Hundreds of cemeteries , thousands of headstones , rows of the same headstones ...
Every headstone not only represents a person but a history .
Who's this person?
Where does he come from? Do they still have relatives who remember them?
Even after almost a hundred years family members are still enquiring what happened to their fallen relatives.
Some examples :
Every headstone not only represents a person but a history .
Who's this person?
Where does he come from? Do they still have relatives who remember them?
Even after almost a hundred years family members are still enquiring what happened to their fallen relatives.
Some examples :
Hi Johan
Our day with you was the highlight of our trip
Connecting with my Grandfather and his brothers involvement in the WW1 was very sobering.
I feel very comfortable going forward knowing that I now understand and can imagine what they all experienced.
They were very brave men to be able to survive something they had never ever been prepared for.
Their minds would never let them forget the horror and needless suffering they witnessed and experienced during such a short time.
Without you we would have never had such an intimate experience imbibing and grovelling in the futile war that they had to fight.
Your passion and dedication to connect people with their families involvement in the war is priceless.
I would like to thank you very much for your generosity in sharing with us such a sad time in the world’s history.
Regards
Sam Charteris
New Zealand
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Our day with you was the highlight of our trip
Connecting with my Grandfather and his brothers involvement in the WW1 was very sobering.
I feel very comfortable going forward knowing that I now understand and can imagine what they all experienced.
They were very brave men to be able to survive something they had never ever been prepared for.
Their minds would never let them forget the horror and needless suffering they witnessed and experienced during such a short time.
Without you we would have never had such an intimate experience imbibing and grovelling in the futile war that they had to fight.
Your passion and dedication to connect people with their families involvement in the war is priceless.
I would like to thank you very much for your generosity in sharing with us such a sad time in the world’s history.
Regards
Sam Charteris
New Zealand
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Hi Johan,
Thank you again for a wonderful day in Ieper.
We are home now and I have been through the material you got for me with my mother.
I have also other locals that may contact you some time in the future for input and visits around their relations.
Kind regards,
Richard and Alison Green
Palmerston
New Zealand
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Thank you again for a wonderful day in Ieper.
We are home now and I have been through the material you got for me with my mother.
I have also other locals that may contact you some time in the future for input and visits around their relations.
Kind regards,
Richard and Alison Green
Palmerston
New Zealand
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Dear Johan,
Having arrived back in New Zealand it’s given me the opportunity to sit down and script you a Thank You message for the Tour you gave Myself, Rob, David & Jill.
We are all most grateful for your time and patience showing us around the Messines Ridge and Passendale battlefields our Great Uncle’s and Grandfather fought in during the First World War conflict.
We all think we learnt more with you than a thousand books and are most appreciative for your time to see as much as we did.
With My Very Kind Regards
W.A.(Bill) Lamb
Hawke’s Bay
New Zealand
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Having arrived back in New Zealand it’s given me the opportunity to sit down and script you a Thank You message for the Tour you gave Myself, Rob, David & Jill.
We are all most grateful for your time and patience showing us around the Messines Ridge and Passendale battlefields our Great Uncle’s and Grandfather fought in during the First World War conflict.
We all think we learnt more with you than a thousand books and are most appreciative for your time to see as much as we did.
With My Very Kind Regards
W.A.(Bill) Lamb
Hawke’s Bay
New Zealand
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Dear Johan,
We had a wonderful day yesterday and it was all thanks to you.
It made such a difference having all your knowledge about the places Lionel and Duncan fought and died.
It wouldn't have been the same just visiting the cemetery and not knowing the stories.
Kind regards
Clare Palliser and family
New Zealand
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We had a wonderful day yesterday and it was all thanks to you.
It made such a difference having all your knowledge about the places Lionel and Duncan fought and died.
It wouldn't have been the same just visiting the cemetery and not knowing the stories.
Kind regards
Clare Palliser and family
New Zealand
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Hi Johan,
We are back home , in Melbourne and are going through all the photos and thought I would send a photo back to you of our visit.
Paul & I would like to thank you very much for your fantastic tour and emotional visit to my great grandfathers war grave.
We really enjoyed the experience and it is a highlight of my time overseas .
We still could not believe that you offered your time to give us this great experience in understanding how bad World War 1 was and how many lives were lost.
Please keep in contact with us with any interesting information that is happening in the area as this far away you do not always hear about things .
Cheers
Janine & Paul Lunny
Melbourne , Australia
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We are back home , in Melbourne and are going through all the photos and thought I would send a photo back to you of our visit.
Paul & I would like to thank you very much for your fantastic tour and emotional visit to my great grandfathers war grave.
We really enjoyed the experience and it is a highlight of my time overseas .
