Tagged With: World War I
A visit to the Somme
We recently visited the Somme area for the first time. My husband’s maternal grandfather was killed there during the First World War and as the centenary of his death approaches, it felt appropriate to see where he is buried and pay our respects. In a sense he was fortunate in that he has a named resting … Continue reading
My Grandfathers’ Chests [part 2]
It seems a long time since I wrote about William Slaughter’s small leather trunk in the December blog post, with Christmas and New Year falling in between. Now it’s 2015, and the anniversary of the Gallipoli campaign falls this year, reminding us that there were many other theatres of war than the Western Front, during … Continue reading
25 Years after the Fall (of the Berlin Wall)
Exactly 25 years ago today, the Berlin Wall fell. Tonight, a concert at the Brandenburg Gate commemorated one of the most important events of the 20th century. It did so by releasing 8,000 white helium balloons which were illuminated and lined up next to one another over a nine-mile line; the same line along which … Continue reading
Mr Punch’s History of the Great War
Of all the books I’ve acquired from relatives over the years one of my favourites is Mr. Punch’s History of the Great War. Published in 1919 by Cassell and Company and edited by Charles L Graves (1856-1944) it uses extracts from Punch magazine to “provide a mirror of varying moods, month by month, but reflecting … Continue reading
Letters from my grandparents
I have written before on the subject of letters from my grandparents and what they meant to me when I received them and what they mean to me now. I took one out of my writing box – a blue leather case I got for my 13th birthday (how I had longed for it and … Continue reading
Olga’s Story
I have been reading ‘Olga’s Story’ by Stephanie Williams[published by Viking in 2005 and subsequently by Penguin in 2006].It is a detailed and very readable account of the life of her Russian grandmother, Olga Yunter, who was born in Siberia in 1900. She was brought up in a large, lively and educated family, her father … Continue reading
A first World War romance
In the blog of 27th Oct. 2012 I wrote about my grandmother, Kathleen Harper’s passport photograph, but had been unable to find out any details of her journey to Egypt. Through researching ships’ passenger lists I have discovered that she left the Port of London on 4th August 1916 on the P&O ship Arabia. It … Continue reading
The Last of Her Generation
My mother, Peggy Wise, is 92 and the last of her generation in my family. Her great-grandchildren will never know about her remarkable life and how it has been shaped by the two World wars of the twentieth century, unless her stories are written down. Talking to her about her memories and experiences led me to research into my … Continue reading