December 2007

The War Graves Photographic Project In association with The CWGC News from the Front line December 2007 Steve Rogers, Project Co-ordinator It was not the intention to produce another newsletter quite so soon, as the previous one went out in November, but things are moving forward with a meeting last week with the CWGC to ‘dot the I’s and cross the T’s’ with regard to what we are going to display on the search facility of the website. With these slight changes that need to be implemented we are moving the launch of the site to January to take into account the Christmas break but in the meantime will put a ‘holding page’ up on the web address www.thewargravesproject.org.uk and points of contact. We have good news in that we can now announce that we have hit our Million mark now. Thanks to ongoing work by volunteers around the world recent submissions from Africa, Belgium, France and Italy and the completion of Runnymede Air Force and Ploegsteert memorials to the missing have added a further 31,000+ to the total. Having now got to the end of this year it is time to The Fallen consolidate our master lists which means that for locations that were allocated but not completed, for Shall we not lay our holly wreath whatever reason, we need to know if they are still Here at the foot of this High cross? required. To that end, if you have been allocated a We do not know, perhaps a breath cemetery, large or small, can you let us know if you Of our remembering may come intend to complete it in 2008. If we do not hear from To them at least where they are you then we will assume that you can no longer sleeping, manage to complete it, which gives us the chance to They are quiet, they are dumb allocate it to the new volunteers that are out there No more of mirth, no more of willing to help! weeping, Silent Christmas they are keeping That just leaves me to thank you all for your Ours the sorrow, ours the loss. continued support this year and wish you and your families a Merry Christmas and Peaceful New Year. Diana Gurney c 1918 The ‘Project’ at Canada House Trafalgar Square - 14th November 2007 Vernon (Canadian Co-ord) and Steve (Project Co-ord) were invited to Canada House in Trafalgar Square on 14th November to represent The War Graves Photographic Project at the unveiling of a Plaque to commemorate the National Historic significance of the Canadian presence in Britain during the Second World War. "The Second World War was one of the defining events of the 20th century" said High Commissioner James R.Wright. "Thousands of Canadian men and women proudly served in the United Kingdom during the war and these soldiers became part of the historical landscapes in both our nations. Commemorating this common history is important to Canadians and Britons today, and for future generations". The plaque commemorates Canada's military, civilian and diplomatic contribution to the war effort in Britain. In addition to the presence of the Canadian Army, the Royal Canadian Air Force (RCAF), and the Royal Canadian Navy (RCN) and Merchant Marine in Britain, Canadian Civilians also served there in many capacities, including fire-fighters, stenographers, foresters and diplomats. Canada's three military services were a vital part of Britain's first line of defence. In all a quarter of a million soldiers made Britain their home until, starting in July 1943, they went off to fight in sustained operations in Italy and other parts of the continent. By the time Britain became the springboard for the allied offensive, the numbers of Canadians there had grown to more than one half million - one twentieth of Canada's entire population. Steve and Vernon were able to chat about The War Graves Photographic Project to Brian Hanrahan of the BBC, "I counted them all out and I counted them all back" and Gerald Howarth the Shadow Defence Minister, amongst other distinguished guests and veterans of that period. Vernon, Brian Hanrahan and Steve at the reception in Canada House Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery 16th November 2007 In continuation of our remembering the war dead of Canada and her contribution to the war effort Vernon Masterman, Terry Jamieson and Steve Rogers utilised a cheap day ticket to Caen from Portsmouth in order to photograph the 2,872 Canadian and allied graves in Bretteville-Sur- Laize Cemetery. This cemetery lies on the west side of the main road from Caen to Falaise (route N158) about 14 kilometres south of Caen and just north of the village of Cintheaux. Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery Continued. A early morning start saw them at the cemetery for sunrise. The Allied offensive in north-western Europe began with the Normandy landings of 6 June 1944. For the most part, those buried at Bretteville-Sur-Laize Canadian War Cemetery died during the later stages of the battle of Normandy, the capture of Caen and the thrust southwards - led initially by the 4th Canadian and 1st Polish Armoured Divisions - to close the Falaise Gap. Almost every unit of the Canadian 2nd Corps is represented in the cemetery which contains 2,957 Second World War burials, the majority Canadian, and 87 of them unidentified. On completion of Bretteville the team moved on to complete Banneville and Ranville giving a total for the day in excess of 6,000 graves for the project! Canada and Canadian Co-ordinator - Vernon Masterman At 5.45 one November morning I leave home and start walking down the back roads of Bournemouth (only one Street in the town) and begin to think ‘why I am heading for the coach station to board a coach for London’ ? After attending the Bletchley Park inaugural meeting of the TWGPP I had found that Royal Mail had delivered an invitation to attend an unveiling ceremony of a plaque at Canada House in Trafalgar Square to mark the presence of Canadian Forces in the United Kingdom during World War Two. My interest in war memorials must stem from my infant school days as there was a tablet on the wall of St Clements School commemorating Reginald Noble who was awarded the Victoria Cross at Neuve Chapelle .He had been a former pupil of the school and this image has always remained in my memory. As I walk past the site of a former bakery, memories come flooding back of the troops collecting lorry loads of bread on the build up to D-Day . We youngsters always reckoned the Canadians gave us better candy than the GIs and we never went short of bread due to their generosity . Probably the two most distinctive days I can remember during the war was firstly on the 23rd May 1943 when I saw twelve Heinkels approaching at low level on a bombing run. I came to, buried under the house next door with my mother, two of my neighbours killed, further down the flight path forty one servicemen were killed and many more civilians. My other memory was waking up on 6th June 1944 and looking up at the sky full of aircraft towing gliders crossing the coast heading for Normandy and then the returning aircraft without the gliders. On leaving school I served an apprenticeship as Carpenter and Joiner and on completion I was invited to join the ' Aldershot Cement Company ' (Army Catering Corps) for a two year contract (National Service) with board and clothes thrown in and advice given to me in rather loud voices when walking about. After six weeks my seniors sent me to a Cookery Instruction Centre at Blandford but I only ever went into the cookhouse to eat ! After returning to ‘Civvy’ Street I resumed my original career taking semi retirement in my mid fifties and then becoming an Occupational Therapist in a Psychiatric Hospital before retiring at sixty five. It was at this point the reason for my journey started: having purchased a digital camera a year earlier and also computer I found a site where volunteers photographed war graves. I started photographing my local cemeteries around Bournemouth, completing them quite quickly, then expanding my searches to surrounding counties and taking on the coordinating of Somerset County . Living near the sea meant that I was restricted to a180 degree arc. I then did the unthinkable and volunteered to do some naming and sorting some spreadsheets, one of which was Canada . As I had done considerable work on that one I suggested that I looked after it, hence I became Canadian Coordinator. It was an honour to accept the invitation to attend the unveiling ceremony at Canada House as a representative of The War Graves Photographic Project in recognition of the efforts of all our volunteers . At the following reception Steve and I managed to spread the word of the project to several prominent people who were in attendance. Time soon flew by, then it was time for a brisk walk back down The Mall to catch my returning coach and reflect on the day and what lay ahead the following day when three of us were taking a day trip to France photographing Bretteville-Sur- Laize Canadian War Cemetery where over 2,800 Canadians lay, after the battle for Caen. A fitting end to the week. Meet the CWGC – Carls Liversage, Regional Supervisor (South East) By David Ayling Carl Liversage is the Commonwealth War Graves Commission’s Regional Supervisor for the south east of the UK and I met with him at Brookwood Military Cemetery recently.

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