Collecting photos of Grave stones - Why?

Discussion in 'War Grave Photographs' started by Gage, Oct 15, 2009.

  1. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    This might sound very silly but I don't understand the collecting photographs of grave stones?
    I'm not trying to wind anybody up but why? Is it certain people, areas people are from, VC recipients or other reasons?
     
    Owen and von Poop like this.
  2. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Wondered that myself Craig. Maybe its all for some future publication?
     
  3. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    Gage / Peter, I have two projects running, my main one is the research into the war casualties from the town of Widnes, which I plan to publish at some point when it is complete.

    I have tried to upload one of the example pages, but it is two big.

    the second, was to compile a ROH for the South lancashire Regiment, which was my local county Regiment, so having completed it (1,510 names), i have now started to add headstone photographs and personal details if I come across them including circumstances of death.

    P
     
  4. Drew5233

    Drew5233 #FuturePilot 1940 Obsessive

    Just to add some meat to the bones on the VC and GC threads for want of a better reason.

    The same as their picture to put a face to the name and their final resting place just seemed a fitting tribute.

    Cheers
     
  5. Peter Clare

    Peter Clare Very Senior Member

    Gage / Peter, I have two projects running, my main one is the research into the war casualties from the town of Widnes, which I plan to publish at some point when it is complete.

    I have tried to upload one of the example pages, but it is two big.

    the second, was to compile a ROH for the South lancashire Regiment, which was my local county Regiment, so having completed it (1,510 names), i have now started to add headstone photographs and personal details if I come across them including circumstances of death.

    P


    Good man Phil, a worthy project. Look forward to the end result. Like Gage I did wonder what the outcome would be, but are all those looking for grave photos going to be doing the same thing? I know Spidge has been collecting photos of his RAAF chaps for some years, another worthy project which I hope will at some time result in a published record.

    Keep up the good work.

    Regards
    Peter
     
  6. Trix

    Trix Member

    I hope this does not offend anyone if it does please remove the post as its not my intention.....

    What im wondering is why people want photographs of war graves, whilst i could understand if its a relative i cant see why you would need photographs of others. Dont get me wrong i often walk around a grave yard looking at the stones for ww2 graves looking at ages,rank,year etc but why (im starting to think ive asked a stupid question) would you collect photo's.....
     
  7. Smudger Jnr

    Smudger Jnr Our Man in Berlin

    Trix,

    There are many people who have devoted many hours of their time building up information on service people killed during both world wars.

    Indexing and cross referencing where buried etc.:poppy:

    Many relatives have never been able to visit the grave sites and having them online and available to view and print off must provide a piece of information that they were always denied.

    I hope that this may help explain the reasons and there are more erudite persons on this forum that will be able to explain it better than me.

    Regards
    Tom
     
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  8. Trix

    Trix Member

    A simple but very good reason Tom, if there are any required in my local area please let me know I live in the small village of east tilbury in essex close to coal house fort. the church next to the fort has some ww1 graves and part of it is dedicated to those lost in ww1 and built by No.2 Company, London Electrical Engineers Originally they had planned to build a complete tower in memory of their fallen comrades but were stopped by higher authorities as the correct procedures had not been followed. There is an inscription tablet in the stump recording the original intentions rather than what actually happened.

    thanks Tom
     
  9. Gage

    Gage The Battle of Barking Creek

    Trix,
    Many relatives have never been able to visit the grave sites and having them online and available to view and print off must provide a piece of information that they were always denied.

    I hope that this may help explain the reasons and there are more erudite persons on this forum that will be able to explain it better than me.

    Regards
    Tom

    Never thought of that, Tom. But a grave is a very personal visit.
     
  10. englandphil

    englandphil Very Senior Member

    THis piece on Seb's Siciliy site may also add some further info.

    http://www.wikisicily.com/news/myfather.pdf

    Sebastiano, has built 3 sites all dedicated to a seperate cemetery on Sicily, The daughter of one of the casualties found the site and for the 1st time visited the grave. Fantastically, Seb, met the lady in person and took her to the cemetery

    P
     
  11. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Tom an excellent explanation.

    My thoughts
    Many people have lost their lives( In many wars over the years and continue to do so) and again relatives down through time will no doubt decide upon looking into family history ( as many people on this site) and historical information.
    All the posts on this forum point to a fantastic wealth of information and expert research that will never be lost or forgotten, whether it be someone interested in War Graves or the marks of the Supermarine Spitfire.
    We are now in a time whereby we can document history for future generations.

    regards
    Clive
     
  12. jagdpanther44

    jagdpanther44 Senior Member

    Gage / Peter, I have two projects running, my main one is the research into the war casualties from the town of Widnes, which I plan to publish at some point when it is complete.

    This has got my attention as Widnes is my hometown.

    Phil, is there any particular reason for your focus on Widnes?
     
  13. cash_13

    cash_13 Senior Member

    Perhaps this will give you an understanding......

    I have always like most on here been fascinated by WW2 and the people that served and for me I don't exactly collect them but as I travel a lot all over europe as I drive for a living I can help people out by taking a few pics when ever I can also its nice to look into a story of why a particular person ended up being buried there......

    I often help people on here with pics ( Spidge for one ) and am only to eager to help a project along.....

