The Returned

@johncopse @JefferzWilli @sommecourt From my book Polo and the Great War. As a polo player he gained a fair reputation, being one of the successful Oxford team 1901, and appeared subsequently at the London Clubs and in County polo occasionally. His weight, however, was somewhat against him, and he took up breeding.

Coming soon, and fully told for the first time ever, the story of Princess Mary’s Christmas Gift, 1914. Pre-Register now for news of special editions indiegogo.com/projects/princ…

THE CONNECTION OF EMPTY SPACES I've written something. It's about returned crosses, ghost cemeteries and the missing. Please do take a look. timgodden.co.uk/landscape-memo… #ww1 #memory #place #landscape

During WW1 shared graves were used to dispose of the dead where indiv. burial wasn't possible Grave of 24 men of the 2nd East Lancs Regiment who were killed by one shell on 14 March 1915 during a rifle inspection at the Rouge Croix Cross Roads on the La Bassee Road. IWM Q 56181

A better image of the cross.

Original #WW1 battlefield cross for Major C H Mallock DSO who died at the 46th (1st/1st Wessex) Casualty Clearing Station at Proven after a gas attack . He is buried in the @CWGC cemetery at Mendingham. New record added to @WarMemorials warmemorialsonline.org.uk/memorial/27679…

He never could go home. So this little partial grave marker is making the journey home for him. Found by myself in a field at Courcelette some years ago. Earlier this year I made contact miraculously with his living relatives in Montreal, Canada. More.....

Remembering Norman. KIA on this day in 1916. A little part of him got home and is now lovingly cared for by his family. He is at Regina Trench Cemetery near where he fell on 8/10/1916.

@AStreetNearYou @MaxBrady1 @carl_liversage @CWGC Max did a radio interview about it very early in the project, privately owned crosses are comparatively rare, especially still in the family.

@MaxBrady1 @carl_liversage @CWGC @ReturnedFTF Brilliant, always like to check :)

.@CWGC Etaples Military Cemetery, the largest Commission cemetery in France with over 11,500 burials. The dry summer again is taking its toll on the grass and plants. Fascinating to get a closer look at the detail on the memorial, designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens.

@CGAnatomy @butchers_mind @nomilubin The 11th of November 1918 is Armistice Day, when the war ended. I think they deliberately marked his birthday on it because of this.

@butchers_mind @ReturnedFTF @nomilubin I don’t know of any significant historical event on that date other than the gunfight at the OK Corral.

@nomilubin No, I just cropped it out for that shot. His birth date resonates somewhat.

@hannamsmyth @ReturnedFTF @CWGC Found darkest epitaph in Brookwood cemetery visiting the #cwgc exhibition!

Excited to have a new website - peterdoyle.net (especially so because it has been designed by @typejunky - I know, right?) (Do drop in if you have a moment)

Nice thread here.

@ReturnedFTF We are so pleased to see Private Goddard’s grave marker returning from Canada. We will certainly give it a very good home.

This has blown my mind. It’s taken over 6 months and quite a lot of Canadian dollars, but Private Goddard is back in Blighty, and will soon be finishing the final leg of his journey to @GreatWarHuts where he can rest again. Thanks especially to Gary Blakeley for his work on this.

It’s a nice thought that a project about returned crosses has resulted in one being returned to Britain. I circle completed.

Thanks also to everyone who donated to help both acquire this and get it shipped. We more or less managed to cover everything, I think I had to stump up an extra 20 quid to pay customs, but it’s been worth every drop of sweat.

The original memorial cross for 2Lt John Bernard Pye Adams of the 1st Battalion Royal Welch Fusiliers, it now resides at #cobham church #RWF #ww1 #memorialcross @ReturnedFTF

@gibbsemanning @ReturnedFTF ALSO: A 1st Battalion cross in Double Bay Uniting Church in Ocean Street Woollahra AND A replica cross for a WA battalion in St Anne's Anglican in Ryde (the original was returned to WA).