"100 years ago today" Topic

The Somme remembered in some haunting photos:

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Dies irae, dies illa
Solvet saeclum in favilla

Dave

Moving.

The death of a generation.

Isaac Allman age 23 Kings Regiment (Liverpool) Private, died today 1916 in the attack on the village of Mametz (Somme)
buried Dantzig Alley cemetary .
My grandfather's older stepbrother.

The Royal Newfoundland Regiment attacked Beaumont Hamel at 9:15 AM on July 1 It was the third attack of the day The previous two had been repulsed with heavy losses The wire was not cut

At the end of July 1, 68 men answered the call ,324 were killed or missing (presumed dead ) and 386 wounded .

Dulce et decorum est Pro patria mori.

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In the first week of the war, over half a MILLION French soldiers died. The great fighting retreat began, lasting a month. Then the German right wing withdrew, fearing a flank attack. The Lines formed, dug in and the four years of stalemate began. Nine MILLION lives later the war ended, for c. twenty years. After six more years of resumed war, untold MILLIONS more had perished. And here we are, a little over half a century later, ramping up the rhetoric to justify another global firestorm. Our species is truly insane….

My grandfather was awarded the Iron Cross for saving the life of a wounded comrade in no man's land during the Battle of the Somme. He won his award without killing anyone.

After his service no one in our family ever fought in a war.