#THIEPVAL MEMORIAL

[allforanofficerslife]

We visited Thiepval Memorial yesterday! It poured rain all day long while we were at the Somme. But it was well worth it to see a fellow fan had beat us there!!!

Fun facts: this memorial has 72,000 names of missing men from the French & British forces inscribed on its sides! Wait, did I say fun? I meant 'heartbreaking.'

[world-of-wales]

CATHERINE'S STYLE FILES - 2016

1 JULY 2016 || The Duchess of Cambridge along with Prince William visited and opened the visitor centre and museum at the Thiepval memorial and later attended the National Commemorative Service marking the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme, on their second day in France for the Battle of Somme Centenary commemorations.

[padrespaleale]

Pilgrimage to Thiepval

If you won two free plane tickets, where would you go? If I won free plane tickets, I would fly to Iceland from there; I would go into France then and visit the Somme battlefields, eventually going to Thiepval. There, at the war memorial, I would find my great-uncle’s name, James Travis, inscribed on one of those walls. What I know about him fits into a few short sentences: Private, 3471, 11th…

[ginandoldlace]

The towering Thiepval Memorial, dedicated to the 75,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who vanished with no known grave in 1916’s battle of the Somme. Commemorating the past, maintained by the present, Thiepval immortalises the dedication of people today to keep the memory of a tragic human past alive for the benefit and education of future generations

[ifreakingloveroyals]

1 July 2016 | Prince Charles, Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge and Camilla, Duchess of Cornwall walk as they attend the memorial ceremony at the Thiepval Memorial, in Thiepval, during which Britain and France will mark the 100 years since soldiers emerged from their trenches to begin one of the bloodiest battles of World War I (WWI) at the River Somme. Under grey skies, unlike the clear sunny day that saw the biggest slaughter in British military history a century ago, the commemoration kicked off at the deep Lochnagar crater, created by the blast of mines placed under German positions two minutes before the attack began at 7:30 am on July 1, 1916. (c) Thibault Vandermersch/Pool/AFP via Getty Images

[kingwilliamv]

Prince William, Duke of Cambridge speaks at the Somme Centenary commemorations at the Thiepval Memorial in Albert, France. — 30.06.2016

[ukge]

Thiepval Memorial

Flavia Faedo (UK) The Thiepval Memorial is situated four miles (almost 6.5km) north of the town of Albert, in northern France, and was built to commemorate British soldiers who have no known grave, yet died here during the Great War of 1914-1918. This memorial rises majestically from the woods and, on approaching the site, one cannot help but feel overwhelmingly embraced by this awe-inspiring…

[bablake]

We will remember them

This morning we held our Remembrance services and came together as a community to remember the sacrifice made by former pupils and staff and to remind ourselves about our responsibilities to encourage peace and reconciliation.  It was a very moving occasion with many contributions from pupils and staff.

As part of the service, our Deputy School Captains spoke about two former pupils who are listed on our Roll of Honour and I share their stories with you today.

Towards the end of the Second World War, the Allies mounted an offensive against occupied Europe that started with the Normandy landings. Lieutenant Colonel Bernard Taunton was part of these landings and was killed while in the Channel. He attended Bablake between 1924 and 1930 and was captain of the 1st XV rugby team. During the war, he was mentioned in despatches for distinguished services and was promoted to Lieutenant Colonel. He had married in 1938 and the couple had two children.

Private Kenneth Barry was killed in France on 27th July 1916, aged 20. He joined Bablake in September 1907 and received a bursary to help him attend. After leaving, he went to Manchester University before enlisting into the army. The Battle of the Somme took place between July and November 1916 in Northern France and involved many soldiers from Britain and the Commonwealth. The South African Brigade was based in an area called Deville Wood and were joined by the Royal Fusiliers. During the fighting, Kenneth lost his life. His family appealed for information about him, but like many others, his body was never identified. He is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial and in the Coventry War Memorial Park.

Many South Africans were killed at Delville Wood and it is now considered to be part of South Africa, even though it is in France. The area was replanted after the war and is now a peaceful place to visit and reflect. Towards the back of the wood, there is a remarkable survivor from the war, a tree. It stands as a reminder that even after such devastation, peace and reconciliation are possible. As a Cross of Nails School, we have a duty to promote these in our community, something that I believe is important part of the legacy of all those who served and serve on our behalf.

Andrew Wright Headmaster

(Bulletin No 56 - 11th November 2022)

[if-you-fan-a-fire]

“MEMORIAL TO MISSING,” Montreal Star. March 14, 1932. Page 4. ---- Monument bearing 73,357 names of British soldiers missing after the Battle of the Somme, situated at Thiepval, France, which is to be unveiled by the Prince of Wales on March 16. Standing on the summit of a hill. it overlooks a plain where more than 200.000 British troops lost their lives. This monument is the last to be built and the ceremony will be surrounded with particular significance, as being the last of its kind. British and French officials are joining in the dedication ceremonies.

[ptrcmr]

"Intersections d'assaults"

Landscape altered by the man

Thiepval Memorial, Authuille, Hauts-de-France

©PTRCMR

[twf100]

Thiepval Memorial, Thiepval France, December 2018.

