102 years since the end of World War One

[gunwharfman]

Is anyone planning to go to France or Belgium for November 11th? Does anyone fancy a hike? Assuming of course that we are not screwed by Brexit and that travel will be as easy as now?

Or perhaps to climb Great Gable for the service there? I did that last year but it was spoilt in many ways because the weather was so bad. I camped at Chapel Farm, on November 10th, their only customer and it was dark, very dark!

I'm thinking of going to Ypres to the Menin Gate commemorations again this year. I've done it before, in 2016, I walked and camped the GR128 from Calais with the book 'They called it Passchendaele' by Lyn McDonald downloaded on my phone. An extremely interesting hike, history all around, Ypres was truly wonderful and the Menin Gate experience was really moving.

[Owen]

My dad was born on 13th November 1919, a first world war baby boomer. Strange to think it will be his 100th birthday soon. Were he still alive I wonder what he would have made of the state of the world today.

[gunwharfman]

My dad was injured at Monte Casino in WW2 and then left the Army. As a family, we became only too aware of the psychological damage the war did to him. He started off at El Alamein, walked all across Sicily and halfway up the spine of Italy. We all remember vividly when he used to wake up in the night screaming, people that were killed around him and so on and my Mother calming him down. As the years past he began to get over it. He also used to have memory problems and often just wandered off for a day or two. One day in the 50s when we were living in Langly near Maidstone, it was a Saturday afternoon, a Policeman came to our door and told us that my dad had been killed in an accident and had died at Farnborough Hospital. Obviously, we were all distraught. But at around midnight were all woken by loud banging on the door. It was my dad, drunk as a skunk, singing and banging on the door! He had been out 'celebrating' with some mates, had fallen down and was admitted to A & E at the hospital. We found out later that another man with our surname had died there the same day, there was a muddle up of names, hence the Policeman turning up at our door earlier that day! I can still remember my Mum shouting out "Go away, you're a ghost!" and other phrases, she was so scared. She let him in eventually though. He was in no fit state to be talked to so we bundled him into bed and told him what we knew the following morning.

[Owen]

My dad was injured at Monte Casino in WW2

My dad was also at Monte Casino he was a medic, from what little he told me Monte Casino was very bad.

[Bigfoot_Mike]

My grandad signed up for WW1 at the age of 15 in 1914, having apparently lied about his age. He survived the war and eventually left the army in 1919, having fought at the Somme, Bethune and other battles. He was wounded several times and ended up with shrapnel close to his heart that could not be removed. This prevented him from fighting in WW2, but he headed up the Southampton Waterworks during the war. This kept him busy, due to the bombing. He ended up with 13 children, the eldest of which was killed in action as a tail end Charlie in a Lancaster bomber in 1944. As far as I know, he very rarely spoke about his wartime experiences, which must have been horrific. I cannot imagine signing up for a war at that young age (or any age).

[gunwharfman]

I always remember when a group of us 'oldies' was talking about how the wars affected people and buildings in our city, a young bloke told us that be because we are old we "know nothing" about it. We didn't buy him a pint!

In my city Portsmouth, it experienced about 40 plus bombing raids, the incoming aircraft used Portsmouth Cathedral as their bomb run starting point. If you ever come to our seafront shopping centre, Gunwharf Quays, take a stroll down our oldest street to the seafront, St. Thomas' Street, only about 300yds away. As you stroll you will note old buildings, new buildings, old buildings, and new buildings again. Where there's a new building thats where a bomb dropped! My local pub is 50 yds off this street, it's old and it survived but nearby there is a church with no roof, it was blown off by bombs and is now a permanent memorial to this era. Its also the subject of a Tony Robinson 'Time Team' programme, on YouTube for those who like this sort of stuff.

As you can tell I love this subject area about the history of Portsmouth. For those who may travel to Portsmouth Harbour station, the cutting between Fratton to Portsmouth and Southsea station was originally the pre-railways Portsmouth Canal.

[ninthace]

Sounds like you are not far from what was known as “Ladies’ Mile” - Kings Terrace.  We had our first quarter there when I joined the Navy. When I came home, I used to kerb crawl looking for a parking slot. As soon as I found one, a young lady would often open the passenger door for a chat.  I had to explain that unfortunately my wife has watching.  Good pub on the end of the terrace as I recall - The Victoria(?)

[Bigfoot_Mike]

My home city of Southampton also suffered signifying bombing during WW2. The docks and Supermarine Spitfire factory were prime targets, as was the Civic Centre and much of the High Street. Like Portsmouth, Southampton was left with a shell of a church, with the ancient Holyrood church being destroyed by bombs. I remember as a kid in the 1960s seeing areas with no buildings that my mum described as bomb sites.

[gunwharfman]

I'm on course to climb Great Gable on Remembrance Sunday to be at the summit at 11.00am. I decided not to hike to Ypres again, just wasn't sure how or if the 'B' word would interfere with travel arrangements? I may be a small chance but the thought of being stuck at a port, on either side of the channel is not my idea of fun at all. I've sat around these places too many times over the years (and airports) and my tolerance level for hanging around these days is nil!