The Gould Standard

Taking a break from the bespoke WW1 trips for the next few weeks (who in their right minds wants to go to the muddy fields of Flanders at this time of year? The poor old Tommies certainly didn't...) - so time to catch up with the writing.

I've started work on a history of Newport Rugby - as ever, always going for the obvious best selling ideas...any good agents out there???

Picture above is of a famous - possibly the most famous - Newport player, Arthur Gould. Nicknamed "Monkey" because of his childhood habit of climbing every tree in sight. And rugby, after all, is a game for boys who never quite grew up...

A View from the Bridge

 Two events collided today. Small beer in the general travails of this world, but notable. For me.
Firstly, someone that toured with me last year sent me a lovely message expressing a wish to do another bespoke trip. Not battlefields this time - perhaps Wales.
I zipped off a reply, saying I'd love to do it (of course), and readied myself for the day's BIG event - driving our youngest daughter up to start university at Cardiff.
As I said, small beer.
We drove along the M4, and then across the Severn Bridge, with the morning mist adding to the sense of occasion. A thought struck me, as the talking heads gabbled on about events in Scotland. How would I feel, as a dyed in the wool (but expatriate) Welshman, if I had to produce a passport at this point in our journey?
It seems to me that as a nation, as a so called United Kingdom, that our horizons are shrinking. Just when we should be showing the world what a liberal, open community looks like, we are allowing our ancient boundaries to be resurrected. Drawbridges are being pulled up.
Don't get me wrong - I can't blame the Scots for wanting to strike out alone, and if they vote Yes tomorrow I will wish them well. I have always admired them as people, and will continue to do so. What's left of our United (?) Kingdom will be all the poorer for their exit. Indeed, if I was in their shoes tomorrow, I'd be sorely tempted to vote for independence too. The negative line taken by so many politicians has been a disastrous indicator of just how out of touch this government is with anyone who doesn't read the Daily Mail. In many ways, Cameron is reaping what he has sown. He has allowed the nation's politics to be hijacked by the right wing agenda, oblivious to the fact that the left leaning Scots were going to, in effect, have an earlier referendum on his government.
More fundamentally, we are, as a nation, less tolerant. Immigrants, the EU, benefit "scroungers" - it has become mainstream politics to attack them, to blame them for our perceived ills.
Little wonder that the Scots have picked up the tune, and decided that they too, could do better by themselves. Only in recent days have we started to hear the positive message about the UK, but it will be ironic in the extreme to hear Tories and UKIP talk about the virtues of splendid isolation when membership of the EU is on the table. Duplicitously, they will focus on the dangers of foreigners running their country, when they have been espousing exactly the opposite in the past few weeks.
I know a few Scots, and many of them are bemused to find themselves in this position. And I know they are partial to a beer or two. So let's postpone the vote and sort the whole thing out over a drink at my favourite pub - the Ty Coch in Nefyn, North Wales. Neutral ground, Place is run by English folk, but, you know, they're alright...

Too late for daffodils, but...

 

The rock stars of the early 19th century, the Romantic poets, made this neck of the woods THE place to be. The grandfather of them all, William Wordsworth, was a local boy, and he did a fine job of selling his home patch. Tourists have been flocking to Dove Cottage in Grasmere ever since.
For anyone studying the Romantics, a trip here is a must. Don't forget your copy of Lyrical Ballads...
Off season, there is a range of accommodation on offer. From the stylish Wordsworth Hotel in Grasmere to the more earthy delights of The Old Post Office campsite in Santon Bridge - http://theoldpostofficecampsite.co.uk/find.php - if you want to take a calculated risk on the weather and spend some time under canvas.

Keswick, by Derwent Water

 

Looking for a different destination for a bespoke WW1 battlefield tour?

