Today Aug 4th outbreak of 1st World War
Lest we forget
Ossie
cav551:
21.00 3rd August 2014.Almost exactly 100 years ago the British Foreign Secretary Sir Edward Gray, knowing that war seemed to be inevitable, is reputed to have said:
“The lamps are going out all over Europe, we shall not see them lit again in our life-time.”
How sad.
He died in 1933 during the depression, just as Hitler was coming to power, so his words were not only prophetic personally, but still true after he had gone.
One has to wonder whether they have ever been lit again.
Hopefully together with all the rest of all those who supported our entry into the whole mess,or at least entering it on the ‘wrong’ side in the form of Russia and Serbia,in the cabinet at the time,he’s had plenty of time in the next life to reflect on that catastrophic decision which not only cost all those lives lost in WW1 but also resulted in the circumstances which led to WW2 later.Which is ironic considering that the government now seems to be making a similar,potentially even more catastrophic mistake,in the case of getting us involved on the side of the EU,in the dispute between Russia and Ukraine.
kinostok.tv/video/322121/37- … ode-2-of-3
15.50 - 
Carryfast, please don’t sully this thread with your cod history.
The reasons for the First World War are extremely complicated and involve treaties and associations which to this day still perplex professional historians.
The main reason that we entered the war was that the Germans attacked the Belgians with a viciousness, ferocity and ruthlessness towards civilians that defied belief. We were a guarantor of Belgian neutrality and had no option.
But please show some reverence towards this sensitive subject which touched the lives of every family in this country and don’t use the subject to promulgate your warped views of society.
rward:
grumpy old man is it pretty flat around there I going October 1 ishould be ok by then after ankle fustion my mates driving do ypu think 4 days long enough regards
Yes. We based ourselves for a couple of days in Amiens…hell, after one day and those cemeteries it upset us, all those young lives gone.
I just had a thought …( dangerous I know )
We all know about the WW1 on the fields of France and Germany ( Well I must admit at school we didn’t do much on the wars apart from WW2) How many of us actually know how far the war spread.
Just for interest anyone going to Italy you might consider a visit to the following website.
I also feel a poignant gesture of visiting and the placing of a poppy cross to any of the graves would just show an act of gratitude for the sacrifice given.
nick2008:
I just had a thought …( dangerous I know )We all know about the WW1 on the fields of France and Germany ( Well I must admit at school we didn’t do much on the wars apart from WW2) How many of us actually know how far the war spread.
Just for interest anyone going to Italy you might consider a visit to the following website.
I also feel a poignant gesture of visiting and the placing of a poppy cross to any of the graves would just show an act of gratitude for the sacrifice given.
Just maybe peace will have returned by 30 March 2018 when I intend to be here:
Jazzandy:
Carryfast, please don’t sully this thread with your cod history.The reasons for the First World War are extremely complicated and involve treaties and associations which to this day still perplex professional historians.
The main reason that we entered the war was that the Germans attacked the Belgians with a viciousness, ferocity and ruthlessness towards civilians that defied belief. We were a guarantor of Belgian neutrality and had no option.
But please show some reverence towards this sensitive subject which touched the lives of every family in this country and don’t use the subject to promulgate your warped views of society.
The inconvenient facts are,just as shown in that brilliant piece of documentary drama,the warmongers in the cabinet like Churchill and Gray,decided to take us into a war which we had no need to enter.All because of a combination of caving in to Russian threats regarding our ‘interests’ in Asia and French belligerence regarding them wanting war with Germany as payback for 1870.The fact is Belgium then inevitably became a casualty as a ‘result’ of that catastrophic combination.Bearing in mind the inconvenient fact,for those so called ‘experts’,of the documented original reverse of Germany opening hostilities on the western front on August 1st, having been given what ‘appeared’ to be British guarantees that both us and France would stay out of the fight between Russia and Germany.Which of course turned out to be worthless all because the French and British governments wanted a fight with Germany.
As for my so called ‘warped views of society’ consider it more a case of pointing out inconvenient facts and speaking up for all those who were led to their deaths in WW1 and the resulting WW2 because of typically idiotic British government thinking in 1914.
As for that Russian ‘alliance’ which took us and France into the war the British German based Royal family leaving the Tsar and his family to their fate,amongst the Russian rabble that he’d shortly before turned against his own family,says it all.
Just have some respect Carryfast on this of all days.
Start your own thread and expound your ridiculous conspiracy theories there.
Jazzandy:
Just have some respect Carryfast on this of all days.Start your own thread and expound your ridiculous conspiracy theories there.
