Arras was the site of many battles during the Great War. Much damage was done to the historic centre of the town which has now been rebuilt in the original style. We returned to the Arras Memorial in search of John Lisle. For years he was deemed to be missing in action, but recent research
Our main task was to find the 49th (West Riding) Division Memorial. This is the remains of a second line of defines trenches and a dressing station of 1916/17. This was where the local battalions, such as 1/4 KOYLI, the Bradford Pals and others from West and South Yorkshire were amalgamated in 1915 to form
First thing today we explored Bollezeele. We spoke to some local people about the old photographs and captured these images. This was a stopping off point for troops en route to the Ypres Salient. We headed north to Bergues, an ancient fortified town, which was an allied headquarters. This walled and gated town has small
Explorations on the French/Belgian border Read More »
It is 9:00 p.m. and we have just eaten dinner in the Hostellerie Saint-Louis in Bollezeele (Nord), France, a small town that Grandad Partington stayed in during 1915 or 1916 prior to a battle at Ypres in Belgium. The hotel was originally a hospice but may have been a field station during the Great War.
Our mission is to take the photographs from 1914/16 back to their locations and record present day. This is where we are staying on our first night and is in the village where grandfather stopped before the first battle of Ypres.
Returning to the Somme Read More »
Thursday 27th February Yesterday we spent the morning in Ushuaia before departing to Buenos Aires arriving in the evening. After check in at the hotel we went to our favourite barbecue restaurant for lots more meat on the bone. This morning we have explored Buenos Aires by foot seeing the French side of the city
Tuesday 25th February As we write (mid-afternoon) we have started our journey down the Beagle Channel to Ushuaia. It is calm here following a night and morning of large waves and a big swell. In the restaurant it was fun as meals, drinks and crockery went from side to side along the table! The calmer
Monday 24th February This day at sea gives us an opportunity to reflect upon our experience. The ship is a converted car ferry and has been specially fitted for work in icy waters with lots of stabilising devices and special radar that enables it to get close to land. Our cabin is roomy with a
Sunday 23rd February Overnight we sailed northwards to the South Shetland Islands and in particular Deception Island at 63S. This is an enormous caldera, (a flooded volcanic crater) formed 10,000 years ago, with coves lining the inner walls where later eruptions have taken place, the last being in 1970. We entered the caldera through ‘Neptune’s