October 9th 1917

Anonymous Anonymous said...

Thanks for this, I too heard about it on Radio 4. I shall follow the succeeding instalments with great interest.
My grandfather was at Passchendaele in 1917, so he couldn't have been too far away. His story, more particular what happened to him after he was captured near La Fere in March 1918, can be found at http://www.1914-1918.net/heroes/carpenter.htm.

9:13 AM

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Blogger PI said...

My uncles were out in France in a Lancashire Regiment. My Dad ran away to join up but he was too young and His mother brought him back. They all survived bur one of them was gassed and their health was affected. All of them dead now. God bless them and Harry.

4:00 PM

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Anonymous Greg's granddaughter said...

For Ernie, who wanted to read all the letters in the right order - I, too, came new to this after hearing the broadcast on Radio 4 on Sunday. I hot-footed it to the computer, and read the lot - As far as I can see, the only way is to click on the earliest entries and read them in order that way - that's how I did it. I was enthralled until I'd read all of them.
Now, I read in the War Diary that Harry went into the front again on the 10th October - and I'm on the edge of my seat until I find out how he fares. I am also a complete newcomer to blogs, but I am so impressed by this one, being similarly interested in my own Grandad's experience of fighting in Passchendaele, that I have begun my own blog about it! They say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery!
Unfortunately, all that survives of his communications with his wife is a few postcards. She pre-deceased him, so I suppose he destroyed anything too personal, keeping the less personal postcards for history's sake.
Your blog is a fine, fine tribute to Harry and all those who fought in that terrible war. We have visited Ypres several times over the last few years. I've heard it called "Holy Ground".....it surely is.

11:17 AM

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Anonymous Ernie's niece said...

I'd like to join those who are saying thank you for this wonderful blog and who had relatives at Passchendaele too. My great uncle was there, a Suffolk farm labourer conscripted earlier in 1917 who had transferred to the Yorkshire regiment (but I don't know why)by the time of his death in September 1917. I have held the war diaries of his regiment in my hand at the National Archives. What a feeling. He died at the casualty clearing station known as Mendinghem and is buried in the cemetery of the same name. (Say the name aloud to realise the humour that helped them survive.)

5:12 PM

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Anonymous name said...

actually, that's brilliant. Thank you. I'm going to pass that on to a couple of people.

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