AVB Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 The coverage of Remembrance Day has reminded me of the couple of War Cemeteries that I have visited. I have been to the Kranji cemetery in Singapore and a couple in Thailand. I also was fortunate to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony in Singapore a few years ago. It is held early morning to avoid the heat of the day and attended by local dignitaries and any British service personnel in the country at the time (there was a Navy ship in port the time I was there). The combination of the solitude of the cemetery, the time of day with the sun coming up and the ceremony itself made it extremely moving. The cemeteries in Thailand were smaller but perfectly maintained as they all are. Anybody else been to any? I am going to see if there are any nearby me here in Delhi. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
onefulham Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) My wife and I toured the Northern France battlefields and war graves last year, while having a long weekend away in Lille, the Canadian memorial at Vimy Ridge is stunning and humbling. My wife now wants to go there with her sister in memory of her Grandad who passed this year, his regiment was involved in action in this area and he was very proud of its history. Edited November 12, 2011 by onefulham Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ally Pally Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 Been to a couple in Burma when I was working there a few years ago. Immaculately kept as was the on ein Malaysia. Also been to some near Ypres with a person who was in the army there and he had some really sad stories but so proud with it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
englishman-in-wales Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 I visited the one in Labuan (Malaysia), brought a tear to the eye, so it did!! Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulABF Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 Normandy, Arnhem and Belgium. For one of my Arnhem visits I got chatting to a local (boy during the war) who'd made it his calling to discover as much as he could about the fallen in 'his' cemetery. The stories were fascinating, humbling and awe inspiring. Respect to them all. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
UKPoacher Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 (edited) Cambridge (USAF), Arnhem and Ypres. When you go to Arnhem and see that every building in the whole area is post 1945 you realise what a bloody and destructive battle it must have been. Also been to a few of the landing beaches of Normandy and was fortunate enough to be there on the last major celebrations of the landings. Edited November 12, 2011 by UKPoacher Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
libs Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 All across northern France, including the memorial at Vimmy Ridge which is truly breath taking. Oosterbeek/Arhem and some in Belgium when I was very young. The way these sacred places are kept is brilliant. Whoever is responsible for the upkeep is doing a stella job at making sure they are wonderful places to reflect and do some thinking about our freedom. I will be at the Cenotaph in Whitehall tomorrow for the first time too. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
phill.p Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 I was on a ship in Brindisi back in the 90s and got the train up to Taranto to visit my Great Grandads grave. The Cemetery was closed when i finally managed to find my way there with the help of a non English speaking Taxi driver, who wanted to take me to the cement works. So it was a case of jumping the wall and finding the grave. It was the first time any of the family had visited, very humbling to be in the corner of that foreign field. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulABF Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 The way these sacred places are kept is brilliant. Whoever is responsible for the upkeep is doing a stella job at making sure they are wonderful places to reflect and do some thinking about our freedom. Each grave in Arnhem cemetery is looked after by a pupil from the local school. It's a tradition that's been carried on since the lads were first interred there. Part of the service for the Market-Garden remembrance is when all the kids silently march out and lay a flower on their allocated graves. Very moving. Like all of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, the cemeteries are immaculate. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted November 12, 2011 Report Share Posted November 12, 2011 I have visited lots of them in France, Belgium and Berlin. Every one of them are immaculate and well worth a visit, I feel so emotional every time I am there. Although not part of the commonwealth war graves I did come across a small grave plot in the Happy Valley grave yard in Hong Kong which had been set aside for the Military dead from the second world war and serving members who had died while serving in Hong Kong since then. I have to admit I was totally shocked as it was in a total state and was not getting looked after. Due to this I discussed it with my guys and we got an unofficial team together and went about cleaning the place up in our own free time. We only had a couple of weeks to clean it up as much as we could before the practice was about to start for the hand over parade, giving the colony back to China. We worked hard and managed to clean the area up in 2 weeks, using our free afternoon time during the hottest time of the day. Well done to the Guys. It was a lot of hard work and the outcome was a huge improvement. We had a small parade where we sounded the last post and piped the flowers of the forest. On the day of the parade we were watched buy a couple of guys from the grave area and one of them, the older of the two introduced himself as ex Pte Frith who had served with a few of the soldiers that were buried in the plot. He was crying and thanked us for what we had done and asked to get a few photos. Here is one with me on the left, Pte Frith, his son in law and at the time Cpl (piper) Dave Smith. I felt so proud on this day. Sadly I fear that the plot has probably been allowed to overgrow again, I must make a point of getting over there and having a look. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bakerboy Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 A good job well done, respect you Jimmy Terry Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Vince Green Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) There was a British Cemetry on the ouskirts of Freetown, Sierra Leone. Very big because loads died from the many diseases. I would imagine that has fallen into disrepair now. We used to regularly wander round and read the grave stones. It really used to make you wonder what the individual stories were that brought people to such a resting place far from home. It was not all military graves, there were people there who worked on the railway and in the mining etc. When I was there in the late 70s there were still British ex-pats who lived there out of choice if you can believe it. Edited November 13, 2011 by Vince Green Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
