Here is an interesting article in the Mirror 31/01/2010.

100 years on, soldiers killed in WW1 finally laid to rest

By John Kelly 

Cut down in a hail of German bullets nearly 100 years ago, soldiers killed in a First World War battle were finally laid to rest yesterday.

The bodies of men from the British 61st Division were discovered two years ago in six mass graves outside a small French village, close to where they died in 1916. The British and Australian soldiers were buried with full military honours yesterday in the first Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery to be built for 50 years.

Veterans Minister Kevan Jones said: "It was the wish of both governments to give these brave soldiers a fitting place of rest. Work to try and identify them has already begun and I urge again any families who think they may have a relative killed at the battle of Fromelles to come forward."

The cemetery, called Pheasant Wood, marks the spot where more than 2,000 Allied soldiers died in a battle that historians now agree should never have been fought in the first place.

The 250 soldiers found at Fromelles so far are only a few of those missing and were hastily buried by German soldiers who carried the bodies from the battlefield and dumped them in mass graves.

Well, it has been a busy and interesting month. Firstly, over twenty Brits turned up at the cemetry on Rememberance Sunday - many people travelling several hours to attend. It was a great tribute to the men who lost their lives and every-one's effort has resulted in a proper military ceremony next year, which is a great achievement. Secondly, one of Harold's brothers emigrated to Canada as a young man and I have a whole bunch of Macklon relatives in Canada - and around the UK- that I wasn't in touch with. Thanks to this website many of them have got in touch recently which is really wonderful. So a very warm welcome to all those Macklons and Ledwiths out there! Finally, the full manuscript of 'Shall I get to Blighty?' is in the hands of a respected publisher! It hasn't been approved yet - but it hasn't been rejected yet either - so fingers crossed! As always, thank you for all your kind comments, support and words of wisdom and I would like to wish you all a fabulous Christmas and fantastic New Year!

My husband Peter and I live in the region of Abruzzo in Italy. We have the honour of living literally ten mins away from the beautiful Sangro River Commonwealth War Graves Cemetry. We always take guests there to pay their respects, it is very beautiful and of course, always emotional. Last Rememberance Day we were very disappointed to find no commemoration to acknowledge the dreadful loss of life in WW2. Peter wrote to the War Graves Commission to see if there would be a service this year and we were disappointed to learn that no commemoration was to be held.

Some basic info about the cemetry:

On 3 September 1943 the Allies invaded the Italian mainland, the invasion coinciding with an armistice made with the Italians who then re-entered the war on the Allied side. Allied objectives were to draw German troops from the Russian front and more particularly from France, where an offensive was planned for the following year. Progress through southern Italy was rapid despite stiff resistance, but by the end of October, the Allies were facing the German winter defensive position known as the Gustav Line, which stretched from the river Garigliano in the west to the Sangro in the east. By 4 November, the Allied force that had fought its way up the Adriatic coast was preparing to attack the Sangro river positions. A bridgehead had been established by the 24th and by nightfall on the 30th, the whole ridge overlooking the river was in Allied hands. The site of this cemetery was selected by the 5th Corps and into it were brought the graves of men who had died in the fierce fighting on the Adriatic sector of the front in November-December 1943, and during the static period that followed. In addition, the cemetery contains the graves of a number of escaped prisoners of war who died while trying to reach the Allied lines. SANGRO RIVER WAR CEMETERY contains 2,617 Commonwealth burials of the Second World War. Within the cemetery will be found the SANGRO RIVER CREMATION MEMORIAL, one of three memorials erected in Italy to officers and men of the Indian forces whose remains were cremated in accordance with their faith - the other two cremation memorials are in Forli Indian Army War Cemetery and Rimini Gurkha War Cemetery. The memorial at Sangro River commemorates more than 500 servicemen.

We are hoping to rally some of the local ex-pats to attend and are hoping that we can do the memories of these brave men justice. The cemetry is about 35 mins from Pescara airport and Ryanair do cheap flights from Stansted airport there regularly. Afraid I know little about travelling from other countries.

Although we only have a small house and cannot provide accommodation I am certainly willing to suggest nearby hotels etc and any advice required and offer a meal, glass of wine and warm welcome. Further details about the cemetry is below:

http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_...2021204&mode=1

http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_...2021204&mode=1

If you require further info, please e mail me.

First of all, please accept my apologies for the delay in writing this blog and my extreme gratitude for all your positive e mails and comments. If you haven't discovered www.war-diary.com  yet you don't know what you are missing. How the site introduces itself:

To tell you the truth the thought of writing a Blog initially filled me with a strong sense of DREAD. What could I, a 41 year English writer living in Abruzzo, Italy with my husband Peter and two daft mutts have to relate of interest to any-one? Could I amaze my adoring public with exciting tales of my pathetically lethargic vegetable crop (my next book is a guide on 100 ways NOT to grow courgettes) or my latest achievement in speaking Italiano to the locals - without an Essex accent? Whilst the many tales of our ex-pat disasters and mishaps may bring a smile or occasional grimace to the faces of our friends and family, I suspect that an audience interested in the First World War or Edwardian Britain may find them rather unappealing.

After all, how could the humble vegetable ever hope to compete with such a compelling and absorbing subject as the First World War? Nearly 100 years on and we are more interested in the war than ever - in the politics, the bravery, how it changed society and of course, the dreadful loss of life. Every newly discovered memoir or letter from the period feeds our knowledge and fuels our desire to know more, perhaps in the hope of understanding this horrendous conflict. Thanks to the web we can now easily share these accounts, electronically search archives in foreign countries and communicate with total strangers around the world from the comfort of our own home. And that is what this Blog will be about – websites and Blogs that I think may interest you, whether the subject is war, Victorian and Edwardian Britain or just plain Englishness. Certainly more useful than a discussion on courgettes.

In the meantime I would like to share my next project with you – Conscientious objectors of the First World War. Do you have a relative who was a C.O? Do you have any letters or diaries from a C.O or loved one during this period? If so, could you please drop me an e mail at mail@shalligettoblighty.co.uk or complete a contact form and I will get back to you. Any information would be appreciated.     Continuing on this theme I thought my first website would be the www.ppu.org.uk.   On 17th May 2008 they opened a new Conscientious Resource Centre at their headquarters in Kentish Town, London. The Centre is a joint Peace Pledge Union and Peace Research and Education Trust Project. The project “reclaims the lost voices of the young men, many of whom languished in prison, often in solitary confinement; young men who risked loss of family support, and social ostracism. Some in World War One, despite being condemned to death, refused to put on a uniform or pick up a gun.” Visitors are able to see an exhibition of conscientious objection memorabilia, explore digital resources and view recently recorded video interviews. A book ‘Refusing to Kill - conscientious objection and human rights in the first world war’ is also available, as well as a ‘Voices for Peace’ CD. For more information on the project visit http://www.ppu.org.uk/coproject/coprojectindex.html The Peace Pledge Union is the oldest secular pacifist organisation in Britain and has been campaigning for a warless world since 1934. The Peace Research & Education Trust supports research, provides advice and information about the causes and effects of war and violence and ways of peacefully resolving conflict situations. For further information visit http://www.ppu.org.uk.

And on the vegetable front - I am afraid to report that things are going from bad to worse. Today I went out to pick my lovely big ripe looking beetroot, only to discover that they were in fact oversized bitter-as- hell radish. Drat and double drat.