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  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration028.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration027.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration026.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration023.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration022.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration014.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration012.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration010.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration011.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration006.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration002.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance054.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance047.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance046.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance044.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance041.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance038.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, The Somme, Picardy, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (300,000 m2) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.<br />
The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement, and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased in 1921 by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front, and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site. Opened by British Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1925, the memorial site is one of only two National Historic Sites of Canada located outside of Canada.<br />
The site also contains a number of memorials as well as four cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; that of Y Ravine Cemetery, Hawthorn Ridge Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 and the mass burial site of Hunter's Cemetery.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance036.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, The Somme, Picardy, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (300,000 m2) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.<br />
The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement, and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased in 1921 by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front, and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site. Opened by British Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1925, the memorial site is one of only two National Historic Sites of Canada located outside of Canada.<br />
The site also contains a number of memorials as well as four cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; that of Y Ravine Cemetery, Hawthorn Ridge Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 and the mass burial site of Hunter's Cemetery.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance034.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance032.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance028.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance026.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance023.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance021.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance020.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance014.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance012.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance010.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance008.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance005.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance004.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance003.jpg
  • 24 February 2014. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
<br />
As reported in The Sun, London.<br />
<br />
Banksy ‘thieves’ busted cutting original grafitti art work from shop wall<br />
<br />
By JACK LOSH<br />
Last Updated: 24th February 2014<br />
<br />
A BOGUS construction crew were chased off after they were busted cutting an original Banksy from a wall.<br />
One of the gang, who called himself Chris, was caught holding a power drill half-way through extracting the work by the British street artist.<br />
<br />
Hidden by a temporary wall of plywood, he told snapper Charlie Varley that the 2008 artwork – dubbed “Umbrella Girl” – would be shipped to London for a Tate Modern retrospective of Banksy’s career.<br />
He added that it would be re-installed at its current location on the side of an abandoned store in New Orleans, US, once the exhibition had finished.<br />
<br />
But when local residents quizzed the men and ordered them to show a permit for the operation, they packed up their equipment and scarpered.<br />
A security guard was installed at the scene on Friday to make sure the suspected thieves did not return.<br />
Clay Lapeyrouse, who lives nearby, said: “They were cutting it out of the building. The story they gave me just seemed weird."<br />
<br />
Police are now hunting the suspects, aged between 25 and 35, following the incident.<br />
Banksy’s work fetches huge sums at auction, with his Kissing Coppers mural going under the hammer for £345,000 in the US last week.<br />
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    24feb14-Banksy cuts001.JPG
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration032.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration016.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration013.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration008.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration005.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration001.jpg
  • 18 April 2022. Montreuil Sur Mer, Hauts de France, France.<br />
Emmanuel Labbaye, a bronze specialist applies wax to the statue of Field Marshal Douglas Haig on International monuments day. The statue takes pride of place in 'La Grand Place' in Montreuil Sur Mer is currently undergoing much needed €40,000 repairs.<br />
