To this day, the birds can sense death and avoid flying near the mass graves. It is the same for concentration camps .
My maternal Grandfather just missed becoming embroiled in the closing stages of the battle of the Somme. His Division had been due to relieve another on the Somme, but were diverted at the last moment to Salonika from where he sent the attached letter to my four year old mother. His parents had four sons in the Great War, two of whom were killed and the other two decorated. Cyril did get to see his family again, but it was destined to be the last time. Fairly shortly after returning to the Middle East in early 1918 he was killed in a little known action near to Amman.
Following my mother’s death some 20 odd years ago I found this letter among her papers. I also found that she had been writing to a representative of his regimental association who annually placed a wooden cross in the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey for her each November. 90 years after my Grandfather’s death I and my son met this gentleman, to our great surprise it transpired that the unit in which Cyril had enlisted eventually morphed into the SAS and ‘Dagger’ was indeed a former member.
Things did not go well for the two children, some 10 years later their mother died, leaving them to be brought up by one of her sisters.(I was to become very close to my Great Aunt who lived to be 98). AFAIK the children did benefit from a charitable place at Christ’s Hospital School, however this meant that they were separated for most of the year since this was a boarding school, with the girls in Hertford and the boys in Horsham. In the way of things, my mother was to marry a man who had also lost his mother as a small child and he was to serve in WW2.
Several years ago I made up my mind that I would visit my Grandfather’s grave on the anniversary of his death: 30th march 1918; there is unfortunately one small problem at the moment, but I am resolute that it will not deter me. Cyril is buried in the Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in … Damascus.
Lovely letter that Cav!!
Thanks for posting it. Very evocative.
My Great Grandfather went over the top at the Somme and was one of the lucky ones to survive. I only have a vague memory of him as he died when I was little, but I’ve been told that the war never really left him, he regularly in later life would be found under his bed hiding from the shelling. He was awarded the DCM later in the war which unfortunately was list when his house was bombed during the blitz.
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I know it was another war but I was in Berlin last week and spotted a big old building with bullet holes around the windows. Certainly made me think that neither wars were that long ago in the great scheme of things.
Heroes everyone of those soldiers RIP
cav551:
My maternal Grandfather just missed becoming embroiled in the closing stages of the battle of the Somme. His Division had been due to relieve another on the Somme, but were diverted at the last moment to Salonika from where he sent the attached letter to my four year old mother. His parents had four sons in the Great War, two of whom were killed and the other two decorated. Cyril did get to see his family again, but it was destined to be the last time. Fairly shortly after returning to the Middle East in early 1918 he was killed in a little known action near to Amman.Following my mother’s death some 20 odd years ago I found this letter among her papers. I also found that she had been writing to a representative of his regimental association who annually placed a wooden cross in the Field of Remembrance at Westminster Abbey for her each November. 90 years after my Grandfather’s death I and my son met this gentleman, to our great surprise it transpired that the unit in which Cyril had enlisted eventually morphed into the SAS and ‘Dagger’ was indeed a former member.
Things did not go well for the two children, some 10 years later their mother died, leaving them to be brought up by one of her sisters.(I was to become very close to my Great Aunt who lived to be 98). AFAIK the children did benefit from a charitable place at Christ’s Hospital School, however this meant that they were separated for most of the year since this was a boarding school, with the girls in Hertford and the boys in Horsham. In the way of things, my mother was to marry a man who had also lost his mother as a small child and he was to serve in WW2.
Several years ago I made up my mind that I would visit my Grandfather’s grave on the anniversary of his death: 30th march 1918; there is unfortunately one small problem at the moment, but I am resolute that it will not deter me. Cyril is buried in the Commonwealth War Grave Cemetery in … Damascus.
I found that hard to read that letter, as a father that is very close to my little girl! Heart breaking, wow! Young men going to war to never return at the age of 15/16 I feel selfish!!
God bless their souls, better men than I’ll ever be.
A couple of tunes to moisten your eyes a bit…
Margarita - Harvey Andrews Anyone who’s served will remember “Soldier”…same writer/singer.
Accrington Pals - Mike Harding His “Bomber’s Moon” is also worth a listen. Written for his Dad who was on Lancasters in WW2, who didn’t make it.
im not knocking these guys in any way as it must have been worse than grim for the cannon fodder brigade and I think its disgracefull how ex vets are treated and ignored by the country they constanty save,but i think the main reason for keeping marching towards the enemy was the fact that they knew their own officers would have shot them on the spot as a deserter to discourage everybody else from doing so as anyone with common sense would have seen how pointless the situation was and legged it.so it was march forwards and prob get shot,or turn round and def get shot.i think there would be a few more oficers getting it in the back of the head from a mystery gun if they tried that stuff nowadays.and how bad was it for the ruskies at stalingrad etc.they charged ingroups of 3 men to 1 gun.as soon as the dude holding the gun gets shot,number 2 lifted it and ran on.as soon as they ran forward,their own lines machine gunners were told to shoot anyone returning…poor guys whatever side they were on.
Let us not forget unarmed combat when the gun jammed or the bullets ran out.
Face to face with the enemy looking in his eyes to finish him off with a bayonet or dagger.
If you see the film Saving Private Ryan ,
there is a harrowing scene in the French village where a German and American soldier are fighting by hand.
The German tells the American to be quiet as the knife is methodically pushed in to his heart and he calmly walks out of the house.
Bloody Hell Cav, i’m struggling to see the screen now after reading that letter, must have some old Gardner smoke in me eyes.
That brings it all home, thankyou for allowing us to peek in.
dieseldog999:
im not knocking these guys in any way as it must have been worse than grim for the cannon fodder brigade and I think its disgracefull how ex vets are treated and ignored by the country they constanty save,but i think the main reason for keeping marching towards the enemy was the fact that they knew their own officers would have shot them on the spot as a deserter to discourage everybody else from doing so as anyone with common sense would have seen how pointless the situation was and legged it.so it was march forwards and prob get shot,or turn round and def get shot.
Probably that was the same for both sides. 
en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Christmas_truce
Ironically this should have applied more to WW1 than the war it was actually written for.Less naive young people in 1960’s US. 
Jaysus that letter is priceless and a real tear jerker but well worth reading thank you for sharing that with us Tears in my eyes.
toby1234abc:
Let us not forget unarmed combat when the gun jammed or the bullets ran out.
Face to face with the enemy looking in his eyes to finish him off with a bayonet or dagger.
.
There are a few home made weapons in the Imperial War Museum made by soldiers for trench assaults.
■■■■ horrible things such as coshes with nails sticking out of the end, or fence stakes filed to a point.
robroy:
toby1234abc:
Let us not forget unarmed combat when the gun jammed or the bullets ran out.
Face to face with the enemy looking in his eyes to finish him off with a bayonet or dagger.
.There are a few home made weapons in the Imperial War Museum made by soldiers for trench assaults.
[zb] horrible things such as coshes with nails sticking out of the end, or fence stakes filed to a point.
Crazy situation when bullet tampering is outlawed by international convention but it’s considered ok to use medieval weapons on someone. 
If any of my mates had been butchered like that I think I’d have been filing down the heads of my rifle or machine gun bullets regardless of which side.