Laatst levende overlevende (109) van de Hel bij Passendale

Afgelopen zondag was de langstlevende veteraan Harry Patch
http://www.forumeerstewereldoorlog.nl/viewtopic.php?t=3915&highlight=harry+patch
bij de Last Post te Ieper.
Harry ging na de speciale ceremonie met de heren Richard van Emden en Peter Barton mee boeken signeren in "Over the top" frontreizen annex boekwinkel.

Het was een enorme belevenis Harry te ontmoeten..

Veteran, 109, revisits WWI trench

The last known surviving British soldier to have fought in the trenches of World War I has revisited the site where he fought 90 years ago.

Harry Patch, of Somerset, made the trip to Flanders in Belgium to recall his part in the battle which claimed 250,000 British casualties.

He also went to pay homage to the thousands of German soldiers who lost their lives.

The 109-year-old fought in the Battle of Passchendaele when he was aged 19.

He served with the Duke of Cornwall's light infantry and was called up for service while working as an 18-year-old apprentice plumber in Bath.

During the fighting, Mr Patch was badly wounded and three of his best friends were killed when a shell exploded just yards from where he was standing.

'Suffered the same'

He made the trip with historian Richard van Emden, who helped Mr Patch write down his memories.

Mr van Emden showed him the five miles they advanced over 99 days which claimed 3,000 British casualties every day.

He was also shown a recently discovered panoramic photograph of the fields taken in 1917.

"Too many died," said Mr Patch. "War isn't worth one life."

He said war was the "calculated and condoned slaughter of human beings".

Mr Patch laid a wreath at the site of the trench, which now forms part of a German war cemetery.

Around 250,000 Germans died in the battle which has been described as one of the bloodiest and most brutal battles of the Great War.

"The Germans suffered the same as we did," Mr Patch said.

http://news.bbc.co.uk/1/hi/england/somerset/6921217.stm

Het koor arriveert, langzaam aan begint het publiek door te krijgen dat het een speciale avond wordt:


De heren van het Legion:



Doorpraten van de ceremonie



De heren links hebben door wat er gaat gebeuren, het wachten is op,




Dhr Harry Patch!





Exhortation




Kranslegging




Afsluiting en iedereen wilde Harry de hand drukken.

In de tour/bookshop "Over The Top"
signeren met Peter Barton en Richard van Emden




Het boek over Harry's leven geschreven door Richard van Emden


Peter Barton signeert mijn boek


Harry signeert m'n boek

En dan is dit bericht nog wel het mooiste:
By Juliette Astrup

A 109-year-old - the last living infantryman from the First World War - has donated a £29,000 boat to the RNLI.

Harry Patch, one of the oldest people in the country, named the D class lifeboat The Doris and Harry, after himself and his late partner.

He christened her with a glug of champagne and a few words at a double naming ceremony, held at the RNLI Lifeboat College, Poole, on Friday.

The veteran, from Somerset, said: "'I'm feeling proud and overwhelmed - I didn't expect to see all these people here.

"Doris was always interested in the RNLI and I gave the boat in memory of her.

"It's my tribute to Doris."

He funded the D class lifeboat with proceeds from a book about his recollections of the Great War, written by friend and biographer Richard Van Emden.

The Doris and Harry was received alongside Tabbycat, a £135,000 Atlantic 85 lifeboat, funded by a legacy from supporter James Samson, of Nottingham.

The craft was formally named by Daily Echo editor Neal Butterworth.

Both lifeboats will now go into the relief fleet, on standby for use at stations around the country if their lifeboats go out of service.

RNLI press officer Susanna Woods said: "They are a vital part of our fleet. Hopefully they will last for many years and save many lives."

Sarah Sleigh, the charity's personal donations manager, said: "We are extremely grateful to both Mr Patch and Mr Samson for their generosity.

"This joint naming ceremony is a fantastic way to recognise their contributions to the charity.

"Without exception, all donations are welcomed by the RNLI."

7:00pm Sunday 22nd July 2007

http://www.thisisdorset.n(...)9_is_a_lifesaver.php

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/uk_news/england/somerset/6921217.stm

Klik op de video, indrukwekkend...

Toevalstreffer, de krans van Harry op Langemark:

The price of war

It wasn’t worth it. No war is worth it. No war is worth the loss of a couple of lives let alone thousands. T’isn’t worth it … the First World War, if you boil it down, what was it? Nothing but a family row. That’s what caused it. The Second World War – Hitler wanted to govern Europe, nothing to it. I would have taken the Kaiser, his son, Hitler and the people on his side … and bloody shot them. Out the way and saved millions of lives. T’isn’t worth it.

Breaking the silence

Opposite my bedroom there is a window and there is a light over the top. Now [when the staff go into that room] they put the light on. If I was half asleep – the light coming on was the flash of a bomb. That flash brought it all back. For eighty years I’ve never watched a war film, I never spoke of it, not to my wife. For six years, I’ve been here [in the nursing home]. Six years it’s been nothing but World War One. As I say, World War One is history, it isn’t news. Forget it.

© Harry Patch

quote:

Op maandag 30 juli 2007 16:29 schreef Dagonet het volgende:
Yv, qoute deze post eens met html aan?





Deze user heeft veel op youtube staan:
http://youtube.com/user/johnpindar

Jup!
En Dagonet, ja, hij is de enige die nog gevochten heeft, en ik ben enorm blij dat ik hem ontmoet heb.

quote:

Op maandag 30 juli 2007 17:38 schreef Dagonet het volgende:

[..]

Dit http://youtube.com/watch?v=sXFWvWFB_LM



(yv, dit is het Iron Maiden nummer, ik mis html rechten )

Joh!

Ėven"?


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