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Somme Visit

I tracked down my Paternal Grandfather, and found that he is at Gouzencourt, https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-...ls/2000086/gouzeaucourt-new-british-cemetery/

As far as I could ascertain, no one from our family had ever visited his grave. I booked a flight for my wife and I, hotel, car hire, etc. A week after arranging the trip, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Trip cancelled, of course, with the intention of re-booking after my wife's treatment. Then, of course, covid reared its head. Still hopeful to make the trip.

Steve.
 
Some years ago, before we moved to France, we went to visit the cemeteries a couple of times in that area on a 4X4 expedition with a company based in Cambrai. There are a lot of smaller graves in the area that are accessible only to 4X4 vehicles. The company ran two options, take your own, or travel to their base and be taken in one of theirs. Our trips were deliberately difficult, to make the vehicles work hard, but we were able to appreciate some of the conditions that soldiers were sleeping, walking and struggling through during those conflicts. Very mixed emotions both times.

NOTSHARP said:
I tracked down my Paternal Grandfather, and found that he is at Gouzencourt, https://www.cwgc.org/visit-us/find-...ls/2000086/gouzeaucourt-new-british-cemetery/

As far as I could ascertain, no one from our family had ever visited his grave. I booked a flight for my wife and I, hotel, car hire, etc. A week after arranging the trip, my wife was diagnosed with breast cancer. Trip cancelled, of course, with the intention of re-booking after my wife's treatment. Then, of course, covid reared its head. Still hopeful to make the trip.

Steve.
Click to expand...
We both wish that all goes well for you, and you get to make the trip very soon.

Andrew
 
Brummie a long time ago said:
Some years ago, before we moved to France, we went to visit the cemeteries a couple of times in that area on a 4X4 expedition with a company based in Cambrai. There are a lot of smaller graves in the area that are accessible only to 4X4 vehicles. The company ran two options, take your own, or travel to their base and be taken in one of theirs. Our trips were deliberately difficult, to make the vehicles work hard, but we were able to appreciate some of the conditions that soldiers were sleeping, walking and struggling through during those conflicts. Very mixed emotions both times.


We both wish that all goes well for you, and you get to make the trip very soon.

Andrew
Click to expand...
When my mother was in her eighties she had a serious operation. I had previously started to research details for her father who died in the Battle of Cambrai just 5 months after her birth. I said to her, as an incentive for her recovery, that we would visit the cemetery at Louverval to see where his name was recorded. He was in the Machine Gun Corps. We later made that journey.
 
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