    But to me the real satisfaction came from a job I done to Rome, I was setting up an exhibition stand for Barclays at a swanky hotel over looking the Vatican and had finished what I had to do and had to make myself scarce for a couple of days till it was time to take it down and return to the UK. So I decided to head south to Monti Cassino as it had always held an interest. On the way I got a call from a friend in Liverpool and he said he knew I had an interest in the war and could I help a comrade out at work who had lost his older brother at Anzio ( not far away ) as he and his family had never been to the grave and time was running out as he was in ill health and felt he would never get the chance.....Of course I was only to pleased to help and the following day ( I got to see and drive up to the Monastery at midnight ) I found the grave with some help from the CWWG workers who were cleaning etc and took about 20 pics of the surrounding area beach and the cemetery and the grave.

    I then picked the best pic and emailed it via my phone to the work address of my mate Roscoe with a pic of the remembrance card from 2 of the chaps crew who had survived their tank getting knocked out.....Roscoe said when I called him to ask if they had got the email that he had just broke down in tears and thanks me from the bottom of his heart........I sent the rest on a CD for them to print off when I got back

    So you see to me it was worth every second that I could give to these people that gave their all so we can have a today....

    Regards Lee
     
  14. militarycross

    militarycross Very Senior Member

    Lee
    My reason, actually, I have 653 reasons for doing this. Each one of these men and the one woman from my town are now names in bronze and granite. It is my hope from my research that I will be able to put some stories and flesh to the stone of memory for my children and their children and for the families of these people who were not unlike the lot of us on this forum -- average people in unusual times doing what they could to make a difference -- and it cost them their lives.

    Since starting this more than ten years ago, I have enabled families to see where their uncle or grandfather or relative was buried, and how the CWGC has taken care of their loved one's final resting spot. I've seen folks burst into tears of joy at this moment blended with lament. I've discovered I lived in the same house as one of the lads. I've had their comrades tell me stories of the people, like one chap who related the night the Athabaskan was lost and so was his best friend from home. I have brought things with me when on the continent to leave at grave sites for family members. Someone said: "A society can be judged by the way it treats its dead." I think students of the war dead like a number I could name on this forum, seek to treat their memory with respect and honour and they, we, I, are passionate about this.

    Dad's brothers died in the Great War and do not have a marker or a final resting place save known to the Good Lord. Maybe I do it for them too.

    Thanks to all who go out of their way to enable those of us who seek to honour the memory of those who have thrown us the torch to carry by photographing their headstones. Words are never adequate to say our appreciation.

    cheers all,
    phil
     
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  15. Ron Goldstein

    Ron Goldstein WW2 Veteran WW2 Veteran

    It was Gage who posed the original query
    I'm not trying to wind anybody up but why? Is it certain people, areas people are from, VC recipients or other reasons?This might sound very silly but I don't understand the collecting photographs of grave stones?
    .
    I waited with interest to see the various responses.

    These were not long in coming and I congratulate all those who made a spirited reply setting out the reasons for making their various collections,

    I would ask Gage (and others who were similarly intrigued) to consider the immense "satisfaction", for the want of a better word, that relatives of the fallen feel on seeing photos of gravestones, particularly when, for whatever reason, they have been unable to make a pilgrimage themselves to the gravesite.

    Emotion is a very intangible quality so it is difficult to put a value on the feelings of a relative seeing for the first time the final resting place of a loved one but I would suggest that those, like Phil and others, who have undertaken this type of project should be only applauded for their efforts.

    Regards to all

    Ron
     
  16. Owen

    Owen -- --- -.. MOD

    I've taken photos for many people on here.
    I'll take pictures of various chaps graves who interest me at the time for whatever reason.
    But I don't collect them as such.
    I have been offered by nice members on her whole batches of Wilts Regt grave photos but point is what to do with them?
    I dunno.
    The ones I have taken I've posted on here so that they might be found with a Google search but as for keeping a mass collection , that's not for me.
     
  17. CL1

    CL1 116th LAA and 92nd (Loyals) LAA,Royal Artillery

    Dear Ron

    Quite agree with your comments.
    I too applaud all the people who contribute to this site and others .We must remember that we all have different interests ( thank goodness) and diversity in knowledge documents history/learning for future.
    However is it is also good that we have the ability to question.

    regards
    Clive
     
  18. Doc

    Doc Senior Member

    It's just another form of historical research. Gravestones in some way bring the casualties back to memory, if not to life. I don't collect them per se, but in addition to shooting photos for people who can't visit specific sites, I find the inscriptions (especially the family-originated ones) both fascinating and humanising. I also tend to shoot photos of casualties from unusual units, locations, etc. For example, I recently found a stone to a Russian Partisan Soldier in Belgium. Now there has to be a great story there!

    Some people also feel that photographing the stones is a way to ensure that the memory of these casualties is not diminished as the stones weather, crack, or disappear. By the way, in case you are not aware, there is a War Graves Photographic Project currently ongoing which is attempting to photographically document every Commonwealth war grave in the world. Additionally, they are now starting on photos of graves from other nations as well. Doc
     
  19. urqh

    urqh Senior Member

    Im late to this... But thanks to hm forces i have a bus pass and now have time to spare..mrs is happy she gets the car.. Just got a super dooper do anything nokia 97 so am happy to go take pics for anyone here for any reason.
     
  20. Trix

    Trix Member

    i take the odd photo of a grave with an interesting name or maybe a surname connection to someone i know, i even took one of a german grave in the cemetry in bayeux just because i found the surname amuzing. I never understood why you would collect them, but the picture (pun intended) is a little clearer now. One of my personal favorites below....



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