Manchester Hearts Contalmaison Trip Images

[WorldChampions1902]

On the 19 July 2008, more than 40 members of Manchester Hearts Supporters Club embarked on a 5 day trip to the battlefields of the Somme. I understand this was to be the first organised pilgrimage of any Hearts Supporters Club and to mark the occasion, Jack Alexander, author of the best-selling book McCrae?s Battalion (The Story of the 16th Royal Scots) accompanied the party as our official guide. The group also included two members from West of Scotland Hearts Supporters Club and one member from Orwell Hearts.

 

Over the 5 days, we visited many of the sites mentioned in Jack Alexander?s excellent book as well as a number of Cemeteries and Memorial sites. Not surprisingly, the trip was an emotional one. Our pilgrimage naturally took us to the Cairn at Contalmaison, but we also journeyed to Gordon Dump Cemetery, Tyne Cot Cemetery, Hoogecrater, Lochnigar Crater, Thiepval Cemetery, Sanctuary Wood, Albert, Vimy Ridge and the actual spots where many of the brave men mentioned in McCrae?s Battalion were cut down in their prime.

 

For many, the highlight of our trip was the visit to the Cairn at Contalmaison. For others, it was being allowed to participate in the ceremony at Menin Gate Ypres where we were honoured to lay a wreath in memory of McCrae?s Battalion.

 

From a personal viewpoint, I shall never forget the first couple of hours on French soil when Jack Alexander diverted the coach to a little known cemetery where he told us to expect the unexpected. After leading the party to a corner of this small graveyard Jack showed us 4 headstones each inscribed with the name of a woman. Jack explained that these were all nurses who remained by their posts to tend to the wounded and shell-shocked despite the fact that they could and should have evacuated to air raid shelters.

 

Tragically, they paid the ultimate price as their tent took a direct hit from a bomb dropped by an aircraft. One of the nurses was Daisy Coles, the sister of Captain Lionel Coles who features prominently in Jack?s book. Jack passed round a photograph of Daisy and Lionel as he narrated brief biographies. Brother and sister were the only offspring of their mother and father and the ?Great War? would bring an abrupt end to one leg of the Cole family tree as it did to so many family trees across Europe. As Jack said, the Great War claimed the lives of people from all walks of life, from all classes, from both sexes and from all age groups.

 

When I see a Poppy to commemorate the fallen, I shall also remember a Daisy.

 

For those interested in making a similar trip, I have put together a short slide-show of our pilgrimage. I would encourage anyone who is able to visit to take the plunge - you won?t regret it.

 

I should like to extend my thanks to Jack Alexander for providing a quite unique insight into the tragic events that affected so many Scottish lives. I am also grateful to Steve and Shireen at Red Rose Coaches for looking after my family and I throughout the trip.

 

And finally, many thanks to the Manchester Hearts organising committee who made it all happen - you know who you are!

 

Due to the technical constraints of YouTube, the slideshow has had to be broken down into two parts and both links are below:-

 

PART 1 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=vjCn4BLKwTA

 

PART 2 http://uk.youtube.com/watch?v=_XqvIAO6eOM

[Imeantasong]

Very fitting considering the Scots based in Manchester who joined the Battalion.

 

Thanks for that.

[Craigieboy]

Thanks for posting that.

 

I watched the 1st part and I can only say that I am proud to bear the name of Heart of Midlothian.

 

It must have been an amazing trip.

 

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[lost in leith]

The scale of the slaughter in WW1 hits home when you look at war memorials in small Scottish towns. I had a wee break in the Borders recently and came across the memorial in Selkirk. The number of dead for a small town was staggering, and you could see from the surnames that some families must have been practically wiped out.

 

Puts our grumbles about a game into a bit of perspective

[Paws (FTH)]

Cheers for posting those

[brownkg]

Thanks for posting these. I am sure you all had a very emotional and humbling trip but hope you also had a lot of happy times too.

[WorldChampions1902]

The scale of the slaughter in WW1 hits home when you look at war memorials in small Scottish towns. I had a wee break in the Borders recently and came across the memorial in Selkirk. The number of dead for a small town was staggering, and you could see from the surnames that some families must have been practically wiped out.

 

Puts our grumbles about a game into a bit of perspective

According to Jack Alexander, Scottish Regiments paid a hefty price for their services during WW1.

 

Whilst 1 in 9 English infantry men perished during the Great War, the figure was 1 in 3 for Scottish Regiments.

[scots civil war]

much respect to the manchesters,then and now

 

still so many pilgrims night after night at the menin gate

[John S]

WorldChampions1902 - Wow!

 

Thanks for posting this.

[Rabbie_Burns]

Fabulous images and good memories of an excellent, if at times overwhelming, trip !

 

Would echo your comments ref Steve & Shareen from Red Rose Coaches, thanks also to the committee for making it all possible and Jack Alexander for his seemingly limitless knowldege of the western front