http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk en-gb shalligettoblighty.co.uk 2010-2-9T00:00:00Z shalligettoblighty.co.uk http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#58036 This is an avatar of me. lta targetblank hrefhttpwww.osoq.comgtltimg srchttpcharacterspic.s3.amazonaws.comOSOQ091208020Y.gif border0 width192 height192 altCaricaturegtltagt Mandy 2010-2-9T00:00:00Z http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#57974 Here is an interesting article in the Mirror 31012010. 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 2000 Allied soldiers died ... 2010-2-8T00:00:00Z http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#54814 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 everyones effort has resulted in a proper military ceremony next year which is a great achievement. Secondly one of Harolds 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 wasnt 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 hasnt been approved yet but it hasnt 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 ... 2009-12-20T00:00:00Z http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#50854 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 reentered 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... 2009-10-18T00:00:00Z http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#50270 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 havent discovered www.wardiary.com yet you dont know what you are missing. How the site introduces itself Countless soldiers wrote diaries even under the difficult circumstances of war. In addition to descriptions of everyday routine they recorded the horror of war in their subjective portrayal of events. The diaries that have come to light cover every conflict since the middle 19th century when the spread of literacy made it possible for the ordinary soldier to keep a personal record or to write home. This website wardiary.com is intended to concentrate all such publications allowing a larger audience access to this a posteriori blogging AP Blog writing a diary in the retrospective. To date the site has the following listed diaries and letters First World War 91 Second World War 48 and Other Wars 23 and the numbers are c... 2009-10-9T00:00:00Z http://www.shalligettoblighty.co.uk/page22.htm#45827 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 anyone 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 expat 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 cou... 2009-8-24T00:00:00Z