If you won a bit of money what old battlefield would you visit ?

Now then where the heck could I start I want to do so much.

Firstly, I would like to follow my granda's footsteps and follow where they went from D-Day to the end of the war.
Secondly , I would want to go to every cemetery that my chaps that I am researching lay or are remembered.
Thirdly, I am with Clive I would love to go to Rorke's Drift.

Michael.

 

Following 2nd Northamptons' postings through the 1930s and 5th Division's route from '39 - '45 would be interesting but really I need to look first at what's on my doorstep, I must get around to withdrawing from the Dyle to the coast first.

 

Actually if you won a buit of money you could do a lot more than just visit a battlefield. When not posting here Sheldrake's altrer ego does hios bit for the Battlefields Trust., They need money.to

...preserve battlefields by campaigning against threats to battlefields
...support battlefield interpretation e.g. they rediscovered the battlefield of Bosworth 2 miles away from where it was previously thought to be.
...Present battlefields for educational and heritage purposes through organising walks and talks

We all enjoy reading military history, much of which is developed by graduates from war stoiries departments. But there is little public money to support military history. The Trust bids for Heritage Lottery funding to employ historians

So if you do have some loose doch - ro tiem, donate some of either ot the Battlefields Trust. www.battlefieldstrust.com

 

... Arnhem ?

 

I would want to follow the path of the 50th (Northumbrian) Division; which included service with/in:

• BEF in France and Belgium, including the Arras counter-attack and being lifted from the beaches;
• Western Desert, including Gazala/Gazala gallop, El Alamein (incl. Operation Supercharge), Mareth and Wadi Akarit;
• Sicily, including the assault at Avola and the Primosole Bridge;
• Italy, as 231st infantry Brigade landed and were involved there for a few weeks;
• D-Day - the assault on Gold Beach;
• NW Europe, including the Normandy battles, the Gheel bridgehead and The Island (I would ask Pieter - 'stolpi' - to lead/undertake the battlefield tour and trust he would accept); and
• 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry's (now ex-50 Div) time with 7th Armoured Division from circa 1 December 1944 to the end at Hamburg.

NB. It was the 9th Bn Durham Light Infantry that first intercepted the German delegation that met with and surrendered to Monty at Luneberg Heath.

There is just so much I would want to see, I can't choose just one.

As the path of the 50th included war zones and unstable places like Syria, Iraq, Palestine, Egypt and Libya, it might be incredibly difficult to get to see it all.

I would finish it off with a long holiday in Cyprus, as 50 Div were there for three months - August to November 1941. Although Mrs Mac, who has no interest in WWII or my 50 Div hobby, would probably have left me by this time; and I couldn't imagine staying anywhere too long without her.

Best,

Steve.

 

We've been fortunate enough to visit several historic battlefields during our travels. Anzio and Cassino in Italy are still on our to-do list, but if we had only one trip left in us it would be to Guadalcanal.

 

Accepted ... provided we go by bicycle.

 

Sandwichery.

For Anzio and Cassino, you want to try Valor Tours from Sausalito, CA.

They have a good tour guide - me!

Regards

FdeP

 

After reading some more of the replies, I think I need to expand my wish list for when (or should that be 'if'!) I win the lottery!!

I'd love to go back to Ypres to revisit the places around there which I visited 15 years ago with my school. I'd also like to visit the Le Touret Memorial which my great uncle is named on (and none of the family have ever visited). I'd also be interested in seeing where my great, great Grandfather fought in the second Boer War, but I've never looked much in to that (aside from finding his medals in a museum). I'd also like to go to Arnhem, and Normandy - and of course Crete as I previously mentioned.

I don't actually play the lottery...so I suppose I should start saving!

 

" I don't actually play the lottery...so I suppose I should start saving!"

Smart call! Actually, the lotteries play you when you consider the odds. I think saving will get all us to our destinations much faster.

 

If I was fortunate to come up with the euro millions ,then it would look at buying a chunk of battlefield that is under threat ,preserve what remains and have a visitors centre with a walking trail ,would look for some where in Northern Europe ,the small holding we own contains an historic building that saw a brief skirmish in 1944 , I think what's been done at the battlefield where the Iron Mike statue is in Normandy is superb .

 

Cheque has just arrived for 500 Million Euros. I get all the remaining Canadian WW2 Vets from all the services. We charter the entire Air Canada fleet and do
1) Normandy
2) Italy
3) Holland
4) Germany
5) Hong Kong.

Each Veteran is accompanied by family and friends.
Invited are each of the Ministers of Education from across the land. And, in no uncertain terms...I tell them that WW1 and WW2 deserve more than two weeks study in grade 10.
History is important. We have not paid enough attention on what the ultimate generation sacrificed for our freedom.

 

Randy
Don't forget Sicily as the 1st Div and 1st AB were very active there…

Cheers

 

See you at Bastogne, Belgium!

 

Tom,
Roger that. I left the " Canadians in Italy " at the office.
cheers

 

Stolpi,
The count down is on! Can't wait...
cheers

 

i have a two berth motorhome that is my project just now under restoration/swap to a newer chassis so i would use that if i won money off the lottery i would first off pay off my wedding loan, then i would pack up my motorhome and undertake a two/three months travel round europe first off visiting the channel islands once more as it has to be one of the most beautiful places i have visited while i head down to the south of italy and undertake my grandfathers trail spending some time in the places he was sampling the culture, living on the fresh local produce & seeing what my grandfather would have saw for himself. i would work my way right up to the furthest place in the country he was before traveling back via normandy & holland possibly see the reichstag if we have time

 

Wow, talk about fantasy...it's a little like asking, 'which supermodel would you live in sin with if you had your pick?'

I don't gamble (that's what the lottery is), so I'll have to earn and save. I could earn and save enough even now to see Chickamauga and Shiloh if I really wanted to, so that leaves overseas. Hmmmm...

OK, Magical Mystery Tour. Start with Omaha Beach and visit Gold Beach (where 50th Div was), then a swing up to Flanders to see Dunkirk and Ypres, on through Belgium to Waterloo, St. Vith, and Bastogne, then to the Hurtgen Forest and back via Verdun, Paris (which was a battlefield in '44, don't forget), and Dieppe.

I can't squeeze Gallipoli in there, though I long to go. I did see Beersheba (1917) five years ago, so perhaps some day...

 

I believe that I would like to visit the Gothic Line, in particular the area where my father said the 4th Division used Search lights to create an artificial Moonlight.

It was used by the Division for the first time, starting at 2300hrs on the 18th/19th September 1944 and it was not a total success as my father said that they ended up silhouetted and took a real plastering by Nebelwerfers etc.

I have a book called Fourth Division, but there is only a short mention on this attack and states that the search lights were in Position on the Coriano Ridge .

Regards
Tom