18 November 2011

THE BATTLE OF FESTUBERT MAY 1915 - 13 DAYS OF HELL ON EARTH - ER COF AM ARWYR CYMRU YN Y RHYFEL FAWR 1914 - 1918 - WHY NOT WELSH NATIONALISTS PAY THEIR RESPECTS - NEVER MIND THE POLITICS - REMEMBER HEROES WHO FOUGHT AND DIED SADLY NOT IN A GOOD WAR AS WAS WW II AGAINST NAZI - FASCISM BUT NEVERTHELESS THEY DO DESERVE OUR RESPECT AND REMEMBRACE INCLUDING WEARING A RED POPPY - WALES HAD NO EASTER RISING 1916 BUT PLENTY OF 'WELSH PACIFISTS' AND THEY ARE REMEMBERED WITH WHITE POPPIES - SO ALRIGHT YOU DO NOT WANT TO WEAR A POPPY - VERY WELL BUT OTHERWISE JUST SHUT UP WITH THE POPPY FASCIST NONSENSE!?


I know this post is a long way from the familier territory of medieval Wales that I write about in this blog but this year, the 11th November 'Poppy Day Rememberance' is one in which there are no WW I veterans left alive anywhere in the World to participate in Ceremonies. A couple of years ago I was passing by the Cilmeri Cenotaph and went in to take a look around and found there a Wreath of Red Poppies with card stating 'British Legion'. In my campaign for a Welsh Battle Field Register, I contacted the British Welsh Army Regimental Museums in Wales and was given support and information for such a campaign. However, I did not manage to convince their curators that it would be a good idea to have a Welsh Military History Society as in Ireland:


  1. Military History Society of Ireland

    www.mhsi.ie/
    The Military History Society of Ireland was founded in 1949. The aim of the Society is to promote the study of military history, and in particular the history of ...

    The Irish Sword

    The Irish Sword is published twice a year. The entire series ...

    CONTENTS

    A note on the history and martial attributes of the Boys ...

    Contents Vol.

    Vol XXIII: Ireland and the American Civil War : No 91.

    Professor Herve de Weck

    THE IRISH COMMISSION FOR MILITARY HISTORY ...
  2. Military History of Ireland - Thomas Bartlett, Keith Jeffery - Google ...

    books.google.com › History › Europe › Western
    Rated 4.0 out of 5.0
     2 reviews
    It integrates the best recent scholarship in military history into its social and ... on the 'Irish military tradition' which explores the relationship of Irish society and ...
  3. Military History Society of Ireland - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

    en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Military_History_Society_of_Ireland
    The Military History Society of Ireland promotes the study of military history, and in particular the history of warfare in Ireland and of Irishmen in war. The society ...
    Mores the pity, maybe some ex - British Army 
    Welsh Soldiers might consider such one day.
    To those Nationalists out there who view this as 
    some sort of heresey, just get real! There is
     much we cannot seperate Wales from 
    England/Britain on and would be rather naive
     to think we ever will, and pretty stupid to start 
    making the 'usual suspect' anti - British statements
     and joining in the chorus of shouting 
    'Poppy Fascism'. What you going to do in your
     'Free Wales', blow up WW I and WW II War 
    memorials? I can think of plenty of 'Brit Royalty' 
    plaques and statues that need to be pulled down 
    but we will have to live with these War Memorials 
    and the Red Poppy too, for ever, and that's the 
    end of it.

    HWB HANES CYMRU/WELSH HISTORY HUB: REMEMBER 11 ...

    hwbhanes.blogspot.com/.../remember-11-november-2011-mindfull-t...
    2 Nov 2011 – HWB HANES CYMRU/WELSH HISTORY HUB ... As a youngster my Dad took me to Remembrance Day services but in time he stopped attending - and so did I but we continued to wear the poppy. However, after I became a ...


REMEMBER THE FALLEN ANDTHEIR 13 DAY WAR

The Battle of Festubert 15 - 27 May 1915.

Battle of Festubert - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_Festubert 

The Battle of Festubert was an attack by the British army in the Artois region of France on the Western Front during World War I. It began on May 15, 1915 and ...


Thirteen days in May 1915 in which Hell would be
unleashed on largely men of Working Class and 
Agricultural back ground on both sides. Men who, 
no doubt, never had experiences of war, being brought 
up very much on heroic tales of the British Army with 
rifles fighting natives with spears. Having never experienced
 an 'Industrial War' as had the Americans in their 
Civil War 1861 - 65 and the French in the 1871 
Franco - Prussian War. I sometimes wonder, 
if I would have had as much guts as they who fought 
 in WW I and WW II. also, the young lads in Afghanistan 
today. By the way, I would wish to see that war 
ended and the boys brought back home before many 
more are killed and their families made to suffer great grief 
as the family of Sian Ifan did in 1915.



Photo above: Sian Ifan's Grandfather, who her father 
grew up not knowing into old age as he should have done. 
Of course then, the grandfather Sian would never know, 
for he was killed in one of the worse 'Opening Battles' of 
the 'War to end all wars' - The Battle of Festubert 
15 - 27 May 1915.

REMEMBER THE FALLEN AND THEIR 13 DAY WAR

The Battle of Festubert 15 - 27 May 1915.

