Anonymous said...
The adventure begins. I'm looking forward to it. I hope that Harry comes home safe from the war.
...John O'Neal
San Diego, California
On Saturday evening I received a call from the local hospital to say that
my father, Bill Lamin, passed away peacefully in his sleep. He fought a
long batt...
10 years ago
Hello,
I'm from Western Australia and my father Jesse Hill MM no.16267 was with C Company 9th Bat.Yorks & Lancs from 28th October 1914 to being demobbed in March 1919, but he didn't talk much about the war.
Looking forward to more episodes
Godfrey H Hill
Hi,
Do you know if Stanton Ironworks was in Stanton Hill Nottinghamshire?
I live in Stanton Hill and would be interested to find out where the ironworks were. I know there was a pit in Stanton Hill, as my house is one of the pithouses!
January 03, 2008
Just read about this blog on CNN. What a wonderful idea! About Harry living with Jack, another possibility is that Harry was sent there to give him an opportunity to attend a better school or something. Or perhaps his mother was in poor health and unable to care for him. Or perhaps he was somehow working to help Jack. Lots of possibilities.
January 08, 2008
My sister told me about this blog and I am now hooked. What a magnificent idea! I will certainly be following this.
January 16, 2008
This looks really interesting. Will you release how many letters there are ahead of the Publication?
7:58 AM
Are you continuing with this project? It looks really interesting - I'm looking forward to it:-)
2:33 PM
My fifteen year old grandson who is living with me has a history assignment. We live close to a street called Messines and he had decided to make the Messines Ridge Battle the subject of his assignment. His great great uncle Lance Corporal Matthew Carroll 34th Btn AIF was killed at Messines on the 8th July, 1917. I have postcards from him to his family and other old papers. Very interesting and very sad.
The research he has been doing has sparked a strong interest and we are looking forward to reading your blog.
7:56 PM
Caught you being interviwed on BBC radio Five live and got interested.
I'm enjoying reading this and have added your site to my 'blogroll' as I believe it's great idea and a damn good read.
12:12 AM
Dear Mr. Lamin,
Just today I discovered your grandfather's blog. What a wonderful idea to post his letters online 90 years after they were written. My father, who lived in the Netherlands also joined the army in 1917, he was 19 at the time. I'll be reading more with great interest. Thanks for sharing!
2:43 PM
From a patriotic Englishman.....I cannot tell you how grateful I am to share this blog, we owe our lives to gentlemen like Harry, so glad he will never be forgotten now he's found the worldwide web.....
6:09 PM
I only heard about the blog on Five Live today, but I will be a constant reader from now on. As more time passes since WW1, there are less and less people who can pass on their memories. Reading Harrys' letters can help us to understand what these brave men went through and remind us of the debt that we owe to his generation.
These letters must fill you with so many different emotions, but I hope that pride is one of them. Thankyou.
9:14 PM
I heard you being interviewed on Radio 5 and today have accessed your diary of Harry Lamin. It reminded me of the family trying to get Grandfather to talk of his experiences in 1917/18 and the horrors of those times. He never did. Harry's letters are quite remarkable in their modesty as he does his best to allay the fears of family at home. You are to be congratulated on an inspired idea to share them with so many enthusiasts. Well done!
5:20 PM
Every year in November, I find myself gearing up for Remembrance Day (always a big commemmoration in Canada) & start looking for new material, TV shows, films, etc. And here's your blog; I'm so glad I found it. It's just the most marvellous memorial of & to the common men caught up in duty & honour. You are very very lucky to have these letters & very very kind to share them with the world.
Thank you so much
Marita
Yellowknife, NWT, Canada
8:23 PM
I think this was your first post but I'll need to go back and check that. Just so you know where I commented. What a truly fantastic idea for a blog. I came across it from the blogs of note. My eldest boy and husband will be fascinated to read it.
10:21 AM
is this real ?
1:59 PM
I just finished reading "Ordinary Heroes" by Scott Turow and had my interest in the World Wars re-kindled. I realized I knew quite a bit about WWII but very little about the Great War. This blog is brilliant and I love the way you are releasing the letters. I intend to read all the backlog and then read them everytime one comes in. thank you for the work you are putting into it.
Jeff Couch
P.S. If you like poetry, both pretentious and otherwise feel free to check out my blog, spunthreads.blogspot.com
4:24 AM
I heard about this Blog on Radio 4's Broadcasting House programme (in the review of the year - not sure when you appeared on it) and followed their link to find this site.
What an inspired idea to publish the letters - and on the appropraite days makes it so much more real and gives asense of time - no doubt Harry himself will give us an insight into the 'place'. I have lots of catching up to do to get onto real time (it's 31 December 2007 as I write this) but I'm looking forward to reading the letters.
Congratulations on your efforts, a wonderful lasting tribute to Harry.
10:01 PM
Wow this looks really interesting!
I found it after my english teachers (Mr W) wrote a post about it!
I feel I may be spending the next few hours catching up! :D
Rachel
x
4:24 PM
hello,
i'm from holland. today i saw a article about your site at the paper (algemeen dagblad).
that's why i take a look at it.
i have not much time right now, but when i come home this afternoon i will read more. i think it's realy interesting, my grandpa (he fights at the world war 2) will read this to i think.
sorry for this english, it isn't that good
10:00 AM
I read about this blog in yesterday's Telegraph (4 Jan, 2008) and I will enjoy catching up with all of the correspondence. What a great idea to do this and how informative - thank you for sharing these letters.
