New postcard: 32nd Light Railway Operating Company Royal Engineers football team at the end of the war. The Officer in charge is Cardiff born Canadian Captain Bert Cumberland Lewis who was attached to the RE - he was five feet four inches tall #WW1

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR William Frederick George Manners - employed in ‘V’ Shop Swindon Works Sergeant 1st Wiltshire Regiment Killed in action 18th October 1914 aged 28. Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR William Henry Gee Wagon Painter Loco & Carriage Works Swindon Pte 1st Wiltshire Regt killed in action 26/10/1914 aged 32 Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial

New postcard: Normality returning to the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel after WW1. Washing on the fence outside the aptly named Cafe Renaissance.

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR William Golding Packer in Engineering Dept Hirwain Pte 1st Wiltshire Regt killed in action 25/10/1914 Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR George Francis Sawyer Stationary Engine Driver Swindon Pte 1st Wiltshire Regt Killed in action 13th Oct 1914 aged 28 Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial

New postcard: Group of Royal Engineers outside what looks like a railway station in France or Belgium #WW1

New postcard: I don’t usually like silk cards but the extra card inside took my fancy #WW1

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR Arthur Percy Hancock (Porter at Slough) L/Corporal 1st Royal Berkshire Regiment Killed in action at Zonnebeke on the 25 October 1914 Commemorated on the Menin Gate Ypres

Beautiful day in Dover but the port looks eerily quiet

I was fascinated by Haverskerque Cemetery - originally used for April 1918 burials but also contains many May 1940 Casualties. Both occasions were the same, the Germans were advancing rapidly in the same direction but 22 years apart

I wanted to visit Haverskerque to find the grave of Lt A C Maclean 296th Railway Co RE’s killed while moving large guns at La Gorgue station away from the advancing Germans.

Also at La Motte au Bois is this unusual and informative WW1 memorial, the shape being based on the Demarcation Stones well known to visitors to the Ypres area.

I enjoy going to new places & today found these at La Motte au Bois, Morbecque. Always interested in both World Wars

Popped into Ljissenthoek on our way back to dear old Blighty, & Looked at the railway layout of WW1 Poperinghe station (not for the first time).

Zillebeke lake and demarcation stone

Ypres today

Inside the Menin Gate Ypres taken today

Had a great walk locally taking in the railways, light and standard, which were in abundance round Solferino Farm, Bosinghe & Elverdinghe. As the years go by there is less evidence but with @GreatWarDigital they are easy to trace @WW1 @Railway #RoyalEngineers

Nice sunset this evening #Ypres

Settling into our billet for the rest of the week 😁 #ww1railways #Ypres

Have been looking round my family church St Martins of Tours Chelsfield. Many family graves plus my parents married there, but the church is lovely. Making for Ypres tomorrow 😁

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR George Harris (Relaying labourer Stourbridge Jct) Able Seaman HMS Good Hope The ship was lost (with all hands) on 1/11/14 during the first major naval battle ‘Coronel’ off the coast of Chile. Harris was 34

Recent purchase: Model of WW1 Demarcation Stone by Major & Mrs Holt. Missed buying one when first available but managed to pick this one up cheaply. I always photograph them whenever I come across then on my travels

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR Ernest Albert Parker (Carriage Cleaner Old Oak Common) Able Seaman HMS Cressy RN Cressy was one of three Naval ships sunk by German submarine U9 on the 22 Sept 1914. He is Remembered on Chatham Naval Memorial

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR Frank Sealey (Packer Engineering Dept Newport) Pte South Wales Borderers Died at Netley Hosital of wounds received in action 8 Nov 1914 Buried at Netley Military Cemetery

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #GWR Samuel Charles Woolfries (coalman Loco Dept Weymouth) Pte 1st Dorsetshire Regt Died of wounds at 15th Field Hospital Quesnoy 13/10/14 aged 34 Buried at Gorre British & Indian Cemetery

On this day 1918 Sapper Christian Gisler 4th Section 35th Australian Broad Guard Railway Operating Co. was killed & 3 others wounded when a shell hit the train they were in at Tincourt. Gisler was 21 years old #Railway #WW1

New postcard: Christmas 1917 from the 20th Light Railway (Train Crew) Company Royal Engineers #WW1 #Railways

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR George Whatmore (Carman Goods Dept Hockley) Pte 1st Kings Royal Rifle Corps Killed in action 27 Oct 1914 Commemorated on the Menin Gate Ypres

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR George Pearce (Packer Engineering Dept West Drayton) Pte 1st Middlesex Regt Killed in action 8th Jan 1914 aged 33 Buried at Rue-David Military Cemetery Fleubaix

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Simeon John Carter (Shunter Llantrisant) Pte 1st Somerset Light Infantry Killed in action 26 August 1914 Commemorated on the La Ferte -sour-Jouarre Memorial

New addition to my collection Regimental Biography of the Twenty-First Engineers Light Railway AIF This book about American railroad engineers is available as a free download archive.org/details/histor… I’ve got the ebook but it’s nice to have the original

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Thomas Taylor labourer Loco & Carriage Dept Coleham Pte 1st Kings Shropshire Light Infantry Died of wounds 18th Field Ambulance Fleurbaix Commemorated on the Ploegsteert Memorial

Just before Christmas I was lucky to get these two medallions for men of the 264th Railway Company Royal Engineers. I am very fortunate to now have four of these rare beauties #WW1

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Frederick Weeks (Porter Swindon) Pte ‘B’ Company 1st Wiltshire Regt Killed in action 19 Oct 1914 Buried at Ration Farm Cemetery

My contributors complimentary copy arrived today 😁 #LondonPride #WW1

🎄Merry Christmas everyone 🎄

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Francis William (or W F) Rymell - Goods Porter Paddington Pte 2nd South Lancashire Regt Killed in action 20 Sept 1914 Buried at Vailly British Cemetery

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Henry Charles Lawrence - Porter Swindon Goods 1st Wiltshire Regiment Died of wounds 20th Oct 1914 Commemorated on the Le Touret memorial

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Ernest Lockley (Pte 3rd Worcestershire Regt) Shunter Merthyr Killed in action 21 Sept 1914 aged 29 Commemorated on the La Ferte-Sous-Jouarre Memorial to the missing

New postcard: Where Zonnebeke railway station once stood and razed to the ground. New railway line laid and most of the detritus removed. German guns lined up for removal. #WW1 #Railway

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR Cpl Edward Thompson 2nd Yorkshire Regt. (Fitter Loco Dept Old Oak Common) Killed 22 Oct 1914 east of Gheluvelt during bitter & ruthless fighting. Commemorated on Menin Gate Ypres

Not forgotten

Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR William Wyley Rankin - Horsekeeper Goods Dept Hockley Driver 3rd Brigade Royal Horse Artillery Killed in action 27/9/1914 aged 27 Buried Vendresse British Cemetery

Farewell Ypres until the next time ❤️

Solferino Farm Cemetery today

Lovely day in Ypres Looked around a certain well known book shop and came out with a Belgium railway lamp and chemin der fare watch - photo taken by a convenient WW1 railway sleeper!

Went looking for the locations of the light railways in Trônes Wood #WW1 #Railway

Beaucourt Hamel station then and now