The ancient fortress town of Montreuil Sur Mer was the HQ of the British Army during WW1. The statue, (the second one produced) is classified a heritage monument and has stood in tribute to Haig for the past 70 years. The first statue, erected in 1931 was melted down by German forces in WW2. Fortunately artist Paul Landowski kept the original mould and another 3 tons of bronze were used to recast the statue destroyed by Hitler's forces. The statue has for years generated controversy, firstly after publication of the 'Secret diaries of Douglas Haig,' where he was less than flattering of his French counterparts and also for his role in the deaths of over 20,000 British soldiers on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and the bloodshed which ensued. However current Mayor of Montreuil Pierre Ducrocq is happy his town can once again extend it's appreciation to 'her majesty's subjects.' <br />
He said, 'I am happy to receive our English friends today in this complicated post Brexit political climate. These different exchanges are placed within the framework of the Entente Cordiale we have maintained for centuries. Our wish is to once again develop the links which unite us with our English friends.' <br />
Special attention will be given to Field Marshal Haig's sword. Stolen twice, a copy of a sword identical to the one used by Haig was discovered in the attic of a local house once billeted by British forces. It was copied in resin and cast in bronze and will be attached by Emmanuel Labbaye. <br />
The restoration is also financed by the 'Association du Souvenir Français,' whose motto reads - 'We will remember them - to them immortality.'<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    18apr22-Haig Statue restoration004.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    B&W-08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance043.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    B&W-08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance039.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance051.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance050.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance049.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance048.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance045.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance043.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance039.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial, The Somme, Picardy, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Beaumont-Hamel Newfoundland Memorial is dedicated to the commemoration of Dominion of Newfoundland forces members who were killed during World War I. The 74-acre (300,000 m2) preserved battlefield park encompasses the grounds over which the Newfoundland Regiment made their unsuccessful attack on 1 July 1916 during the first day of the Battle of the Somme.<br />
The Battle of the Somme was the regiment's first major engagement, and during an assault that lasted approximately 30 minutes the regiment was all but wiped out. Purchased in 1921 by the people of Newfoundland, the memorial site is the largest battalion memorial on the Western Front, and the largest area of the Somme battlefield that has been preserved. Along with preserved trench lines, there are a number of memorials and cemeteries contained within the site. Opened by British Field Marshal Earl Haig in 1925, the memorial site is one of only two National Historic Sites of Canada located outside of Canada.<br />
The site also contains a number of memorials as well as four cemeteries maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission; that of Y Ravine Cemetery, Hawthorn Ridge Cemeteries No. 1 and No. 2 and the mass burial site of Hunter's Cemetery.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance033.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Museum and Memorial, Somme, Picardy, France. <br />
Memorial Register. The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance031.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance025.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance024.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance022.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance019.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance017.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Thiepval Memorial, The Somme, France. Remembrance Sunday.<br />
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing of the Somme is a war memorial to 72,337 missing British and South African servicemen who perished in the Battles of the Somme of the First World War between 1915 and 1918, with no known grave. The visitors' centre opened in 2004. The memorial was designed by Sir Edwin Lutyens and has been described as "the greatest executed British work of monumental architecture of the twentieth century".<br />
On the Portland stone piers are engraved the names of over 72,000 men who were lost in the Somme battles between July 1915 and March 1918<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance016.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance015.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance013.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance011.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance009.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance007.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
The marker for Captain John C Lauder, son of Britain most famous singer at the time of his death. His body lied just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater along with the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance006.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Lochnagar Crater, The Somme, La Boisselle, France.<br />
Lochnagar Crater. La Grand Mine. Site of the largest explosion before the atomic bombs of WW2 and a disastrous lesson in futility. British troops exploded an enormous mine to further the Western advance on july 1st 1916, only to miss their target and face fierce opposition from German troops dug into fortified positions set back from the site of the explosion. British casualties in and around La Boisselle exceeded 6,000 on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance001.jpg
  • 08 November 2020. Ovillers Cemetery, The Somme, Ovillers, France.<br />
