VRA (UK)
Northern
MOGGYS WAR GRAVE TRIP TO FRANCE
After many years of promising myself to go see my Great Grandads War Grave, I woke
up the other day and thought sod it, I’m off. With my bag packed which included my
clutch of medals and beret I set off from sunny Bradford and headed on the windy
M62 and down the windy A1 up to the windy M25 car park, making a huge schoolboy error
I ploughed back up the M11 to Cambridge-
Here I got a ticket for the Chunnel for 50 quid return, there was hardly anyone one the train and this took me to Calais, arriving at Calais I tried my bestist to find the A26/E15 road, not an easy task, this was the point where I was wishing I had a bloody sat nav or map and not trying to remember the directions on my laptop.
Joy of joys I eventually found the road and pinged meself off in the direction of Bethune, the town where the grave is situated. After 45 miles I got to the town and found a hotel, it was nearly 9pm and I was a tad hungry, so after sorting my room and getting a shower I had some scoff at an attached resturant , this disappointingly closed at 10.30, and the town was an utter ghost town so I wandered around for a while and headed back to the hotel. In the morning I hired a taxi to the cemetery as I thought I’d never find it on the bike, the cemetery loomed up and I thought yep there is no way I’d have found it, getting out of the taxi I walked through the cemetery gates, going along a path with immaculate family tombs and graves a sign led me to the top and the War Grave site. It’s not the biggest but neither the smallest, I knew from records where my Great Grandads war grave was, I found the row and then found his resting place.
Wow, after all these years of promises I was here, there was his grave and it felt quite odd standing there, me being in the Medics for 33 years and him being a medic so many, many years ago. I took a few self timed photos, put his arm badge on the site and I also buried one of my cap badges by the headstone. I managed to collar the grounds man to take a few photos and as I was telling him the story of how he was killed alongside two mates who are buried by his side, emotions got the better of me and I shed a tear, then I also saluted and did a minutes silence to pay respects to a RAMC comrade.
I wish I had more time to look around as the site has some graves that were ‘shot at dawns’ and also to pay respects to all the fallen in the cemetery. Then it was back to the hotel and offski back to Blighty. All in all I did 850 miles in 2 days, was knackered when I got back and wish I had some company on the journey and also wish I knew France shut at 10.30pm. But it was worth it and felt a great amount of pride for my Great Grandad, I also hope he’s proud of me for being a sweat in the RAMC.
24448921 S/SGT MOGGY