Simon V Good - Good Company

This is a client I recently spent 6 days with, touring the battlefields and monuments of The Western Front, from Ypres to Verdun. A couple of days into our tour he mentioned that he had a great uncle (his grandfather’s brother) who had been killed in World War One. To the best of his knowledge, nobody in his family had visited the grave, but he didn’t know where it was. He was able to give me his name and regiment, and through The Commonwealth War Graves Commission website, I quickly found where it was located and we were able to make a small detour to pay our respects. It was one of the most moving and rewarding moments in 35 years of guiding.

The Neuve Chapelle memorial (at Richebourg, between Béthune & Lille) commemorates the 4742 Indian soldiers whose remains were never identified following fighting on the Western Front. Dedicated in 1927 in the presence of Foch, Kipling and Indian veterans.
Over one million Indian troops served overseas, of whom 62,000 died and another 67,000 were wounded. In total at least 74,187 Indian soldiers died during the war.
In 1914, the Indian Army was the second largest volunteer arm...y in the world with a total strength of 240,000 men. The British Army was only marginally larger with a strength of 247,432 regular volunteers at the outbreak of the war. By November 1918, the Indian Army contained 548,311 men.
Of the 130,000 Indians who served in France and Belgium, almost 9,000 died. Indians also fought as far afield as Tanzania, Turkey, Iraq, Egypt & China; [modern day names]. Nine Indians were awarded the Victoria Cross during World War One.
India, until 1947, also encompassed what are now Pakistan & Bangladesh. Prime Minister Modi paid his respects here in 2015.
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It is now less than a week to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that brought an end to the First World War. Exactly 100 years ago today Wilfred Owen, MC was killed crossing the Sambre Oise canal near ORS. His mother received the news of his death as the church bells rang out in celebration of the peace. In nearby Le Cateau, France, there is “The Forester’s House”, where Owen sheltered for a few nights prior to his death and wrote his last letter to his mother.
In Octobe...r 2011 a new memorial space was opened, designed by Simon Patterson. Encasing the original brick house in white render to resemble a book, the interior projects his poems on the stark interior walls. Kenneth Branagh reads some of Owen’s poems. They are also played in French.
It is a quite brilliant and poignant memorial. Not in a particularly well visited part of France, but well worth a detour.
A couple of miles away you can also see a memorial on the bridge over the canal near where he was killed. He is buried in the local town cemetery with a few of his comrades.
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Extraordinary and brilliant venture that makes grainy, jumpy early cine footage look like it was shot this year. Stupendous achievement to commemorate the forthcoming 100th anniversary of the signing of the Armistice that brought an end to the fighting in World War One

News from Kensington Palace this morning is that The Duke & Duchess of Sussex - Meghan & Harry if you prefer - are expecting a baby. Due in “the spring”

It’s now just under a month to the 100th anniversary of the Armistice that ended hostilities in World War One. This is the grave (in Belgium) of Noel Chavasse, the only man to be awarded the Victoria Cross twice in World War One. The VC is the highest award for bravery . Only 3 men have been awarded it twice, two were from the Royal Army Medical Corps.

David Hockney has created his first stained glass window to commemorate HM Queen Elizabeth II. Inspirational commission. Can’t wait to see it.

Evolution of helmets through to World War 1 for France, Germany & UK. French soldiers didn’t get helmets until more than a year after the fighting began. From a display at the truly excellent Historial / Museum of The Great War in Peronne, Somme, France. Housed in a medieval Chateau with modern additions it is one of the best of many excellent WW1 museums. I’ve just seen a dozen of them over three weeks, from VERDUN to YPRES / IEPER.

Famously the longest town name in Britain, with advice on how to pronounce it. On the island of Anglesey in NW Wales. Known as Llanfair PG. It means : “Saint Mary's Church in the hollow of the white hazel near a rapid whirlpool and the Church of St. Tysilio of the red cave.”

Two Belted Galloways in a disused tin mine near Land’s End Cornwall.

Evening rush hour traffic - on tour in Cornwall

https://twitter.com/i_w_m/status/98192974 6685718528?s=21
Churchill War Rooms - a very popular and brilliant site to visit in London - is sold out for the next couple of days. Never seen this happen before in the 20+ years it’s been open. I suspect this will happen frequently over the next few months as numbers visiting London increase. All down to the recent film “ The Darkest Hour”with Gary Oldman’s Oscar winning performance as Winston Churchill. The power of the movies! If you are touring with me, I can book tickets ahead of time for you, to guarantee entry. But book ME soon!

The latest work to be placed on the “Fourth” Plinth in Trafalgar Square is:
The Invisible Enemy should not exist, by Jewish Iraqi American artist Michael Rakowitz.
In the 1840s when the square was laid out the plinth was intended to have a statue of King William IV (1830-37) to accompany that of his older brother George IV (1820-30). However it never happened (for reasons I can tell you on a tour) and the plinth stood empty for about 150 years. Mayor Ken Livingstone decided i...
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Stephen Hawking’s ashes will be joining the great scientists Newton & Darwin in Westminster Abbey later in the year. Delighted to see the Abbey recognising the monumental work of a great atheist.

Lots of confused drivers in England. CS Lewis, Tolkien & JM Barrie fans alert!