Just across the valley from Lochnagar Crater lie the remains of 3,440 Commonwealth servicemen of the First World War buried or commemorated in the cemetery. 2,480 of the burials are unidentified. The cemetery also contains the graves of 120 fallen French servicemen. Many of the casualties occured the first day of the Battle off the Somme, July 1st 1916 when British troops attempted to take the towns of ovillers and la Boisselle after detonating an enormous mine at Lochnagar. Heavily fortified German positions annihilated the British advance leaving in excess of 6,000 casualties on the first day of the battle of the Somme. In total there were over 1 million casualties during the battle with over 60,000 casualties on July 1st 1916.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    08nov20-Somme WW1 Remembrance002.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' Paradise. Deserted shacks and a deserted caravan are hidden in the sand dunes of a remote beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley035.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' Paradise. Deserted shacks and a deserted caravan are hidden in the sand dunes of a remote beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley032.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' Paradise. A gravel road leads to deserted shacks and a deserted caravan hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley022.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' Paradise. Perhaps an illegal alien? A sticker seen on the outside of an old caravan likely used by smugglers and migrants hidden in dunes at a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley019.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' Paradise. Deserted shacks and a deserted caravan are hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley017.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smuggler's Paradise. Interior of a seemingly deserted old caravan hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. The caravan appears to have been recently used with cardboard laid on the ground for bedding and passport photos discovered on the sandy floor. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley014.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Deserted shacks and a deserted caravan are hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley013.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smuggler's Paradise. Interior of a seemingly deserted old caravan hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. The caravan appears to have been recently used with cardboard laid on the ground for bedding and passport photos discovered on the sandy floor. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley012.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' paradise. A deserted beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises hidden in the sand dunes have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other remote beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley010.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' paradise. A deserted beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises hidden in the sand dunes have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other remote beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley011.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smuggler's Paradise. Interior of a seemingly deserted shack hidden in the sand dunes of a beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. The shack appear to have been recently used and contains 2 steel framed beds and another bed with a stinking mattress. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley005.jpg
  • 30 June 2020. South of Calais, France.<br />
Smugglers' paradise. A deserted beach south of Calais where local police claim migrants often attempt the treacherous crossing to Great Britain. Items found in a shack and caravan including passport photos, empty water bottles, mattresses and cardboard used as bedding clearly indicate the seemingly derelict premises hidden in the sand dunes have recently been used. The location is reasonably remote and backs onto farmland. A gravel access road makes this a prime location for ruthless criminal gangs to drop migrants paying as much as €5,000 for a ticket on an inflatable dinghy with a small outboard motor and less for surfboards and inflatable kayaks. Local police claim it is from here and other remote beaches in the region that migrants often set out to make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    30june20-Calais migrants-Varley009.jpg
  • 26 June 2020. Bleriot Plage, Calais, France.<br />
Andy lines, senior reporter for the Daily Mirror on Bleriot Plage, one of the many beaches close to the main ferry terminal in Calais where migrants often make desperate and dangerous attempts to cross one of the busiest shipping lanes in the world. Migrants are crossing the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    26june20-Calais migrant crisis034.jpg
  • 26 June 2020. Zone des Dunes, refugee camp, Calais, France.<br />
The Zone des Dunes refugee camp in Calais. Several tented refugee camps have cropped up to replace the notorious 'Jungle' camp which was dismantled by French authorities in October and November 2016. The Zone borders land where the Jungle once housed as many as 10,000 migrants desperately seeking any way possible to get to Britain. It is claimed that the Zone is controlled by Albanian criminal gangs exploiting migrants often paying as much as €5,000 to make the illegal crossing between France and Britain. Many migrants are now making desperate and dangerous attempts to cross the English Channel (La Manche) by boat, kayak, surf board and even inflatable paddling pools as numbers seeking asylum in the UK continue to rise. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    26june20-Calais migrant crisis015.jpg
  • 26 June 2020. Zone des Dunes, refugee camp, Calais, France.<br />
A young refugee mother sits at the side of the road with her young 2 year old son close to the tented refugee camp at Zone des Dunes in Calais, a relatively new refugee camp which sprang up just outside the notorious 'Jungle' camp which was closed down by authorities. The mother who did not wish to be named is a refugee from war torn Eritrea. She made her way overland from Eritrea to Sudan and from Sudan through what she described as extremely dangerous Libya. From Libya she was able to get on a boat to Italy where she then boarded a train to Austria and eventually Germany where her son was born. The young mother claimed conditions in Germany were atrocious and she left for France where she has lived in the refugee camp at Calais for almost 6 months. Her dream is to find safety and sanctuary for herself and her little boy in the United Kingdom. <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    26june20-Calais migrant crisis011.jpg