2:22 PM
I read about this blog in today's Corriere della Sera(5 Jan, 2008) and I'm enthusiastic for your bright idea.
Thank you very much for this treasure - online- room.
Ines
Rome, Italy
5/ 01/ 2008
8:48 PM
Hello from Italy.
I read about this blog today, in one of our main newspapers.
Here my reading starts, right from this post, here where the web becomes Poetry and History. Thanks for this precious blog.
Anna
8:57 PM
Great idea! My grandfather was in the folgore but I guess his letters may be unfortunately lost! Good luck with your project. Duccio from Italy.
10:41 AM
Hi Mr Lamin.I founded your blog on a spanish newspaper today "el Pais".My english is no good.Thanks for sharing this amazing history with us.
7:04 PM
Hi Mr. Lamin.
I'm a brazilian 22 years old guy who is about to read about your history. I think you would be happy to known that your history is today known in a far way land. Brazilian press has noticed this blogg adress.
See you soon.
São Paulo, SP, Brasil.
7:50 PM
Just read about this blog on an online article. I am from Australia, my Grandfather was in WW2. I will be reading this from now on with great interest. What a great idea.
10:20 PM
Thank you for doing this.
11:42 PM
I found this blog by accident leafing through an old and discarded newspaper and feel fortunate to have done so.
I work at a police station in Wells, Somerset next to where Harry PATCH lives, Harry for those of you that do not know of him is I believe the oldest surviving WW1 veteran. Harry is a fantastic chap who just views what he did as 'doing his bit'. Without such people as the 'Harry's' I dread to think what may have happened to our beautiful country.
Congratulations Bill on a fantastic blog!
1:59 AM
Hello,
I came across your site via an article on news.com.au. I just wanted to let you know that I think this is a great idea for a blog and I look forward to working my way through the letters.
Best regards,
Krissy
7:29 AM
This is fantastic. I saw this written up in today's (January 8, 2008), "The Washington Post" and logged in. Thanks very much for taking the time and energy to do this!
12:41 PM
I'm an american who just learned of your blog from the msn.com news site. What a wonderful idea! As an amateur genealogist, I'm always interested in what our forebearers experienced in their lifetimes. I look forward to learning more about history and family from "across the pond". Thank you for sharing your precious artifacts! Now on to read the blogs from the beginning and catch up!
1:45 PM
What a tremendous idea and gift to the world. I'm the son of a WW2 veteran who unfortunately knows virtually nothing about his service. I hope anyone with even a passing interest in military history finds this blog! Thank you so much for sharing this with all of us.
9:49 PM
I can't wait to start reading. Thanks so much for taking the time to post Private Lamin's thoughts.
We live in a society that often looks forward too frequently without ever looking back.
10:05 PM
My husband sent me the link and I am looking forward to reading each and every letter. I have always been very interested in history of all ages, but several years ago I had to opportunity to scan in pictures my boss' father took during WWII. I was hooked.
1:30 AM
I am very thankful that you are sharing this with all of us. What a great gift of history for us and a gift of honor to your grandfather and to your heritage. Thank you for the time and effort that you are spending and know that you are also passing this down to all the members in your family who will be able to have the blog to share from now on.
4:32 AM
I am very thankful that you are sharing this with all of us. What a great gift of history for us and a gift of honor to your grandfather and to your heritage. Thank you for the time and effort that you are spending and know that you are also passing this down to all the members in your family who will be able to have the blog to share from now on.
4:33 AM
I'm going to read all of them. Thanks! S. West - Chicago
7:57 AM
Hi. I have only just tuned in after reading about this on www.news.com.au. I am from Australia and am researching my family history. I am currently looking into my Great Grandfathers WW1 involvement. This blog will really set the scene and help me understand what went on during those times. Thank-you for the insight. Joanne.
12:24 PM
I've just discovered your blog and think it an excellent idea. Thank you for sharing.
I am a New Zealander and have visited Ypres and surrounds twice (as well as Gallipoli in Turkey) and have a family member buried in Polygon Wood.
Perhaps Harry's letters will add even more to the story of the Great War.
Thanks.
2:10 PM
I've seen an article about this blog published in a Spanish newspaper http://www.abc.es/hemeroteca/historico-08-01-2008/abc/Tecnologia/un-blog-de-la-gran-guerra_1641543339851.html
and have recommended it to my high school students here.
6:05 PM
Having stumbled across your blog from another blog dealing with dead military bloggers, I think it is a great idea. I love reading about history, espically when it is firsthand accounts. I support your efforts and look forward to reading this blog.
7:26 PM
Just found this blog and its a great idea! Im hoping for the best (havent read more than one letter yet but I have all night :p)
Henrik Sultan
10:47 PM
Hello! I'm from Portugal and i just heard about your blog today (January 10, 2008) on the radio.
Wonderful idea!
In fact, letters are more than written emotions and expressions, they are history.
Thank you for sharing that with us.
11:12 AM
Like Patricia just before me, I too am in Portugal (no connection), but with a difference. I am English and my Grandfather, as a Territorial, did the whole WW1 from August 1914 until the end. He died in 1949,not from wounds sustained, but from the illnesses he took home to London with him. 30 years to die.
I've been passionately intrigued by the Great War all my life and, like many others, learned of your wonderful blog idea only a week ago on BC World TV. So, now I wiull start the read and will doubtless comment again. And sincere thanks.
January 14, 2008