News & Events:  Western Front and Europe

 

Events:

11 November, 2008.  The Great War Archive goes on-line.  Run by the University of Oxford, the aim of this initiative was to collect together material related to the First World War held by members of the public to help keep the memory alive of the sacrifices made during World War One. The final collection will be made available free of charge via the Web on the 11th November 2008, the 90th anniversary of the Armistice.  The associated website is www.thegreatwararchive.org.

 

4-16 April, 2005.  Somme Tour and Seminar.  Organized by Paul Guthrie of the WFA and led by Flanders Tours.  As of late February, they still had some seats available.  See Flanders Tours' website or the WFA USA website for more details.

90th Anniversary, Battle of the Marne  (Sunday, 5 Sept., 2004):  The French national ceremony to commemorate this anniversary will take place on Sunday, 5 September at Mondement, Marne.  For more information contact:  Lt. Col. Claude Domenichini, President, Association Mondement 1914, 6 Chemin des Carrouges, 51120 Gaye, France.  Telephone from the U.S.:  011-33-3-26 81 84 38.  Mondement is the location of Le monument national de la Victoire de la Marne.

 

News:

24 November, 2005.  New Movie, Merry Christmas, Premiers in Germany.  Based on a true story, this movie deals with the Christmas Truce in 1914, and covers a 24-hour truce made by three Lieutenants--a Frenchman, a German and a Scotsman.  I believe that it is / has also been released in France under the title, Joyeux Noel.  I do not know if it will play in the U.K. or the U.S.  I would appreciate any feedback from readers who have seen the movie.

October and November, 2005.  Veterans' Deaths.  As the 87th Anniversary of the Armistice approached, the deaths of several of the handful of remaining WW1 veterans was reported in the press around the world.  These include:  Alfred Anderson, 109 years old, the last known survivor of the 1914 "Christmas Truce," who died in his sleep at a nursing home in Newtyle, Scotland.  William Evan Allan, 106 years old, who served in the Royal Australian Navy, and who was the last Australian veteran to see active service in WW1.  Victor (Bob) Rudd, 104 years old, an English-born cavalryman who moved to New Zealand after the war.

4 November, 2005.  WW1 Mustard Gas Discovered in a Home in Woodford, UK.  The Manchester News online reported that four small chemical containers, believed to carry mustard gas, were found in a house.  They were removed and later collected by the army for disposal.  There were no evacuations and no injuries.

29 October, 2005.  Indian Soldiers of WW1 Remembered in Germany.  The Guardian Unlimited reported that a WW1 German cemetery in Wünsdorf, about 40km south of Berlin, was officially re-opened today.  The cemetery houses the remains of 206 Indian volunteers, who fought for Britain and were captured at sea or on the Western Front.  Most of the soldiers buried there died while at the POW camp in nearby Zossen.  After WW2 this area was under Russian control, and it was only after the fall of the Berlin Wall that British officials could gain access to the site.

 

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