Full photo gallery online here.

Thiepval Memorial

Here are recorded names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields July 1915 February 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.

Over 72,000 men went missing on the Somme battlefields between July 1915 and March 1918. Their names are engraved upon the Thiepval Memorial. Almost 65,000 of these men were lost in the First Battle of the Somme.

The Battle of the Somme began on July 1 1916. It had been preceded by an artillery bombardment lasting five days with the purpose of clearing “no man’s land” of barbed wire. Unfortunately, due to poor manufacturing quality of British shells and that fact that a large number of the artillery pieces fired shrapnel shells which were useless against the barbed wire, the area between the Allied and German lines remained a formidable obstacle for attacking British troops. The British were almost defenseless against German machine gun fire and, within the first hour of the attack, maybe within the first minutes, the British suffered over 57,000 casualties with almost 20,000 being killed.

The battle would continue until November and by the end there would be almost one million casualties between Allied and German forces at the Somme. There was no breakthrough, the battle was not decisive for either side. It was a demoralizing carnage that was only ended by the approach of winter.

In front of the memorial lies the Thiepval Anglo-French Cemetery with the remains of 300 British Commonwealth and 300 French graves. 239 of the British graves are marked “Known Unto God” while 253 of the French graves are marked “Inconnu”. These unidentified bodies were buried here between December 1931 and March 1932.

There were a number of British visitors to the memorial on the day I was there. We all said “hello” to each other, each of them asking if I had lost a family member in the war. I explained that I was just an interested tourist and each of them quickly told me about their extended family member whose name was engraved on the memorial. They were happy to tell me some of their story, but the overcast weather and rain along with the general feeling of the site made for somber greetings.

British soldiers of the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers in the “Sunken Lane” about 5 miles from Thiepval, July 1 1916, minutes before the start of the Battle of the Somme. These men would be cut down in the first moments of the attack. Video: Youtube.

July 5, 2019

[world-of-wales]

CATHERINE'S STYLE FILES - 2016

30 JUNE 2016 || The Duchess of Cambridge and Prince William attended a military-led vigil to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme at the Thiepval memorial to the Missing in Thiepval, France.

[silentambassadors]

Happy Armistice Day, world.  If you have never read anything or seen the Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme, I strongly urge you to do so--and why not on this, the 99th anniversary of the eleventh day of the eleventh month, when the world thought, “I guess we’ve watered our fields with enough of the blood of our young, let’s stop”?  Thiepval, while the grounds incorporate a cemetery wherein 600 French and British soldiers are buried (“That the world may remember the common sacrifice of two and a half million dead, here have been laid side by side Soldiers of France and of the British Empire in eternal comradeship.”), the memorial itself is covered in the names of Commonwealth soldiers killed at the Somme whose bodies were lost/unrecognizable/blasted to bits/hurriedly tossed in a common grave/buried under the muck and dread that was the Somme between 1915 and 1918.  72,246 names, in fact.  “Here are recorded names of officers and men of the British Armies who fell on the Somme battlefields July 1915 February 1918 but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death.”  So.  Yeah.  That’s just the *British* soldiers, whose graves are otherwise unknown.  It’s quite unknown how many men overall were killed, even just in the first Somme Offensive, but something like 300,000.  So yes.  Happy Armistice Day, world.

Stamp details: Issued on: June 21, 2016 From: London, England MC #3897

[theworldofwars]

Lieutenant Reginald William Harris. Unit: 4th Battalion, West Yorkshire Regiment, attached to the "Z", 1st Trench Mortar Battery, Royal Field Artillery. Death: 3 September 1916, killed in action, Somme, Western Front. Commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.

[penandswordbooks]

The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing commemorates more than 72,000 men of British and South African forces who died in the Somme sector before 20 March 1918 and have no known grave, the majority of whom died during the Somme offensive of 1916. - Standing over 45 metres in height, it is the largest Commonwealth memorial to the missing in the world. It was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and construction began in 1928. It was unveiled on 1 August 1932 by Prince Edward, Prince of Wales. - Missing But Not Forgotten by Ken and Pam Linge seeks to tell the stories of those named on the memorial; it features over 200 fascinating stories of the men who fought and died and whose final resting places have not been identified. • #Thiepval #Memorial #WW1 #OTD #Somme #Missing #BattleOfTheSomme #OTDIH #MilitaryHistory #History #LestWeForget #Memorial #PenAndSword #OnThisDay (at Thiepval Memorial) https://www.instagram.com/p/CCGcZFrJynR/?igshid=1gcgzgzrz7ddb

[ifreakingloveroyals]

30 June 2016 | Prince William, Duke of Cambridge and Catherine, Duchess of Cambridge attend part of a military-led vigil to commemorate the 100th anniversary of the beginning of the Battle of the Somme at the Thiepval memorial to the Missing in Thiepval, France. The event is part of the Commemoration of the Centenary of the Battle of the Somme at the Commonwealth War Graves Commission Thiepval Memorial in Thiepval, France, where 70,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers with no known grave are commemorated. (c) Yui Mok - Pool/Getty Images