Links Credit To Google:


  1. First World War.com - Battles - The Battle of Festubert, 1915

    www.firstworldwar.com/battles/festubert.htm
    Battles - The Battle of Festubert, 1915. Indian soldiers en route for France Forming part of French Commander-in-Chief Joseph Joffre's Artois Offensive in the ...
  2. The Battle of Festubert May 1915 - The Long, Long Trail


    The battle of Festubert was in effect a second phase of the recently failed attack on Aubers Ridge. The strategic context and why this battle took place are ...


    1. Battle of Festubert, 15-27 May 1915

      www.historyofwar.org/articles/battles_festubert.html

      The battle of Festubert, 15-27 May 1915, was the second major British contribution to the wider second battle of Artois, and was an important step in the move to ...
    2. The Battle of Festubert May 1915 - Battlefield Guide Books

      www.guide-books.co.uk/FestubertMay1915.html

      A battlefield tour of the battles of Festubert and Givenchy with detailed directions and information.
    3. Out of battle: The Battle Of Festubert, May 1915.

      outofbattle.blogspot.com/2008/.../battle-of-festubert-may-1915_16.h...

      16 Jul 2008 – This account of the Battle of Festubert comes from the “The Story of the Great War, Volume V”, although in the language of the time, still gives a ...
    4. The Battle of Festubert (15-27 May 1915) - Remembrance trails in ...

      www.remembrancetrails-northernfrance.com/.../battles/the-battle-of-f...

      Read an historical article about this event of the First World War in Northern France:Battles - The Battle of Festubert (15-27 May 1915). Find places of ...
    5. Battle of Festubert May 1915 / Le Touret memorial - Great War Forum

      1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=85442
      6 posts - 3 authors - Last post: 5 Nov 2007

      Friends Grandfather Pte Mather 2nd battalion Scots Guards was one of the 11000 casualties of the battle of Festubert, the third of the first three, ...

    6. [PDF] 

      FESTUBERT AND GIVENCHY, 1915

      www.cefresearch.com/matrix/Nicholson/Transcription/Chapter4.pdf

      File Format: PDF/Adobe Acrobat - Quick View

      For the first time in the war British forces were to engage in a battle of “attrition”. The Battle of Festubert, 15-25 May. On the morning of 13 May, 433 howitzers and ...
    7. World War One Battlefields : Other Battlefields : Fest,ubert

      www.ww1battlefields.co.uk/others/festubert.html

      Festubert is known for the battle which was fought there in May, 1915. This followed shortly after that at Aubers Ridge, and commenced with a night attack just ...

      Below photo of my Grandfather, taken in 
      a French Convent Hospital. Altogether he 
      was wounded twice but survived WWI o
      nly then to die, killed in a Colliery Incident in 
      1951. 


      My Mam told me that she remembers 'Old Sweats' 
      coming to visit him, she a young girl at the time
       but remembers their loud talking, shouting and 
      swearing usually cursing 'British Generals'. 
      Mam also remembers her Mother shouting
      ''Fred stop the Swearing!'', followed by quite 
      whispered voices from the parlour, he was more 
      than likely more scared of his wife than German 
      Soldiers? Photo below of myself and Fred, Tadcu. 
      Taken in Merthyr, those from Merthyr will recognise 
      the church. Since, I have been back to have a similer 
      photo taken - almost in same place, with my Grandchildren. 
      Sure, I will wear a Red Poppy in remembrance of 
      these brave men and I will have no problem 
      with reminding my children and grand children to
       wear a Red Poppy too. As much as I remind 
      them to remember - 'Cofia 1282' and wear an
       Ivy Leaf.

FURTHER WW I  INFORMATION

A Patriots Powerful Memorial to the Brave Welsh Fallen
 at Mametz Wood.

Mametz Wood Memorial - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mametz_Wood_Memorial 
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia. Jump to: navigation, search. 38th DivisionmemorialMametz Wood was the objective of the 38th (Welsh) Division during 

Mametz Memorial

www.powell76.talktalk.net/mametz_memorial.htm 
27 Apr 2008 – The Branch has ownership of the 38th (Welsh) Division Memorial atMametz, ... and activities, Wales and the Great War and matters of general interest. ...The sculptured dragon was created by David Peterson, Sculptor in Iron, ...

The Woods And Copses: Nature's Fortresses of the Somme

www.westernfrontassociation.com/...war-on.../422-woods-somme.ht... 
22 May 2008 – The Western Front Association: furthering interest in the Great War1914-18 ... woods that liberally sprinkle the otherwise monument and military cemetery... Secondly, because Mametz Wood was a major battle for the 38th (Welsh) ..... on its eye-catching design by a Welsh sculptor in steel - David Petersen. ...


Carmarthen County War Memorial - Touring the Western Front

www.laugharnewarmemorial.co.uk/page75.htm 
Carmarthen County War Memorial - Touring the Western Front. ... this time stood by the fantastic Memorial to the 38th Welsh Division at Mametz Wood on a ... The memorial was made by St. Clears man, David Peterson, and stands at the point .

See Much More On Web Re Mametz Wood.

***


314 From Wales are recorded in below:

Ireland's Memorial Record: World War 1 - Find My Past - Ireland

www.findmypast.ie/.../irelands-memorial-record-world-war-1-1914-... 
The horror and destruction of World War I 1914 – 1918 was on a scale never ... of Ireland's Memorial Records were created to preserve and commemorate the ...