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Battle of the Somme


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Just did a bit of research which really puts this event into perspective!

Total British Serviceman lives lost per recent conflict:

Northern Ireland - 763

Falklands - 255

Iraq - 179

Afghanistan - 453

 

Total - 1650

 

Day one of the Somme - 19,240 British lives lost!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

In one Day!!

How can we ever forget that?

SG

 

Absolutely, and that is just the first day.....

 

People do forget, in our soft cosseted modern lives we are separated from some of the big realities of our past, that gave the way of life we have today.

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My grandad on mums side lost 3 brothers in France (he was too young) and grandad on dads side became a pilot in 1917 in desperation to get to the front line. He was shot down and his plane tailspun into the troops he'd been attacking. He woke up a prisoner in German hospital and later escaped from prison camp but was recaptured after a few days. At the end of the war, on release, he said the Germans had nothing and he swapped 2 of his cigs and a piece pork(ish) pie for an iron cross which I still have. One of my cousins has his own medals. It was his old injuries which finally killed him.

My dad said his last words were "wish they'd hurry up and pull the chocks, I need to be going"

All incredibly brave men, many of whom needlessly lost their lives because of the arrogant donkeys who called the shots

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It's a pity that time travel can't be arranged just prior to declarations of war.

 

If the lunatics who send out all these poor souls could actually read a list of all the names and comprehend the length of the list - would they still do it?

 

Unending respect for all those who fell, dead, injured, mentally scarred AND all who knew and loved them. Unending despair at the moronic command who deemed it necessary.

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3 of my great grandfathers served in ww1, from what I can find, one was definitely in the somme (I have a flask given to him to celebrate his leaving there, its my most treasured possession) but I think another served there as a surgeon, as did my great grandmother, a nurse.

 

Something like 10% of nz's population served overseas in ww1. 58% casualty rate.

 

I heard of it referred to as "the great european sheep slaughtering machine". Pity the xmas truce didnt stick. was one of the few signs of humanity in the whole thing. Im incredibly proud and disgusted all at the same time. A sad waste of so many good men. Donkeys indeed.

 

Youtube the 1964 series done by the BBC on the great war, its very very good.

 

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3 of my great grandfathers served in ww1, from what I can find, one was definitely in the somme (I have a flask given to him to celebrate his leaving there, its my most treasured possession) but I think another served there as a surgeon, as did my great grandmother, a nurse.

 

Something like 10% of nz's population served overseas in ww1. 58% casualty rate.

 

I heard of it referred to as "the great european sheep slaughtering machine". Pity the xmas truce didnt stick. was one of the few signs of humanity in the whole thing. Im incredibly proud and disgusted all at the same time. A sad waste of so many good men. Donkeys indeed.

 

Youtube the 1964 series done by the BBC on the great war, its very very good.

 

 

 

Here's a photo from the book of him and fellow prisoners at Graudenz some of whom are either Kiwi or Ozzie officers:

ImageUploadedByArbtalk1467552282.108958.jpg.e2e15137b4b9d008d452dabe55a4e59c.jpg

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Grandads brother is still over there , I ought to find out where he went and what circumstances he lost his life.

Great Grandfather on my paternal side was a lion of a man and lost a gonad , but survived. Don't know where he fought either!

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The whole thing is unimaginable now to me at least (but I suspect for most) however I think that we mustn't judge it by the standards of today.

 

Just about every Commonwealth family will have a similar story to ours but it for us in NZ it's such a fundamental building block of our road to nationhood, and I think so important that the young folk understand . . . a big part of what grounds them if you like.

 

My Great Uncle Robert lies forever at Cape Helles, (kia 8 May 1915 on the "Daisy Patch"), my namesake Great Uncle Foster was away on "active duty" 3 years and 300 days, my Grandfather was also at Gallipoli with his brother as a late reinforcement, and subsequently on the Western front for the remainder of the War. We have his letters to his wife to be (unusually he was in his mid 30's, turning 34 in action on the front line of the trenches, late 1916) and they are pretty unique given his somewhat different perspective to the younger guys. His dairy is now online, its very sparse so really of interest only to his very extended family (I have 58 cousins from his side) but very important to us.

 

Lest we forget . . . we WILL remember them

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