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.