A Final Goodbye...
So on Nov 30th, my sister went to Vlamertinghe New Military Cemetery in Belgium, both to finally meet Uncle Ted and also to bid him goodbye. It was extremely moving. I'll attach whatever photos I can. In this interesting journey - and with help from all my friends out there! (couldn't have done it without you guys!!) - I was able to write to the CWGC and furnish them with sufficient info to change Ted's age at death on their website from 22 to 21 and they have put in a work order to have the gravestone amended also. You may be interested to hear that Ted is buried next to Lance Bombardier Frank Hodgkinson a fellow RFA soldier and there are 4 other RFA soldiers who died on the same day and are buried at Vlamertinghe.
I was able to download a map of the cemetery and, with the coordinates of Ted's grave, it meant my sister could walk straight to the right grave without having to wander through the entire cemetery looking for that one stone.... Just as well, as it rained very heavily during the TWO hours she spent there!
I am amazed at the unbelievable series of coincidences that all came together for this momentous occasion:
1. She arrived in Ypres on Monday evening (Nov 27th) and went for a walk to get her bearings. The Menin Gate is magnificent all lit up in the darkness, and she took a photo of the 2 lions on either side of it. Just at that moment, a former Belgian soldier approached her and commented that it was a good night to take a photo of the lions. Oh, says she, why is that? Because tomorrow, they will be returned to their home in the Australian War Memorial in Canberra! *Sure enough, 2 days later, the lions were indeed gone! I have been to the AWM and I am ashamed to say I did not notice them while I was there! Time to go back again, I think!
2. Thanks to your recommendations, I was able to purchase (courtesy of eBay!) a copy of 'Paupers, Bastards and Lunatics - the Story of the Conwy Workhouse' and amazingly, it just happened to arrive on Thursday Nov 30th!
3. As did a copy of Ken Evans' book, 'Knights of Penrhyn', which filled in not a few more details of Ted's Army career.
4. Again on Nov 30th, I received confirmation from the CWGC that they had amended his age on their website and will amend same on his gravestone in due course. Job done!
It may seem fanciful but I like to think that Ted was up there looking down on us frantically scrabbling around to do the right thing and smiling that he is not forgotten after all - nor ever will be.
So a big thank you, all my friends, for the help and guidance you have given me and enabled me to get the right information together so that now Uncle Ted can be assured of a final rest. I'm sure he is proud of us all!!
Pics to follow!