Port Sunlight War Memorial

Port Sunlight War Memorial stands in the most prominent position in the middle of the village, at the intersection of its broadest avenues, The Causeway and The Diamond. It is made in granite, with sculptures and reliefs in bronze. At the centre is a runic cross. This is one of the most impressive War Memorials I have seen outside a major city in the UK.

It has a grade 1 lisiting.

 

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Remembering 1st July 1916 100 years on.

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In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

By Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae

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 Sculpture of a war-weary Tommy installed on Seaham seafront in County Durham

 

Dover Patrol in memory of.

The Dover Patrol was formed in WW1 as unit of the Royal Navy part of which was based at Dover. It’s main task was to prevent enemy shipping most importantly submarines from entering the English Channel on their way to the Atlantic Ocean.The Patrol forced the German Navy to travel a much longer route around Scotland to the Atlantic  which was covered by the Northern Patrol.  After the war, a fund was set up to erect a memorial to the Dover Patrol.

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REMEMBERED

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Each year the numbers grow smaller,

The faces grow older, and the feet slower

The campaign medals date back less in time

And are conflicts I remember.

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2014 POPPY BLOGS

https://andyfinnegan22.wordpress.com/2014/11/15/poppies-other-than-those-at-the-tower-london/

https://andyfinnegan22.wordpress.com/2014/10/27/they-shall-grow-not-old-as-we-that-are-left-grow-old-age-shall-not-weary-them-nor-the-years-condemn-at-the-going-down-of-the-sun-and-in-the-morning-we-will-remember-them/

poppy day 2015

A sad National Trust House.

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Today we had a chance to visit The National Trust property Clandon Park. A Grade 1 listed building 18th century Palladian mansion in West Clandon near Guilford Surrey. It has been a National Trust property since 1956. The house in about to be cocooned to protect it as much as possible from the weather while its future is decided. On 29th April this year a fire started in the basement 16 fire engines attended with more that 80 fire fighters but the fire quickly reached the roof. The mansion was left a shell the roof ceilings and floors have all fallen into the basement. No one was hurt and a significant number of items were salvaged as the fire spread. Much was lost. The house was a hospital in WW1 and the Surrey infantry Regimental Museum was housed in the house since 1981. It is believed 6 Victoria Crosses were among regimental medals lost in the fire. A football kicked across no-mans land on the 1st Day of the Somme was destroyed.

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Close up of fire damage through one of the doors

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A Bombers Moon and time for reflection. 671 not returning home

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Having driven from near Seahouses,  heading home by the time we had reach Oxford I was ready for a walk around and a stretch of the legs. Many times on the A34 I recalled seeing signs for a Commonwealth War graves cemetery and thought this was a place for a look. The site contains 156 burials from WW1 the site of this cemetery is a result of the 3rd Southern General Hospital an Oxfordshire TA unit being located nearby. During WW2 it was designated a RAF cemetery. Used by many local Bomber command airfields in the area by the end of WW2 the total graves had risen to 671.

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Tanks for the memory

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This monument is in fiberglass it is the prototype for a bronze now in London

Bovington Camp is the main area for The British Army Tank Regiments within the site is Bovington Tank Museum which houses the best collection of tanks anywhere in the UK. The museum traces the development of the tank from WW1 to the modern day Well worth a visit.

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