During my trip to the WW1 battlefields in September there were a number of places I wanted to visit for the first time and just as many as I wanted to revisit after a gap of several years. Thiepval though is one of the must-sees for the area, if there can be such a thing… Continue reading Paying homage at the Thiepval Memorial to family and strangers alike.
Tag: Lest We Forget
The Lochnagar Crater and a relic of war
At the end of September I visited some of the WW1 battlefields in northern France and Belgium and thought in the lead up to Armistice Day on 11th November I would dedicate some of my posts to what I saw. One of the places that we visited was the Lochnagar Crater in The Somme. This… Continue reading The Lochnagar Crater and a relic of war
The Angel of Mons
Whilst writing and researching my WW1 history book, Lest We Forget, I came across a number of semi-mythical events and accounts that went from the completely unbelievable to those that actually occurred despite being hugely unlikely. There is the grim tale of the Crucified Soldier which went from being common knowledge in WW1 to increasingly… Continue reading The Angel of Mons
The mixed blessing of reviews
Are you the sort of person who likes to know the truth of what someone thinks of you? Most people do, some people don’t. I’m firmly in the latter and would entirely rather not know anyone, at any time, anywhere thinks of me unless it is 100% positive. I know it is said that it… Continue reading The mixed blessing of reviews
WW1: A nation remembers, a family grieves.
With the war memorial services of the last week, I thought that I would share just one or two of several family photos related to WW1. Though I already knew of many of their stories, I did quite a bit of research into those family members that fought and more often than not, died in… Continue reading WW1: A nation remembers, a family grieves.
At the going down of the sun and in morning, we will remember them
So yesterday was the big day, the 100th anniversary of the start of The Great War – The war to end all wars until of course WW2 at least. Like many other people I spent much of the day watching the live ceremonies from around the country and in France and Belgium. Reading extraordinary accounts… Continue reading At the going down of the sun and in morning, we will remember them
The Lamps are going out all over Europe
It is now 100 years since this famous phrase was first uttered by Sir Edward Grey to describe the ominous feeling that Europe and perhaps the world was about to slip into a war more bloody than most could ever imagine. His remarks were made on the evening of the 3rd August whilst looking out… Continue reading The Lamps are going out all over Europe
A day out to Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey
I have been having a busy old summer taking guests on trip all around London and southern England but ever since February, I had been looking forward to Thursday 24th July in particular because this was the day that I would finally visit Highclere Castle. It was a long day out we I had collected… Continue reading A day out to Highclere Castle aka Downton Abbey
Lest We Forget: A Concise Companion to the First World War (my new book)
I know what you’re thinking. Stephen can’t be releasing another book. I know, I know. I’m sorry. Long-time readers will know that I spend my summers giving guided tours and during winter I spend most of my time writing and it just so happens that it takes a certain amount of time for books to… Continue reading Lest We Forget: A Concise Companion to the First World War (my new book)
Our village (Leavesden Green) gets a new WW1 memorial
Like many others have done as the 100th anniversary of WW1 or The Great War looms ever closer over for us, our village has been busy working on a new war memorial which is situated at the end of my street. One of the most popular of my blog posts is that of Armistice Day… Continue reading Our village (Leavesden Green) gets a new WW1 memorial
Stephen Liddell 