Thank you for watching. Soldiers do not declare war, they just have to do their job when politicians fail.

Well said that man

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. Your comments are very encouraging.

@@StevenUpton14-18 thanks Steve!!! Your very good at what you do!!!

Thank you for watching. Should be two more in the next few days.

Thank you for watching. More to come very soon.

Thank you for watching. My grand farther first entered the trenches within a couple hundred yards of here in March 1915. I feature it in one of the Messines Mines films (there are 3 films).

@@StevenUpton14-18 thank you! I'm currently watching part 3.

Thank you for watching. I hope your GF survived the war.

Amazing! This is one of my favourite stories from the Great War. Always know that because of soldiers like your Grandad, it is unquestionable that they brought hope, love and humanity to a time and place that was sorely lacking any of it. Be proud!

Thank you for watching. We could settle our differences by playing football! Better still, make the politicians play football.

That would be good too 👍

Look up Monash. Great leader.

Thank you for watching. You never know, perhaps one day.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching and subscribing. I should be posting a new video today, or early next week. Just have to edit the raw footage.

I was referring to proper football where you use your feet. 🙂

Thank you for watching.

Kim Jong Il Thank you for watching. Vimy is very close to Arras and is a must see. If you do not mind going as far as Verdun the have completely rebuilt the visitor centre and there is a lot to see on that battlefield. Of all places Massiges would top of my list, with Butte de Vauquois close by.

Verdun is on the list. , and now, so is Butte de Vauquois. Many thanks :)

Thank you fro watching and all this information about the Australian forces.

Thank you. I hope to post more next week.

Thank you for watching. I often wonder how soul destroying it must have been when people returned after the war to a devastated landscape, with not a single building left standing. Where do you start in rebuilding.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

@@StevenUpton14-18 I've been watching your videos for the last days. The way you share the information is very easy to take in and your voice is very nice. Thank YOU for making these videos.

@@TheBlackob - And thank you for watching and taking the time to comment.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. I am sure that you are right, probably even by Christmas 1915.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. I hope you have already booked your accommodation. Its going to be the busiest Armistice Day ever.

we are in a campervan. :-)

Thank you for watching. Some cemeteries were created during the war and are more haphazard; whilst others were created after the war and are more uniform. The following is from the Commonwealth War Graves Commission: With regard to your query, there are many variations in the layout of Commission headstones in our cemeteries. Some headstones commemorate more than one individual for example. These are either joint graves, where two individuals share a single grave, or a collective grave, where three or more share a single grave. The bodies in these graves are either buried too close together for individual headstones to mark their graves, or because they are buried one above the other, or because the remains were impossible to be identified individually. In many of our sites, you will see incongruous gaps in rows of headstones. It is ofen the case that graves were there originally, but were later removed - because they were perhaps French, Belgian or American servicemen, or civilians. For example in Tyne Cot Cemetery in Plot III Row A there is a gap in the row where grave 16 should be. This is because a Belgian soldier who was buried there was removed in 1938. The most common origin of joint and collective graves however were trench graves. This is where a single long grave, resembling a trench, was dug, and bodies were laid side by side, sometimes even on their side, to maximise availlable space. In these cases, headstones will usually be touching or very close together. In some sites, people were buried individually but very close together due to space restrictions. When permanent headstones were erected there wasn't sufficient space to accommodate individual headstones. In these cases, headstones may touch or joint headstones be use, i.e. two names on one stone.

Thank you for watching. I get all my books as e-books for the Kindle app from Amazon. They currently have two different books on the 1917 attach at Messines.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. I hope to get to the Somme in September on a trip with the British Legion - Covid permitting!

Thank you for watching. I was not aware of that.

I am in Belgium next month. Depends upon the weather if I can film. I want to make a film about the June 1915 attack on the Bellewaerde Ridge.

