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| The Butte de Warlencourt on the Somme, |
I wrote a blog back in September 2014 regarding a couple of our Family Heroes who didn't return from WW1. Since then I have studied many more of our young men who participated in this "War to End all Wars"…some came home, others lie forever in foreign fields. During my research, I have become more aware of the terrible sacrifice these men made for their country and our democracy and of course the effect it must have had on our combined families during these memorable years
This year is the Centennial of the Battle of the Somme, which took place between 1 July and 18 November 1916 on both sides of the upper reaches of the River Somme in France. The battle was intended to hasten a victory for the Allies and was the largest battle of the First World War on the Western Front. More than one million men were wounded or killed, making it one of the bloodiest battles in human history.
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| The Butte de Warlencourt |
On October 6th 1916 the 8th Battalion, London Post Office Rifles took part in the battle of the Somme in the area of the Butte de Warlencourt.
(The Butte de Warlencourt is an ancient burial mound off the Albert–Bapaume road, north-east of Le Sars in the Somme département of northern France.)
Our Thomas Turnbull from Selkirk in Scotland, was killed on the morning of the 7th October 1916 along with many other soldiers of the Regiment and like many others, his body was never recovered. Tom is remembered on the Thiepval Monument and in the Post Office Memorials in Scotland and high on my 'bucket list" of things to do in retirement would be to visit this wonderful Memorial to the many thousands who fell and have no known grave.
Thomas
was working for the Post Office in a town called Kirkcaldy on the South
East coast of Scotland, approx 27 miles from Dundee and like many other
young men, answered the call for Army Volunteers and with a large
number of his mates, joined the 8th London Post Office Rifles in 1915
The Allies were still fighting for control of this area over a year later with little progress.
In recent years the Butte de Warlencourt was about to be plowed under until The Western Front Association bought the site 23 years ago from a local farmer for £7,500 in a bid to preserve it for future generations and it is now a venerated War Memorial site.
In
a personal sad note, one of our NZ Family Soldiers, George Henry Moje of the
Canterbury Regiment was killed in 1917 just along the road from where
Tom was killed.
There
have been many exciting achievements over the past 100 years, however,
it seems that the sacrifices these brave warriors made, still resonate
down the years and will hopefully be remembered for many years to come.
Let their sacrifice not be in vain.
We Will Remember Them. Lest We Forget.
Please read my previous post on Tom Turnbull.
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