woodcock11 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 The coverage of Remembrance Day has reminded me of the couple of War Cemeteries that I have visited. I have been to the Kranji cemetery in Singapore and a couple in Thailand. I also was fortunate to attend the Remembrance Day ceremony in Singapore a few years ago. It is held early morning to avoid the heat of the day and attended by local dignitaries and any British service personnel in the country at the time (there was a Navy ship in port the time I was there). The combination of the solitude of the cemetery, the time of day with the sun coming up and the ceremony itself made it extremely moving. The cemeteries in Thailand were smaller but perfectly maintained as they all are. Anybody else been to any? I am going to see if there are any nearby me here in Delhi. The most moving for me was to see my great uncle's grave at Ypres in Belgium. He was with the Irish Guards and was k.i.a on 1 November 1914. We plan to return for the centenary of his death. We have also been to the Ulster Tower and Thiepval on the Somme and to the Menin Gate in Belgium. The furthest was at English Camp on San Juan Island on the US Pacific west coast, the scene of the "War of the Pig" a fascinating story reflecting the final armed conflict between the UK and the US. The most surprising perhaps being the CWGC at Eglantine Parish Church near Lisburn in County Antrim NI. Here are buried some 16 - 20 RAF aircrew, mainly from the Commonwealth - Canada, Australia & New Zealand who were killed whilst serving at RAF Long Kesh nearby, which of course went on to become [in]famous as Long Kesh or more correctly HM Prison The Maze, where many republican and loyalist terrorists were incarcerated during "The Troubles" here. The whole complex has thankfully now been razed to the ground and we await what delights will replace it. Maqny many congratulations and thanks to those wonderful Jocks who cleaned up the graves in Hong Kong - it is hard to understand why CWCG are not on it. I know someone at CWGC and will gladly contact him about it. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
berties Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Have done the war graves at Arnhem and paid my respects, and went to Ypres and visited the battlegrounds of the fallen and had the honour to place a poppy wreath at the Menin gate at a service held the same time as the commemorative marches,I will one day take time to go to Singapore to visit My great uncles memorial,we took many years to find the true story of his passing and the british legion took the case back in the 70s to find out he had been captured and was on the train being taken to a camp and was killed by friendly fire! every year we remember the fallen for our own reasons ,long may it remain Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
gemini52 Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I visited tyne cot in france in 1991 with my brother there are twelve thousand graves, it is very moving just to walk around and read the head stones,the most strange feeling i got was when walking through the gate house birds were singing yet when i got through to the cemetary it was total silence as if the birds were showing respect it still gives me shivers even now. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
keg Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Blunderbust,you and yoiur team did an excellent job there, Well done, it looked superb. I have visited the Somme, most of Normandy and although not CWGC managed, Pearl Harbour. What amazed me about Pearl was the number of Japanese tourists and the lack of reverence from both sides. Visiting Normandy & Belgium, i didn't see many Germans and the reverence show, even by the youngsters, was commendable. This was not the case at Pearl, even when we were dropped at the USS Arizone memorial. Lots of chatting and joking. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Thunderbird Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Have been all over Normandy and Flanders, so well kept and a credit to the people that make that happen. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr smith Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 (edited) Several years ago we went to a small cemetry in the village of Albert.We were the the first to visit the grave of the wife's great grandfather who was killed on the Somme in 1916. It was a lot of hard work and the outcome was a huge improvement. We had a small parade where we sounded the last post and piped the flowers of the forest. The guy second from the rear is familiar,bit of a long shot you wouldn't know if he was from Dundee. Edited November 13, 2011 by mr smith Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Blunderbust Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Several years ago we went to a small cemetry in the village of Albert.We were the the first to visit the grave of the wife's great grandfather who was killed on the Somme in 1916. The guy second from the rear is familiar,bit of a long shot you wouldn't know if he was from Dundee. Yes that is a guy called Sammy Salmond, I believe that Sammy was his nick name, he is married to a girl from Carnoustie and I believe he was originaly from Dundee. Indeed most of us in the pic are from Dundee . Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr smith Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Yes that is a guy called Sammy Salmond, I believe that Sammy was his nick name, he is married to a girl from Carnoustie and I believe he was originaly from Dundee. Indeed most of us in the pic are from Dundee . Just trying to remember where i know him from probably the cadets.Now you say that there are a couple of more i recognize or could my imagination. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ack-ack Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 I like looking round normal cemeteries out in the back of beyond for servicemens graves. Found one in Somerset that was 51 when he was killed. He was a sailor. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted November 13, 2011 Report Share Posted November 13, 2011 Been to around 30 or more War Cemetaries, most of which were a couple of years ago in France. Thiepval, Tyne Cot, Albert, Amiens, Ypres, Langemarck, Ramparts Lille to name but a few. If I can find my phone with all the photos on it I'll upload a few. I've a cracker I took from the cemetary just up from the Ulster tower. The sun is setting through the arch entrance to the cemetary. Would make a fantastic background for the pc. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Found a couple of the pics. I've literally hundreds more but these will have to suffice for now Top is beside Ulster tower. Middle pic is the Welsh memorial at Mametz Wood and the bottom is the South African Memorial. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
mr smith Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Tsk tsk the top picture the sun is slightly off centre. Just kidding good photo's Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Cannon Posted November 14, 2011 Report Share Posted November 14, 2011 Pics were taken on a mobile phone. Would have got the sun in the centre but we had to move the van out of the way which took longer than expected because the driver had never driven a manual transmission before lol. Quote Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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