I usually stick to discussions on vintage Omegas (and the occasional cat picture)

But for today a couple of pictures to focus on the maxim of "Lest we forget"

My great uncle Thomas Henderson
Joined the Tyneside Irish at the tender age of 17 and was sent into the carnage of the first day of the battle of the Somme.
Of his battalion he was one of 9 survivors.
Who knows what horrors he witnessed but the photos below perhaps give some indication.

As a young 17-year old volunteer, fresh faced and proud



And after the battle, the experience evidently etched all over his care-worn face.
He never spoke about the war.....

 

Thanks for sharing.

A friend suggested I listen to a series of podcasts by Dan Carlin, part of his “Hardcore History” series called “Blueprint for Armageddon” about WW1.

Living in the modern world, it’s very difficult to understand what that generation faced and this podcast series truly gave me an opportunity to contemplate their incredible sacrifice.

Highly recommended, albeit it’s a lot to bite off: 6 episodes each running in excess of 3 hours (they were released over the span of 2 years).

Dan Carlin does make it quite entertaining despite the length. I listened via iTunes but I’m sure available elsewhere via a google search.

 

We owe a huge debt if gratitude to those who served and continue to serve so that we may enjoy our liberty.
The only regret we should have is that we are not able to put our differences aside so that we can focus on our similarities. If we did this no mother would have to loose her son or daughter in the name of conflict.
That said I am grateful to all those who have made sacrifices so that I and millions of othes can be free from tyranny.

 

My father was named for his uncle John Goodloe who never returned to his home in Mount Calm, Texas. A dispatch rider, he was killed within a couple of weeks of Armistice.

 

I'll throw my hat in for this one as well, this really is an amazing podcast series. I'm ashamed to say I knew next to nothing about WW1 before I listened, but Dan talks through the entire war and just does such a phenomenal job of conveying the horrors of being at places like The Somme and Verdun. He quotes people who were there extensively -- listening to it it's hard to stomach what these men went through.

It's also available for free on his website.

 

History of World War II Podcast also covers a good bit of Great War history in the episodes focused on young Churchill. Brilliant stuff.