The CHEMIN DES DAMES (the ladies' path) runs west to east from Soissons, and is marked as the D18 on maps. About 30km long, it was an established as the Ladies' path back in the 18th century, when the daughters of Louis XV used to ride along the ridge as it was their favoured route from Paris to the Chateau de Boves.
In later years, Napoleon fought a battle there in 1814, but it was le Grande Guerre that made it infamous. The German army, forced back at the Marne in the autumn of 1914, decided to dig in at this strategic spot. A drive along the route will explain why. As you can see from the picture below, the German trenches were in dominant positions. For much of the rest of the war, the French forces hurled enormous numbers of men at these German strongpoints, and successive defeats drove les poilu to a state of open revolt. The Chemin des Dames, like the fortress town of Verdun some two hours to the east, became synonymous with sacrifice, and the numerous memorials along the route serve witness to these terrible losses.

 

Beryl and Bryan's bespoke tour to Lijssenthoek - some feedback

"In January 2014 my Parents expressed a wish to travel to Belgium to visit the grave site of a family member who was killed in action during WWI and leave a tribute from our family as a mark of respect. I did not like the idea of them going it alone or touring on a pre-organised coach trip as both are in their seventies with mobility issues.

 

My partner found Peter Jones on the internet while researching possible trips for them. The idea of someone chaperoning them directly from their home, to Belgium and returning them home, with knowledge of travelling in both Britain and Europe, and with background knowledge on WWI history made me feel better about the trip. After emails and phone calls to Peter, the details were finalised and the trip was organised for March.

 

My Parents really enjoyed their trip and feel that it was 110% worth it, they got all they hoped for and more as Peter was such a nice, friendly and helpful chap, full of knowledge about almost everything !  The trip was easy to organise and went according to plan from beginning to end, Peter did exactly as he said he would – which is rare these days !!    Thanks Peter.”

In Memoriam Fred Spencer, RFA.

Fred and his sister were orphaned at a young age, their Salvation Army parents struck down by illnesses contracted ministering to the poor in the city of Birmingham. Brother and sister were looked after in different but related households, the only alternative to the dreaded workhouse.

Fred joined the Royal Field Artillery, and arrived in France in the spring of 1915. He lasted until the preparatory phases of the Third Battle of Ypres, otherwise known as the Battle of Passchendaele. At the start of June 1917 he was wounded in action, and taken to one of the field hospitals at Lijssenthoek, just outside Poperinge. He succumbed to his injuries on June 3rd.

His sister's grand daughter visited his grave on the 22nd March 2014, the first member of the family to do so, as a bespoke trip with Single Step Tours. We discovered that his sister had paid some money to include an epitaph on his grave stone - "Peace after Pain". Only the two siblings could possibly appreciate the truth of that statement.

 97 years after his death, Fred's photo and details on the Visitors Centre database are now there for eternity. Lest We Forget.

Risky Business

Today's news of an explosion on an industrial site in Ypres underlines the fact that we can't be too careful when visiting the battlefields. Too many tourist are blasé about the risks, and think that a cautious approach is tantamount to being some sort of deranged Health and Safety goon.
These munitions are still dangerous, even a hundred years after they were fired. If you see munitions on a battlefield tour, steer clear! Tell your battlefield guide, and keep hold of any inquisitive children.

If WW1 was a bar fight...

Ways of understanding WW1 vary from one person to the next, as with any subject matter. This is one way to appreciate the chaos that descended on Europe between 1914-1918. With Putin flexing his old style Soviet muscles, we should never, never forget...

View from the other side of the bridge

Different perspective from Germans on WW1. Whereas Brits ( and Commonwealth people) consider the war to have been a seismic event in their country's history, WW2 tends to overshadow WW1 in Germany. This article considers why.
Clients I've taken over to the battlefields really enjoy getting into these discussions - perhaps the best aspect of bespoke tours.
The picture here is a shot taken in October 2013 at the German cemetery at Fricourt. The Jewish headstones always make people stop and think.

Perhaps a bespoke trip to the battlefields would help you to make sense of it all?

Casting long shadows



The debate over who was responsible for WW1 has been re ignited by the centenary programming.
Max Hastings - that old war horse - trotted out his case earlier in the week, with the smooth tones of Niall Ferguson following on tomorrow. He'll be out to persuade us that GB's entry into the continental war was a mistake from the outset.