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Picture Gallery> War |
| The Andrews Pages Picture Gallery : War Graves | |||||||||
| Our selection of photographs of places that have family or personal connections. |
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| Taken on a trip to France & Belgium, Summer 1998. | |||||||||
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We have many relatives who lost their lives in the two World Wars,
'casualties of war'. Belgium |
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 France: Faubourg-D'Amiens
Cemetery, Arras |
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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 NeededEXALL and
EXELL Surnames |
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| France: Etaples |
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Both of Ann's grandfathers are buried in the Etaples Military Cemetery near Le Touquet. |
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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. |
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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 1841Smithies
Casualties of War, WW1 & WW2 |
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| France: Poppies in Flanders
Field |
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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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| France: Honlon Cemetery
nr St. Quentin |
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| France: Thiepval British
Memorial, near Albert |
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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 |
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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 GenealogyAlso see Commonwealth
War Graves CommissionRob
Hamilton's War Memorials in Calderdale, YKSwww.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. |
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Images © Andy Andrews. All other information provided by and © Ann Andrews. Intended for personal use only |
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