Margaret 6600 Bastogne, bois de la paix, wood of Peace , Belguim,

This is the village we are staying in , its called  Magaret near Bastogne,

http://www.paysdebastogne.be/en/discoveries/battle-of-the-bulge/hades_visite_fiche/the-village-of-mageret-during-the-battle-of-the-ardennes/e_1750
http://www.bastogne.be/
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Panzer_Lehr_Division
http://www.final-round.com/resources/index.php?pageid=101
http://www.bastogne.be/commune/ville-villages/villages/mageret/

Team Cherry at Mageret
While the main force is under pressure in Longvilly forward elements of Team Cherry engage Mageret to reopen the road to Bastogne. But the road leading into the village is soon blocked by the wrecks of a destroyed Sherman tank and two half tracks (the Sherman was heading the column and shot down by a German PAK that had just been set up). At about 1500 a small patrol consisting of 18 infantrymen, two medium tanks and a 105mm. assault gun are sent out against the village, moving cross country north of the road. Although one of the Sherman tanks gets stuck in the bad terrain, draws fire and has to return to the column, the rest of the patrol is able to move on. They enter the northeast part of the village but although they can make out some German tanks and infantry they are in no strength to engage the enemy.

Another group of 40 men accompanied by a section of medium tanks is sent against the southern part of Mageret but as the tanks have difficulties with the rough terrain south of the road no real progress is made. The infantry consists of stragglers from Longvilly and is reluctant to move without the accompanying tanks.

The scattered remains of Team Cherry manage to conquer three houses at the northeastern edge of Mageret where they are stuck. Suffering more and more losses to the German attackers, they are finally (at 0030, 20th December) released to withdraw towards Bizory. Under the covering fire of the paratroopers they manage to make their way to Foy and finally to Bastogne.

taken from http://www.final-round.com/resources/index.php?pageid=101

Barn as part of the building , people lived on one side of the house

This is the front of the same house ,

This is a Sherman tank turret ,

the back of the turret

http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/page135.html
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/M4_Sherman
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Lend-Lease_Sherman_tanks

the church had to be rebuilt after the battle

can you see the old tractors ?

old school building

one of  the buidings shows battle scars ?

looking at old bullet holes

this shows another old

This is where we are staying

http://www.a-gites.com/annonce-22805.html

It is full of wood and lots of interesting old objects

This is the view from my room !

Leo’s Cot

Leo was very tired after his trip !

we walked to the peace woods,

 

taken from
http://images.opt.be/images/elto/30243_30243boisdelapaix.gif

The Wood of Peace is laid out to recreate the UNICEF emblem: a mother and child, symbol of human tenderness. This design is only visible from the air

http://www.opt.be/informations/tourist_attractions_bastogne__bois_de_la_paix__wood_of_peace_/en/V/30243.html

http://www.visitbelgium.com/?page=mustbas

http://paysdebastogne.be/en/Discoveries/battle-of-the-bulge/hades_visite_fiche/the-wood-of-peace/e_1702

http://www.igougo.com/journal-j13706-Bastogne-Bastogne-And_a_Time_to_Remember.html

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Battle_of_the_Bulge

http://bbs.keyhole.com/ubb/ubbthreads.php?ubb=showflat&Number=877952&site_id=1#import

The 4,000 trees making up this wood were planted for the 50th anniversary of the Battle of the Bulge. They were dedicated to the American veterans who fought in the Ardennes, Belgian combatants and all the civilians and military who died in the winter of 1944-45. Every veteran who returned to Bastogne in 1994 chose a tree, which will always bear his name. The Wood of Peace is laid out to recreate the UNICEF emblem: a mother and child, symbol of human tenderness. This design is only visible from the air. The trees on the site are mostly service trees, birches, beech trees and oaks.

these are some of the people whose names are next to the trees

some of the divisions who are commemorated in this wood
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/101st_Airborne_Division
http://www.cgsc.edu/carl/resources/csi/mitchell/mitchell.asp

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/82nd_Airborne_Division

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Siege_of_Bastogne
http://users.skynet.be/jeeper/page135.html

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

some of the civilian groups involved

note from dad :apologies to people we missed but there are over 4000 trees and a lot of name plates,

Dozinghem Military Cemetery, Westvleteren , West-Vlaanderen Belgium -John Thomas McQue’s resting place

