merry meet
Remember my post about my Great Grandad?
Oh he is with me so strongly today.
weeks ago i had sent an e-mail to his old regiment, explaining that memories my Nan has of him are extremely poor, she is 90-something bless her and the family had wiped him from memory when he died in WW1.
i gave them the small amount of information i had from the War Graves Commission and totally forgot about it.
yesterday as i was sitting here checking e-mail from my sister a new e-mail came through... from the curator at the regiments museum...with information about him.
it seems that all my Nan had been told by her own mum was incorrect...here is what i now know...
he was born in Swansea, volunteered in Portsmouth in 1915, a time when i understand they had a big call up, he was wounded in 1916, returned to the fighting and then was killed in september of 1918, less than two months before the end of fighting.
yesterday i spent hours tracking his regiment through the war and i have discovered that they were in the thick of the fighting at Passchendaele and Flanders. The Battle of Drocourt-Queant occurred shortly before his death.
discovering this has made me feel so sad because we have been brought up with our history, with the knowledge of these events and the conditions. sad not just for my great grandad but for every man and boy who fought and died, fought and survived those years.
today however he is with me, i can feel his presence so strongly, just behind and to the right of me (thats how strongly i feel it ~ i can place him exactly!) and its such a good feeling. i have been feeling tearful as well and i know that is both his and my own feelings joining.
its such a good thing to be feeling at Samhain!
Remember my post about my Great Grandad?
Oh he is with me so strongly today.
weeks ago i had sent an e-mail to his old regiment, explaining that memories my Nan has of him are extremely poor, she is 90-something bless her and the family had wiped him from memory when he died in WW1.
i gave them the small amount of information i had from the War Graves Commission and totally forgot about it.
yesterday as i was sitting here checking e-mail from my sister a new e-mail came through... from the curator at the regiments museum...with information about him.
it seems that all my Nan had been told by her own mum was incorrect...here is what i now know...
he was born in Swansea, volunteered in Portsmouth in 1915, a time when i understand they had a big call up, he was wounded in 1916, returned to the fighting and then was killed in september of 1918, less than two months before the end of fighting.
yesterday i spent hours tracking his regiment through the war and i have discovered that they were in the thick of the fighting at Passchendaele and Flanders. The Battle of Drocourt-Queant occurred shortly before his death.
discovering this has made me feel so sad because we have been brought up with our history, with the knowledge of these events and the conditions. sad not just for my great grandad but for every man and boy who fought and died, fought and survived those years.
today however he is with me, i can feel his presence so strongly, just behind and to the right of me (thats how strongly i feel it ~ i can place him exactly!) and its such a good feeling. i have been feeling tearful as well and i know that is both his and my own feelings joining.
its such a good thing to be feeling at Samhain!
2 comments:
thanks for emailing xo
I am behind in answering them
I believe magick is afoot.. yesterday, I received more about my Cornish roots.. I am yet to read it but I think our ancestors in spirit are really busy right now... gathering for us... it is as if they want their stories known...
I loved reading about your grandad.. and yes, it is difficult when we find out sad things about our ancestors but how wonderful that he is so strongly with you... telling you he is ok..
and I am holding the other hand of yours in friendship. I am really, really glad our paths have crossed... maybe they will cross in real life in 2009!!
Oh miss*r...thank you for that.
Yes i am sure our paths will cross, far too much is linking to ignore!
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