Author Archives: Magicfingers

The Men Who Came Home – A Memorial Part Eleven – The Royal Navy

Posted on November 23, 2021 by Magicfingers

Another postcard for you, although what you see is what you get; I have no information whatsoever about these men, the reverse of the card being blank.  Nice picture though, don’t you think? 

Posted in Soldiers | 11 Comments

Aldringham – St. Andrew’s Church, War Memorial & Churchyard

Posted on November 20, 2021 by Magicfingers

Now here’s a nice little church – no church tower, note. And on the outside wall,… …a memorial to eight local men who died during World War II. On the wall inside the church,… …the Great War Roll of Honour, … Continue reading →

Posted in Suffolk, U.K. Churches, Memorials & Cemeteries - Back in Blighty | 4 Comments

Mont Kemmel Part Fourteen – Dranouter Churchyard & War Memorial

Posted on November 14, 2021 by Magicfingers

Appropriately, on Remembrance Sunday, it’s time for us to return to the battlefields of Kemmel, where the churchyards and military cemeteries still tell their sad tale of death and sorrow.  We begin Part Two of our tour at the rebuilt … Continue reading →

Posted in Dranouter, Kemmel | 16 Comments

Austro-Hungarian Hand Grenades of the Great War Part One – The Rohr Stielhandgranate

Posted on November 6, 2021 by Magicfingers

Many of the early hand grenades in use during the first few months of the war, across all the combatant nations, were improvised explosive devices, tins full of bits of metal or anything likely to cause damage, often attached to … Continue reading →

Posted in Austro-Hungarian Grenades, Weaponry & Relics | 2 Comments

Aldershot – Holy Trinity Church Roll of Honour

Posted on October 23, 2021 by Magicfingers

For quite a few years, until fairly recently, when we found a new home, I used to attend meetings of the Aldershot Military Society in a hut next to this church. Over the years, the church was always locked, except … Continue reading →

Posted in Hampshire, U.K. Churches, Memorials & Cemeteries - Back in Blighty | 2 Comments

Falmouth – Operation Chariot Memorial

Posted on October 22, 2021 by Magicfingers

What’s the collective noun for Victoria Crosses, I wonder, because we appear to have a scattering of them here,… This is the memorial, on what is now the Prince of Wales Pier in Falmouth harbour, to the men who participated … Continue reading →

Posted in Cornwall, U.K. Churches, Memorials & Cemeteries - Back in Blighty, Victoria Cross | Leave a comment

The Rifle Grenade Part Three – The German Karabingranate M17

Posted on October 16, 2021 by Magicfingers

The Germans’ response to the French Viven-Bessière grenade we looked at last time was the Karabingranate M17, introduced in 1917. 

Posted in German Grenades, Rifle Grenades, Weaponry & Relics | Leave a comment