>

this is about the visit to Great ,Great Granddads memorial

we laid poppy’s in November in England

http://jakeofwinterhill.blogspot.com/2010/11/remembrance-sunday-memorial-walk-lead.html

Me walking with Mum ,Evie and Leo towards the Memorial ,

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Commonwealth_War_Graves_Commission
http://en.db-city.com/Belgium/Flanders/West_Flanders/Poperinge
http://www.toerismepoperinge.be/nl/pagina/1211-1220-1256-1477/dozinghem-mc.html?PHPSESSID=94b31967d1b8f973420a72df71ae533d
http://www.greatwar.co.uk/places/ypres-salient-cemeteries.htm
http://www.warmemorials.org/
http://www.battlefieldstrust.com/
http://www.bcmh.org.uk/index.php

Helan Fairchild was a nurse in the first world war who died but is buried elsewhere, she served in clearing stations near the Cemetery

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Helen_Fairchild
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Third_Battle_of_Ypres
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/World_War_I

The gate posts -this one has the first world war date  on it

http://gianni.smugmug.com/Various/WWI-cemeteries-in-Ypres-1/9368134_X8y4Y#1172208532_cFJSM


http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=151896


http://www.panoramio.com/photo/2604734


http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1cemeteries/dozinghemmilitarycemetery.htm


http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_details.aspx?cemetery=15300&mode=1


http://battlefields1418.50megs.com/dozinghem.htm


http://www.greatwar.co.uk/places/ypres-salient-cemeteries.htm


http://www.cwgc.org/CWGCImgs/Dozinghem%20Military%20Cemetery.JPG

This one has the second world war date on it

a book that contains all the details for the Cemetery

towards the front of the cemetery

This is my Great ,Great Granddads gravestone

http://www.findagrave.com/cgi-bin/fg.cgi?page=pv&GRid=12519318


http://www.cwgc.org/search/casualty_details.aspx?casualty=153284


http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/cemetery_plans/dozinghem.JPG

Grave/Memorial Reference:	XV. F. 14.

http://www.cwgc.org/search/cemetery_reports.aspx?cemetery=15300&mode=1

image above taken from the ww1cemeteries.com web site 

Me and  Evie

A Chinese grave

A person whose name is not known

http://www.youtube.com/get_player

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_War_Graves_Photographic_Project


http://www.wargravesheritage.org.uk/


http://www.twgpp.org/


http://www.westernfrontassociation.com/


http://www.skphotoscom.co.uk/gallery_325719.html

Old mines via White Coppice Geology Trail and the Great Hill

this is Waterman’s Cottage

I am standing on a tree ! it looks like a rock but its a old tree trunk !

this is the entrance to the city!  -Here I imagined I was discovering a  long lost city !

I am climbing the wall of the city

waterfall wall  these need climbing

last wall and very very sliiiiiiiiiipy

next to the city mine

in the small mine

a exposed bank of shale ( comment from Dad opposite here evidence of many mine shafts -bell pits  )

looking at the bell pit these are the best so far we have seen

a line of bell pits  going towards the river

standing between to gate posts at Drinkwaters which was used for target practice in WW2!

Great Hill summet  here you can go to Darwin Tower, Winter Hill views all around
– you can see Preston,Rivington Pike,Blackburn

me relaxing on a stone seat  – 4 miles  one to go !

weather Bright sunshine and cold at start to light rain and cold wind, we saw a lot of people on Great Hill
who did not have the correct kit on  ,
one asked us near the top of Great Hill if this was Great Hill  , the other two people didn’t know either – do not go out without a map and if you carry the map know how to use it!
Take care on the Hills please!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

route we took
http://www.sanoodi.com/routes/white-coppice-mine-hunt-301356/ 5 miles in total

http://www.white-coppice.co.uk/ good site for this area

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Great_Hill about the great hill

War Memorials and Tanks in Belgium

Mardassone war memorial at Bastogne.

Sherman tank at Bastogne.

SAS Belgian memorial at Hotton.

The German advance was stopped here, the River Meuse, Hotton.

Archillies tank destroyer in La Roche.

Sherman tank in La Roche.

Fermont Fort maginot line, France

this is the main entrance to the fort

this is a 88 mm German gun

this is a really noisy train

a very narrow passage

this is a turret that moves up and down.