We still could not believe that you offered your time to give us this great experience in understanding how bad World War 1 was and how many lives were lost.
Please keep in contact with us with any interesting information that is happening in the area as this far away you do not always hear about things .
Cheers
Janine & Paul Lunny
Melbourne , Australia
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Hello Johan ..
I very much appreciate the time and effort you have taken to photograph the resting place of my Great Uncle, your services have helped in some way
to bring him back into his family after all of these years of searching ...
Kindest Regards
Ken Rusk
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I very much appreciate the time and effort you have taken to photograph the resting place of my Great Uncle, your services have helped in some way
to bring him back into his family after all of these years of searching ...
Kindest Regards
Ken Rusk
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Thank you so much Johan for an inspiring, personal tour of the area and the visit to our fore bearers Graves. You do a tremendous thing and the passion just ouzes from you! You made our visit incredible. Your knowledge is second to none, it was a fantastic trip as well as being very poignant to our family.I have sent you a few pics of our visit, please feel free to post them on your website. As sent in email, we are already planning a visit to your neck of the woods up in Ypres next year to visit Flanders and other sites so will keep you posted. Once again Johan, Thank you so much!!! your one in a million my friend.
kind rgds Paul- Wells family
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kind rgds Paul- Wells family
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Hi Johan,
May I firstly thank you very much from myself and my family for your help when we met and spent the day together following the salient route and establishing Jimmy's potential last hours. Once again, thank you for your help and friendship shown on our day of discovery.
We are indebted to you.
Best wishes
John, Liz, Babbie & Derek
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May I firstly thank you very much from myself and my family for your help when we met and spent the day together following the salient route and establishing Jimmy's potential last hours. Once again, thank you for your help and friendship shown on our day of discovery.
We are indebted to you.
Best wishes
John, Liz, Babbie & Derek
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Dear Johan,
Thank you very much for the photo of Roderick Smith's grave and the wealth of information you have found about his regiment and his death. It was a very sad time for the families of these young soldiers and your research has brought more meaning to their descendants.
I thank you again very much.
Regards
Marion Corrigan
Sydney , Australia
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Thank you very much for the photo of Roderick Smith's grave and the wealth of information you have found about his regiment and his death. It was a very sad time for the families of these young soldiers and your research has brought more meaning to their descendants.
I thank you again very much.
Regards
Marion Corrigan
Sydney , Australia
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Johan
I can't thank you enough for taking this trouble for someone on the other side of the world! The photographs are just wonderful to have
At this stage I am trying to track down descendants of all those I am researching.
Once again, thank you so much. I am passing your contact to two others who are writing up similar books for the Colac Shire War dead and Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. We all feel that these soldiers' stories are important to tell - not just as names on Honor Rolls.
kind regards,
Pam Jennings
Victoria , Australia
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I can't thank you enough for taking this trouble for someone on the other side of the world! The photographs are just wonderful to have
At this stage I am trying to track down descendants of all those I am researching.
Once again, thank you so much. I am passing your contact to two others who are writing up similar books for the Colac Shire War dead and Drysdale on the Bellarine Peninsula. We all feel that these soldiers' stories are important to tell - not just as names on Honor Rolls.
kind regards,
Pam Jennings
Victoria , Australia
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Hello Johan,
Thank you so very much for the photographs! They mean a lot to my family and especially to my Grandmother. I have sent her the photos.
Everard had 5 children, his wife was pregnant when he went overseas. My Grandmother's Mother was only 3 years old when he died and unfortunately never knew him.
My Great Great Grandfather died with Private Jones, A and Private Young, L.G. They were working on a water supply line when they were shelled.
Thank you once again!
Carly H.
Kamloops , Canada
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Thank you so very much for the photographs! They mean a lot to my family and especially to my Grandmother. I have sent her the photos.
Everard had 5 children, his wife was pregnant when he went overseas. My Grandmother's Mother was only 3 years old when he died and unfortunately never knew him.
My Great Great Grandfather died with Private Jones, A and Private Young, L.G. They were working on a water supply line when they were shelled.
Thank you once again!
Carly H.
Kamloops , Canada
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Hi Johan, thanks for these photos.
This will be a great addition for our presentation. We are going to do a public presentation at our cenotaph and at our Legion.
Afterwards we will be giving the family a copy of everything we have collected about Pte Fairweather. The relatives that we have connected with know very little about him.
Thanks again Dara.
Secretary
Royal Canadian Legion
Branch Joggins , Nova Scotia , Canada
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This will be a great addition for our presentation. We are going to do a public presentation at our cenotaph and at our Legion.
Afterwards we will be giving the family a copy of everything we have collected about Pte Fairweather. The relatives that we have connected with know very little about him.
