Billggski Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Just a note, stayed at Etaples after crossing to Calais, next to the campsite on the N940 is the largest commonwealth Ww1 graveyard in France. Larger than the ones at Ypres. 12,000 men and women buried facing home, but they never made it. It was the main camp for arriving soldiers to be trained and the hospital for wounded to be shipped back. My wife's grandfather was wounded and waiting to go home when the German big guns were deployed to shell the camp. So he's still there. Very rarely visited, a huge Lutyens' memorial above the graves. The aire at Le Touquet is just further on, as is a big supermarket. Worth a detour. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Willy Wonka Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Remember them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
laimeduck Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 Last week we went to Thiepval & Aveluy Wood CWGC to see my Great Uncle Tommy's grave. On the way back we stumbled across these WW1 cemeteries at Neuville-Saint-Vaast, situated 4 miles (6 km) north of Arras, at the junction of the D49 and D55 roads. The French one (White crosses) contains 42,000 graves, the German one (Black crosses) 44,833 graves ... each black cross contains 4 people. Mind boggling numbers and a place that makes you feel very small. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
dora_ex Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We visited Etaples on the first day of our trip. We were lucky enough to find the grave of my Great Great Uncle, a young man who died a long way from home barely out of his teens. So many young people, it bring home how lucky we are to be wandering around foreign lands in a motorhome when they were in foreign climes for so very different reasons. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alan k Posted September 22, 2015 Share Posted September 22, 2015 We've stopped at Etaples on a number of occasions and explored the cemetery. . Etaples is unusual in the number sub sections, from memory there are subsections for Chinese, Hindu, Sikh etc etc and as it was a hospital base quite a number who died after the cease fire presumably succumbing to their injuries. Like all the 1st WW cemeteries, its a very moving place when one considers the number of young men from all over the British Empire who lost their lives fighting in France and Belgium. alan Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
goldi Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 morning folks, A timely reminder Ladies and gentlemen. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Matrix Meanderer Posted November 11, 2015 Share Posted November 11, 2015 We visited this area last Saturday and found Etaples very busy with the King Herring festival (yum yum). Cars, motorhomes, stalls everywhere. Parking regulations generally ignored as usual in the rush to eat the herrings (lol) Both aires at Le Touquet were full of Belgian MHs and we actually witnessed the aire inspector instructing one French van to take down its awning and put away the large picnic table they had erected on a car park space! Yes it does happen, especially in Le Touquet where it is 15 Euros to stay on the Marina Aire. Great location though. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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