
Distant in time only.
So true, my friend, so true. And well put.
Branxton….?
Just stumbled upon your site. Very impressed by your dedication and depth of knowledge. Myself and a group of friends are off to Ypres in May. This site is, and will be, a great resource for those of us who travel there.
Thank you
Branxton indeed. Thanks so much for your comments Pete. Much appreciated. Glad you like the site and even better that you reckon it’ll be of some use on your trip. Which I hope is a good one. Which of course it will be!
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canada’s entry into the Great War our branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in the former coal mining town of Joggins Nova Scotia is doing research on the men who died from our community. One name listed on our community cenotaph is that of Arthur Mann.
Arthur Mann was a British citizen who came to Canada in June of 1914. In September 1914 he enlisted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force. On his attestation papers he gave his next of kin as his mother Mrs E. Mann of 136 Newport Street, Hirst Northumberland England. Her first name may have been Emily. In 1911 he might have been living in East Hartford, Northumberland and working at the East Hartford Colliery Cramlington. His Canadian Regimental # is 46859. He was born in 1891, and I believe he was born in Tyne Dock Durham County.
I know where he came from , I know what ship he came to Canada on, I know he was a coal miner. Our problem is that he is not listed as being killed in the War.
I have checked the CWGS web site, also the Canadian Books of Remembrance as well as the Canadian Veterans Affairs web site.
He may have died from injuries he received during the war after the war had ended and therefore is not an official war dead in the eyes of government. I have requested his full service record from the Canadian Archives but unfortunately they are upgrading their records at this time and his record is not available. If anyone in England or elsewhere can assist me in this search, it would be most appreciated. Arthur Mann is the last soldier on our list that we need to research. Thanks Dara Legere, Joggins NS Canada B0L 1A0
To commemorate the 100th anniversary of Canada’s entry into the Great War our branch of the Royal Canadian Legion in the former coal mining town of Joggins Nova Scotia is doing research on the men who died from our community. One name listed on our community cenotaph is that of Arthur Mann.
Arthur Mann was a British citizen who came to Canada in June of 1914. In September 1914 he enlisted into the Canadian Expeditionary Force. On his attestation papers he gave his next of kin as his mother Mrs E. Mann of 136 Newport Street, Hirst Northumberland England. Her first name may have been Emily. In 1911 he might have been living in East Hartford, Northumberland and working at the East Hartford Colliery Cramlington. His Canadian Regimental # is 46859. He was born in 1891, and I believe he was born in Tyne Dock Durham County.
I know where he came from , I know what ship he came to Canada on, I know he was a coal miner. Our problem is that he is not listed as being killed in the War.
I have checked the CWGS web site, also the Canadian Books of Remembrance as well as the Canadian Veterans Affairs web site.
He may have died from injuries he received during the war after the war had ended and therefore is not an official war dead in the eyes of government. I have requested his full service record from the Canadian Archives but unfortunately they are upgrading their records at this time and his record is not available. If anyone in England or elsewhere can assist me in this search, it would be most appreciated. Arthur Mann is the last soldier on our list that we need to research. Thanks Dara Legere, Joggins NS Canada B0L 1A0
Dara, Did Archives Canada give you any indication of how long their ability to produce copies of WW1 records will be down? I ordered my two Great Uncles service records about two or three years ago and had them delivered on a CD within about three weeks of my request.