@@StevenUpton14-18 ok Steve, whishing you well and a good time. Btw: I have fun with the struggle with the Belgian/French names. Ploegsteert in Belgian sounds in english probably more Belgian if pronounced like : plukesteered :-) I'm Dutch but I think it probably (might) mean: Tailpart of a plough.. Plough-tail. I like the kind of slang used to pronounce those strange names :-)

Thank you for watching. I have read Harry's biography, very interesting.

Thank you for watching. I wish that today's leaders would do that. It takes compromise.

Steven Upton war to end all wars !! Not!

Thank you for watching. I hope to post a new film today.

Steven Upton no thankyou sir 👍 I always understood the football match was an urban myth and had never been confirmed so its surprising to see that memorial.

Thank you for watching. Much of what has been claimed about this time has no evidence to support it. However, historians have been able to verify from both German and British letters home from men that were actually there that this did take place.

Steven Upton well in that case it really is a lovely occurrence in such a devastating and sad time. Do I detect a soft brummie accent?

I lived in Hall Green, Birmingham for my first 17 years.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. Yes, he died in 1951 from conditions that were brought on by being gassed during the war. He also served in the army during WW2, but not on active duty due to age.

@@StevenUpton14-18 A lot of respect to men like your grand father. Today we can't imagine what it is to be in 2 wars in your life. You're probably very proud of him.

@@pcgamez4ever14 - His picture is on the banner at the top of this KZfaq channel, third man in from the left. I have republished his battalion's war record - www.sdubooks.com/other-books/5th-royal-warwicks/prod_407.html

@@StevenUpton14-18 Terrible to think that a lot of his friend-soldiers died during the war. These men had to be very brave. Not surprising that a lot of soldiers suffered from shell-shock.

@@pcgamez4ever14 - Today it is estimated that 1 in 6 soldiers who are in combat will suffer from PTSD to some extent. Then consider the numbers involved in WW1 and we must have had many thousands of sufferers for years after the war.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching. I have heard claims that the football match did not take place. However, if you go to the location where it is claimed to have happened there used to be a small sign at the side of the road informing you of it and that it happened in the adjacent field. I was there last year and there is now a new more substantial memorial to the event. Whilst the creation of this memorial is not proof in itself, the people responsible for it must be fairly certain that it happened. Incidentally, my GF’s first experience of being in the front line in March 1915 (only 3 months later) was in this very field. Unfortunately I cannot ask him about it.

I have read a few accounts from soldiers as in memiors and eye witness accounts and many claim an informal match took place as in 30 or 40 soldiers on each side both German and British. I have certainly read that even a result was recorded. A Saxon regiment beat a British regiment 3-2. No change there then!!!!! Many historians tend to disbelief what they call anictotal evidence but this is to dismiss the genuine experience of soldiers that were actually there at the Christmas truce and kick about. Regards Gerard

I am a member of the British Legion Riders Branch. Honda CTX 1300 and a CB 1100.

@@StevenUpton14-18 How fascinating - I never knew they had a club- have done a few runs on my old FJ1200 to things like the Maginot forts

@@trevortrevortsr2 It's not really a club. Its prime objective is to raise funds for the Poppy Appeal. We do events throughout the year, using the bikes to attract people , then selling the various poppy items. We also do quite a few motorcycle escorts for veterans funerals. It's a group of people with two common interests: Most are military veterans, and all ride bikes.

@@StevenUpton14-18 - IC - When a group of us went for a week in Ypres we took a football signed by British Legion with all the WW1 dead from the village of Wivenhoe - we also layed a wreath for them at the Mening Gate

@@trevortrevortsr2 Thank you for remembering them.

No, it was England on penalties. If you can believe that I have a used car to sell you!

Steven Upton funny you should mention winning on penalties only a week ago. Now how about that used car? 😁

I must be psychic!

Thank you for watching. There is a grave in Essex Farm cemetery of a 15 year old. See my film 'In Flanders Fields'.

Thank you for watching. Everyone thought that they were right and God was on their side.

Thank you for watching.

Thank you for watching.