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In Flanders Fields….
In Flanders fields the poppies blow Between the crosses, row on row, That mark our place; and in the sky The larks, still bravely singing, fly Scarce heard amid the guns below. We are the Dead. Short days ago We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow, Loved and were loved, and now we lie In Flanders fields. Take up our quarrel with the foe: To you from failing hands we throw The torch; be yours to hold it high. If ye break faith with us who die We shall not sleep, though poppies grow In Flanders fields. Lt-Col John McCrae (30 November, 1872 – 28 January 1918) was second-in command…
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Remembering the Last of the Few
Henry Allingham was born in 1896 in Clapton, London to Henry Thomas and Amy Jane (Foster) Allingham. His father died of Tuberculosis when Henry was just 14 months old, and after a period of time spent living with her parents and brother in Walthamstow, Amy remarried and the family moved to Clapham. At the age of six, Henry remembered witnessing the return of Boer War soldiers. After leaving his London Council School, Henry attended a polytechnic then went to work firstly as a trainee surgical instrument maker at St Bartholomew’s Hospital, then for a coachbuilder making bodies for cars. He was extremely interested in all things mechanical and indulged as…
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Victoria Cross Recipients – Keeping it in the Family
Part One – Like Father, Like Son A startling fact about the Victoria Cross is that around 75% of the recipients were the eldest child of a large family of siblings or the child of a young widow. This interesting little statistic could show a pre-disposition of extraordinary bravery that would seem to be bred into those who were cast into the role of responsibility from an early age, and that their resulting gallantry was the product of an extension of their duty to “look out for” those they were responsible for, above and beyond the standard in much the same way as they looked out for younger siblings or…
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Britain’s first military aviation fatality
At the end of February 1913, following a government decision to operate twelve devoted military airbases for the Royal Flying Corps, five aircraft from Farnborough landed at Montrose, following a 450 mile journey undertaken in stages over the previous 13 days. Although the airfield was moved four miles north, at the beginning of 1914, Montrose became the first operational military airfield in the United Kingdom, on the orders of Lord of the Admiralty, Sir Winston Churchill. The first squadron, No 2 Squadron RFC were stationed in Montrose, primarily forming a training school for pilots under the command of Major Charles James Burke, who had gained his flying certificate in France…
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The Great War
Following the assassination of Archduke Franz Ferdinand of Austria, and his wife, in June 1914, ultimatums were issued by Austria to Serbia, in the form of a list of demands. Serbia was able to agree to all but one of these demands, and as a result, backed up by the ‘blank cheque’ offer of support from Germany, Austria declared war. Russia quickly joined the Serbian cause, and Germany looked west to France, declaring war on August 3rd. The following day, August 4th 1914, Britain, in support of France and the entente cordiale, declared war on Germany. After more than four years of bloody fighting interspersed with periods of trench stalemate…
