In ‘Bogs in Belgium’, I recommended a book by Lyn Macdonald. I am currently reading another one of her books. This one is called ‘To the last man’. It deals with the German Spring Offensive of 1918. In one of the maps, I noticed a place (Ayette) that is mentioned in the War Diary of…
All posts tagged Ypres
Simple twist of fate
In the blog ‘Medal Ribbons’ I briefly examined the question of how many soldiers survived the entire war in their original unit. Fate played a part. Being in the right, or wrong, place could make a massive difference to the chances of survival. Examination of three seminal battles helps to prove the point. 1914: In…
Medal Ribbons
The War Diary for the 2nd battalion, Manchester Regiment, contains entries on a great range of subject matter. Sometimes it provides information on casualties. On other days, it informs the reader that the men were able to take baths. On 5th February 1918, the General Officer Commanding 14th Infantry Brigade presented the medal ribbon of…
Gassed
My Father was sure that Patrick came back from the Front on a stretcher three times. I can only find hard evidence of two occasions. The first time was in October 1914. He arrived back in England on 16th October. I have found no records that contain any details of his injuries. He was taken…
Third Ypres
Some historians call it the Battle of Passchendaele. Some call it the Third Battle of Ypres. The fact that three battles were fought in the same area is significant. It serves to emphasise the static nature of much of the Great War. Patrick fought in the Second Battle of Ypres, in 1915 (covered in ‘After…
Bogs in Belgium
According to my Ordnance Survey Ireland map, Clooneenbaun in County Roscommon (where members of my family lived until 1908) sits on the 70 metre contour line. Lough Creevin, I km to the north, is 64 metres above sea level. Lough Slye, just south of the N61 is at 57 metres. As explained, and illustrated, in…
After Brighton
Patrick was evacuated from France on 15th October 1914. After time being treated at the 2nd Eastern General Hospital in Brighton, he was posted to the 3rd Battalion of the Manchester Regiment on 6th January 1915. At that time, they were based in Cleethorpes, on the East Coast of England. In the minds of many,…