The idea that Germany only attacked Belgium to get at France which was threatening them with a war on two fronts is no conspiracy theory it’s a fact.There was no advantage to Germany in having to enter into such a war when it’s issues were all with Russia not us or France.There’s nothing disrespectful in pointing out the waste of life caused by British and French government stupidity which was WW1 on the western front.
grumpy old man:
keith 2:
anyone gone to the war sites in france and Belgium,going for a holiday in north france end of the month and would like to see some good places to go,thanks keithCareful Keith, it’s emotionally distressing, we’ve been a few times. Google maps and look up a town called Albert,. grand spot for a coffee or a beer, move on to the the huge memorial and cemetery at Thiepval, then down the road to the trenches at Beaumont Hammel (parts of which are still now, after all these years, fenced off because of unexploded shells. There are small cemeteries dotted all around the area. It’s a days touring round from Albert and it’s VERY VERY moving.
thanks will be looking for these places,the most I was distressed was when I did a trip to Auschwitz in winter minus 10 and snowing was like been on the film set,broke my heart,keith 
Well I give respect to every one who took part in WW2, That’s why we are all still here to-day, I lost an Uncle & a Cousin in this conflict, & along with thousands more families we got bombed out at Seaton Burn in 1942 & I lost to of my schoolmates as a result of this air raid, So my family will certainly be lighting a candle in respect to all concerned with this war, Regards Larry.
keith 2:
grumpy old man:
keith 2:
anyone gone to the war sites in france and Belgium,going for a holiday in north france end of the month and would like to see some good places to go,thanks keithCareful Keith, it’s emotionally distressing, we’ve been a few times. Google maps and look up a town called Albert,. grand spot for a coffee or a beer, move on to the the huge memorial and cemetery at Thiepval, then down the road to the trenches at Beaumont Hammel (parts of which are still now, after all these years, fenced off because of unexploded shells. There are small cemeteries dotted all around the area. It’s a days touring round from Albert and it’s VERY VERY moving.
thanks will be looking for these places,the most I was distressed was when I did a trip to Auschwitz in winter minus 10 and snowing was like been on the film set,broke my heart,keith
Hi Keith,
I have been travelling around the somme france and ypres belgium many times touring coach driving
and in the car since early 1980’s.If you have
any interest in relatives that fought over there it is
better if you can find out beforehand as much information as poss.Each area is not too large by
car but contain vast amounts of cemeteries and monuments. I will have averaged at least 3 visits
per year but always find something different on each visit,here’s a small example,
Theipval the somme
Cheers Malc.
The third picture down looks like the cemetery at Pozieres on the D929 just out side Albert, very sad place not just by the number of graves with headstones, but the thousands upon thousands of names of the men who where never found their names are engraved on the walls surrounding it.
OssieD:
The third picture down looks like the cemetery at Pozieres on the D929 just out side Albert, very sad place not just by the number of graves with headstones, but the thousands upon thousands of names of the men who where never found their names are engraved on the walls surrounding it.
Hi Ossie D
Correct
Cheers Malc.
grumpy old man:
keith 2:
anyone gone to the war sites in france and Belgium,going for a holiday in north france end of the month and would like to see some good places to go,thanks keithCareful Keith, it’s emotionally distressing, we’ve been a few times. Google maps and look up a town called Albert,. grand spot for a coffee or a beer, move on to the the huge memorial and cemetery at Thiepval, then down the road to the trenches at Beaumont Hammel (parts of which are still now, after all these years, fenced off because of unexploded shells. There are small cemeteries dotted all around the area. It’s a days touring round from Albert and it’s VERY VERY moving.
Currently on holiday now near to Albert & will be visiting these places tomorrow! Make sure you take in Vimy Ridge as well. Must have passed it on the autoroute out of Calais over the years hundreds of times & finally got to visit on Sunday! Take a look at the centre of Arras too
jacko22:
grumpy old man:
keith 2:
anyone gone to the war sites in france and Belgium,going for a holiday in north france end of the month and would like to see some good places to go,thanks keithCareful Keith, it’s emotionally distressing, we’ve been a few times. Google maps and look up a town called Albert,. grand spot for a coffee or a beer, move on to the the huge memorial and cemetery at Thiepval, then down the road to the trenches at Beaumont Hammel (parts of which are still now, after all these years, fenced off because of unexploded shells. There are small cemeteries dotted all around the area. It’s a days touring round from Albert and it’s VERY VERY moving.
Currently on holiday now near to Albert & will be visiting these places tomorrow! Make sure you take in Vimy Ridge as well. Must have passed it on the autoroute out of Calais over the years hundreds of times & finally got to visit on Sunday! Take a look at the centre of Arras too
Jacko, on your way up the d929 from Albert turn right to La Bosselle as you come to the village turning to your right marked Becourt/La Grand Mine a short way up there bear left and you come to the site of one of the biggest mines to go off during the war Locknagar crater a sight to see.
Ossie
Doin that as well as the German cemetery at Fricourt, Ulster tower & Beaumont Hamel. Spent years passing these places & only ever stopped at the odd cemetery alongside the old nationals. Visited ypres the other year to listen to the " last post" at the Menin gate, that gets ya!!
With apologies for being negative.
I’ve just watched on TV the Service from Westminster Abbey, and what a total disconnect. The service was supposed to be all about Tommy Atkins; poor Tommy, bored stiff he would have been nipping outside for a crafty ■■■.
What on earth was wrong with a few good hymns like: ‘Abide with me’, ‘Eternal Father strong to save’ (for those in peril on the sea), or ‘Turn back oh man forswear thy foolish ways’ ?
Instead, anthem after anthem of unintelligible words from a bunch of eunuchs. Might have suited the toffs and the pseuds who like to think they are the intelligentsia.
Listened to War horse on radio 2 tonight and found myself welling up.
Great, poignant photos lads