437 replies to this topic

[hazel clark]

Some of these stories are mentioned elsewhere in this thread Ian, so they must be fairly weel known.

H.C.

[Will O'Brien]

Stangest occurance I've seen on the Western Front is Andy (Armourersergeant), Steve (Stebie9173) & Nigel (The English Dog) buying a round.

[Ianto]

This one too is interesting:


http://goo.gl/LaI18


I really do wonder what the actual truth is.

[hazel clark]

Ianto, on 22 June 2012 - 12:00 PM, said:

This one too is interesting:


http://goo.gl/LaI18


I really do wonder what the actual truth is.

I wonder if this is documented elsewhere?  

H.C.

[Nick Thornicroft]

Recently returned from a solo Somme visit. Nothing peculiar at Mametz Wood & the Dragon Memorial - as has been suggested before, all copses & groups of trees can appear a little menacing if you are there on your own. Anyway, in the evening I went to the Lochnagar Crater, & was the only one there. The sun was setting, & as I walked round to the far side, almost immediately opposite the Cross, my shadow was reflected onto the trees around the edge. Just for a couple of seconds there seemed to be two shadows - mine, & one behind. I put it down to the refracting sunlight as I was moving, as obviously the trunks of the trees are at different distances as a person walks by, thus casting a 'jumping' shadow as you continue round. However, it made me stop & look behind me. I walked round again as the light was fading, but nothing the second time. I also stood amongst the trees on the edge of the crater, looking across at the direction in which the British advanced (towards me) on 1st July 1916, & felt a little uneasy. Your mind does play tricks on you, it's true. The merest movement (there were a number of rabbits in the field) draws your eye to one place, & then you think you see something else in another direction. I decided to call it a night.

[khaki]

I find these reports very interesting reading, naturally enough they are member's experiences while visiting F&F, but what of the locals?, the people who live on or near these sites,
are they sceptical? or do they have their own interesting stories?  Have any members had anecdotal information from the residents?

khaki

[hazel clark]

khaki, on 02 June 2013 - 12:33 AM, said:

I find these reports very interesting reading, naturally enough they are member's experiences while visiting F&F, but what of the locals?, the people who live on or near these sites,
are they sceptical? or do they have their own interesting stories?  Have any members had anecdotal information from the residents?

khaki

Now that would be interesting!
H.C.

[hesmond]

Back in the 1980s i met the old boy who owned Croenart Wood spent the night with him drinking and he let us camp in the woods over night ,he said would we mind sleeping amongst the dead , he told us when as a young lad he found a skull in the undergrowth he picked it up and out from the eye socket a mouse jumped which scared the life out of him ! we asked him then if any other time he had seen or witnessed anything odd at the site and his house was along side the wood his awnser was a firm no!

[hazel clark]

hesmond, on 03 June 2013 - 01:27 PM, said:

Back in the 1980s i met the old boy who owned Croenart Wood spent the night with him drinking and he let us camp in the woods over night ,he said would we mind sleeping amongst the dead , he told us when as a young lad he found a skull in the undergrowth he picked it up and out from the eye socket a mouse jumped which scared the life out of him ! we asked him then if any other time he had seen or witnessed anything odd at the site and his house was along side the wood his awnser was a firm no!

Might reduce the value of the real estate!
H.

[mctaz]

Being into genealogy, for many years I've encountered many strange "coincidences" that are inexplicable.
Last trip I had to F&F I visited Cite Bonjean Military Cemetery at Armentieres with the intent of photographing all the graves of 40th Bn AIF soldiers buried there.  I'd done my homework, I had a printed list of the soldiers and their plots so my partner & I worked through them, ticking them off as we took the photos. However, one soldier had eluded us, so I went back to the Register and called out the plot number to her. While she took the photo I had a quick squizz at the Visitors Book.
I was amused to discover the last entry in the book was from 2 people from NSW who'd come to visit the same soldier Sgt FG Tuck three days earlier, having previously visited it 25 years or so earlier! coincidence? (there are over 2,500 graves in Cite Bonjean)

[Bellflower]

Started reading this thread yesterday and have an open mind on such things. However I believe some people do have, for want of a better phrase, a sixth sense which has become dulled for most of us over the centuries. I have certainly felt on edge in some places on the Somme, but attribute this to being on my own in the middle of nowhere, or somewhere I shouldn't really be ( own up , we've all done it )
There is  recurring mention of Mametz and Flat Iron Copse in this thread which I am going to add to...........
In  November 2011, I was on my first trip with Linesman and was looking forward to using it, all checked out before I left home and worked fine when I switched it on in the Holiday Inn in Arras. Next day it was off to Mametz Wood and the Welsh Memorial. I wandered around with Linesman and it was brilliant, so I drove on down the lane to Flat Iron Copse in the Mitsi and stopped at the Cemetery for some lunch before exploring further. All ready to go and switched on my notebook, fired up Linesman which showed my current position as being a few miles offshore from Le Havre. First thought, blame the technology, so I switched it off and put the notebook on the Cemetery wall while I went to look at my Google Earth  pics for the area. Decided to give it another go and this time spot on. That evening back in Arras I posted my experience in the Using The Technology section in a thread entitled Never rains but............ which is there now for you to see.
It wasn't until I started reading this thread that I considered the link between Welsh units disembarking at le Havre and then being in action around Mametz

[hazel clark]

It seems to me I remember another post from someone who had "technical glitches" in the area.
Hazel

[khaki]

According to some reports items removed from an area where spiritual energies exist may take those energies with them. Maybe so, but then I would expect battlefield museums to be reporting strange occurrences. I have never heard of any.

khaki