Thanks again Dara.
Secretary
Royal Canadian Legion
Branch Joggins , Nova Scotia , Canada
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Hi Johan,
Brilliant, thank you ever so much for your time researching John Tempest Beech this is more than I could have wished for, even a photo of John.
Thank you again and best wishes to you.
Regards,
Harry Beech
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Brilliant, thank you ever so much for your time researching John Tempest Beech this is more than I could have wished for, even a photo of John.
Thank you again and best wishes to you.
Regards,
Harry Beech
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Hi Johan,
I received your e-mail and Photos. How can I ever thank you for taking the time to go to the Aeroplane Cemetery and photographing my Uncle's grave.(Sergeant Lowbridge George)
Looking at it was a teary experience because now the last piece of this history is now in place.
My sister (84) does have a photo of his temporary grave but this now closes the chapter of his life.
My mother has been gone for 35 years and it was only by doing our family history I discovered he was killed on the 22nd October 1917 the same date that my husband Frank and I were married (1955)
My mother and grandparents never spoke about my Uncle for what reason we don't know, so we never knew until I obtained a certificate of death through the War records in Canberra
I have a photo of my Uncle George whilst he was still a corporal taken in February 1916
Again my heartfelt thanks for your wonderful gesture, your name will be in our family history as supplying this photo for us.
Regards
Joyce Baxter.
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I received your e-mail and Photos. How can I ever thank you for taking the time to go to the Aeroplane Cemetery and photographing my Uncle's grave.(Sergeant Lowbridge George)
Looking at it was a teary experience because now the last piece of this history is now in place.
My sister (84) does have a photo of his temporary grave but this now closes the chapter of his life.
My mother has been gone for 35 years and it was only by doing our family history I discovered he was killed on the 22nd October 1917 the same date that my husband Frank and I were married (1955)
My mother and grandparents never spoke about my Uncle for what reason we don't know, so we never knew until I obtained a certificate of death through the War records in Canberra
I have a photo of my Uncle George whilst he was still a corporal taken in February 1916
Again my heartfelt thanks for your wonderful gesture, your name will be in our family history as supplying this photo for us.
Regards
Joyce Baxter.
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Dear Johan,
Having seen your advertisement in the NZRSA "REVIEW" I attach a photo of my Great Uncle, Lionel Gregory Kemp 40335 of the first Auckland (New Zealand) Regiment, who was killed on October 4th 1917, on the salient. His burial is unknown, thus his name is inscribed on the memorial wall at Tyne Cot cemetery.
When I was in Ypres in 2008 I took a photograph of his name on the wall, but as the camera was a 35mm film type, I was unaware until the film was processed that the camera flash had over exposed the photo and washed out the name. If you are able to email me a photo of Lionel's name on the wall, our family will be very grateful.
Yours very sincerely
Dennis Boggs.
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For Mr Johan Moors...Good day to you Sir.....I have received the photos of Tyne Cot...I am very grateful to you for your efforts...Our family as I mentioned have lost 3 family members around the world right up to 2010..
I intend to write to the NZ Returned Services Association explaining what a huge effort you have done in helping families here in NZ..
Again thank you very much...I think you have been very busy helping many many others...Your help and generosity is overwhelming...
Thank you again Johan.
I remain
James Farmer
Kaitaia
North Island
Northland
New Zealand
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Hello Johan
I am most grateful for the pictures you have sent. Of particular interest are the ones of the actual ridge where the battle took place as that is something we could only imagine – of course at that time it wouldn’t look so picturesque.
I thank you for all the trouble you have taken to get so many views of what was relevant. It is much appreciated and more than I expected.
I shall pass these details on to the rest of the family.
My kind regards
Rena Veitch | Human Resource Assistant | Timaru District
Council
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G’day Johan
What wonderful images of Private George Dow’s final resting place. My wife was thrilled to see her forebear’s headstone for the first time – so was I.
Underhill Farm Cemetery is quite obviously a lovingly looked after, respectful and picturesque permanent memorial to the 190 plus Great War soldiers who lay at rest there.
Gordon Passmore will be thrilled to view your photographs. I called in on him at his Riverton home a fortnight ago and let him know that you were going to visit the Underhill Farm Cemetery to take a photo of his Uncle Georgie’s headstone. He was pleased with this news. I know he and his two surviving older brothers (and their wives) will be delighted to at last be able to view their late mother’s older brother’s final resting place. Gordon, Ken and Ron Passmore are typical of men of their generation – uncomplaining, uncomplicated, stoic in the face of adversity, very generous with their time when younger Passmore family descendants ask them to share their personal and broader family recollections.
Thank you most sincerely for what you have done.
Kindest regards
Sam Hancock
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