village voice 70.pub - Dersingham Parish Council

sea brought quite a drop in temperature but we
wandered around the interesting central market that
was just closing down before visiting the very ornate
St Walburga Church and finding a garden centre
where Patrick could buy some of the Longue de
Bretagne French Shallot sets that he had strict orders
from his wife not to return without! We returned by
the same route, though I think I could have done
without the puncture along the way!
Back at base I was chatting to the duty warden and
he was showing me a scrapbook that someone had put
together regarding Talbot House and the Town of Poperinge. What I had not realised was that
Poperinge was also home to the sinister Shot-at-Dawn Cells. As if we did not lose enough lives on
the battlefields, so many of our soldiers it seems suffered the fate of being shot for desertion,
cowardice or even simply falling asleep on duty. Shell shock, battle fatigue and post traumatic
stress were simply not recognised and mitigation was in short supply. Widows as a result of such a
fate received no war-widow’s pension either! So
much depressing inhumanity; so much strategic
incompetence; so much loss; one could wonder
how much we have learnt by it all.
I must confess that I did find myself pondering
whether all the extensive military graveyards, the
hugely extravagant memorials with ever
increasing annual maintenance expense and
funerals with full military honours nearly a
century later were really necessary and that
perhaps there were now more pressing needs to channel our efforts and funds into? And yet I
cannot deny the hugely sobering and vivid picture that it all paints and I feel the richer, more
grateful, privileged and I hope too have a sense of wanting to give more of my life to others in
return as a result of the experience.
Extensive material concerning all the places and events that I have mentioned can be viewed on
the Internet via a simple Google search and you can see all 193 of my photos with captions at:
picasaweb.google.com/ukuleleboy/FlandersTrip
Like many I suppose I had grown a little tired of the prolonged lead up and hype concerning the
Royal Wedding. So on the morning itself, with my
wife already out at a Royal Wedding hen gathering
I thought I would settle down quietly at the
computer to get on with writing this article before
watching the main service myself on TV. Just after
10:15am I happened by chance to read on the
Internet that Sandringham had set up a 12ft video
link in the Visitor Centre Restaurant with the offer
of free tea and coffee served up until 12 noon.
With the sun unexpectedly just coming out I
decided that maybe this was not the time to be inside by myself and on the spur of the moment
cycled up there to join in with the celebrating crowds and become engulfed in the most amazingly
well presented and choreographed Royal Wedding spectacle that made me all at once feel very
proud of our nation and heritage. Thank you Sandringham, a nice gesture that was much
appreciated.□
Email: steve@davista.co.uk or visit www.davista.co.uk for links to docs, photos & videos.
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