  • 19 January 2019. Paris, France.<br />
Gilets Jaunes - Acte X take to the streets of Paris. Flicking the bird to the media. An estimated 7,000 people took part in the looping 14 km route from Place des Invalides to protest tax hikes from the Government of Emmanuel Macron imposed on the people. An estimated 80,000 people took part in protests across the country. Regrettably the movement has attracted a violent element of agitators who often face off with riot police at the end of the marches which tends to deflect attention away from the message of the vast majority of peaceful protesters.<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    19jan19-Gilets jaunes003.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Richard Dunning MBE (left - event organiser and owner of the land) poses with Christian Bernard, the Mayor of La Bissell.<br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater018.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Richard Dunning MBE (left - event organiser and owner of the land) poses with Christian Bernard, the Mayor of La Bissell.<br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater017.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater014.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Local school children throw petals on the helmets of fallen soldiers. Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater010.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Local school children throw petals on the helmets of fallen soldiers. Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater011.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
The Mayor of La Bissell, Christian Bernard lays a wreath at the memorial service. Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater004.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater005.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater031.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater029.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Richard Dunning MBE (left - event organiser and owner of the land) poses with Christian Bernard, the Mayor of La Bissell.<br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater030.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, volunteers add lollies to the cross in honour of those who perished in the Great War. They are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater028.jpg
  • 11 November 2018. Lochnagar Crater, La Boisselle, Somme, France. <br />
<br />
Gathered in the pouring rain, those who perished in the Great War are remembered by British and French civilians on the 100th anniversary of the Great War. <br />
<br />
Lochnagar Crater was created by the Tunnelling Companies of the Royal Engineers under a German field fortification. The explosion was the loudest man made noise created at that time, purportedly heard in London. <br />
<br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    11nov18-Lochnagar Crater021.jpg
  • 12 March 2006. New Orleans, Louisiana. Praising the Lord. A capacity crowd mingles with counselors in front of the pulpit at the last appearance from the Rev Billy Graham. Claiming this to be his last event preaching from the pulpit, the world's most famous evangelist, The Reverend Billy Graham addressed a capacity crowd at the New Orleans Arena as he brings his 'Celebration of Hope' weekend event to an end. After the show the counselors invite as many people as possible to invite Jesus into their hearts to be 'saved.' Proselytizing is intense. A counselor speaks to children to try and get them to accept Jesus.
    12mar06-Billy Graham NOLA072.jpg
  • 12 March 2006. New Orleans, Louisiana. <br />
Praising the Lord. A capacity crowd mingles with counselors in front of the pulpit at the last appearance from the Rev Billy Graham. Claiming this to be his last event preaching from the pulpit, the world's most famous evangelist, The Reverend Billy Graham addressed a capacity crowd at the New Orleans Arena as he brings his 'Celebration of Hope' weekend event to an end. After the show the counselors invite as many people as possible to invite Jesus into their hearts to be 'saved.' Proselytizing is intense.
    12mar06-Billy Graham NOLA070.jpg
  • 31 January 2016. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
Donte Allen (5 yrs old) with the Treme Brass Band at the Mardi Gras Dog Parade. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus winds its way around the French Quarter with dogs and their owners dressed up for this year's theme, 'From the Doghouse to the Whitehouse.' <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    31jan16-Mardi Gras Dogs113.JPG
  • 31 January 2016. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
Mardi Gras Dog Parade. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus winds its way around the French Quarter with dogs and their owners dressed up for this year's theme, 'From the Doghouse to the Whitehouse.' <br />
Photo©; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    31jan16-Mardi Gras Dogs03.jpg
  • 08 Feb 2015. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
Mardi Gras. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus takes to the streets of the French Quarter with the theme 'Bark Wars: Return of the K-9.' Barkus is the only officially licensed Mardi Gras krewe by and for canines. <br />
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    07feb15-Mardi Gras dogs135.JPG
  • 08 Feb 2015. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
Mardi Gras. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus takes to the streets of the French Quarter with the theme 'Bark Wars: Return of the K-9.' Barkus is the only officially licensed Mardi Gras krewe by and for canines. <br />
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    07feb15-Mardi Gras dogs130.JPG
  • 08 Feb 2015. New Orleans, Louisiana.<br />
Mardi Gras. The Mystic Krewe of Barkus takes to the streets of the French Quarter with the theme 'Bark Wars: Return of the K-9.' Barkus is the only officially licensed Mardi Gras krewe by and for canines. <br />
Photo; Charlie Varley/varleypix.com
    07feb15-Mardi Gras dogs123.JPG
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