Ked

The Somme was in France, all around Agincourt area. We stayed in Arras. there was a nice town we visited called Albert. God it was such a long time ago.

All what you’ve mentioned in your posting, my husband has been too.

He’s a naval reservist, and every year there’s a walk around Ypres which concludes with a special service at the Menin gate, remembering the fallen in WW1 & WW2, its ever so moving. My husband goes every year with members of his unit.

But getting back to the Somme. Every year the farmers are still ploughing up unexploded mine shells going back to WW1. They call it the Iron Harvest.

Sorry once again BRW…Thank You

The Memorials in Belgium are at Hazebrouck and Hainaut which is near Lille,Ypres , Loos and at Amentieries which is near where the Canadian Memorial is situated. You can see it clearly from the motorway from Liege to Brussels.

The UK and New Zealand Memorial is at Passchendaele where the RWF (Royal Welsh Fusiliers) fought in 1914/15.

Thank you ever so much for that information.

Lisa, I totally agree with your views on how newspapers are now struggling for readership. I also am looking forward to the new Monarchy website, especially the royal channel.

I am usually the first to lambast the press, and have done so even when they were right, much to my embarrassment. Though their are some royal commentators who I don’t always agree with and I am aware the media is essentially a business, but I do feel certain commentators like Richard Kay, do genuinely like the monarchy, and over a course of years have become knowledgeable enough to appraise its future and voice their concerns.

I’m sorry, but as Rman said, I do think the younger ones could do more, and as Ked said with regards to PW ‘indeed an opportunity missed’. However, let us hope now they have their own office they will hopefully commence engaging in more public duties, after all they are the future of the monarchy.

However, despite this loathing, both D and C used the press to their advantage thus building up an “affection built on visibility ” which both used eventually and helped both their causes in many respects.”

Ked, I agree with that. Hopefully things will change soon and we will see this couple doing great things. Prince Andrew said last year that being royal can a burden or a opportunity. William & Kate can use that attention they are getting to do some wonderful things.

That’s true Lisa.

Forgive my neglecting your request yesterday. I have just read through band seen it.

Yes I know the song well.

The ‘my lttle pot’ is a reference to a line in the song “Sospan Fach” which is literally ‘little saucepan’. In the Welsh the noun frequently is written before the adjective or adverb describing it. Bach in Welsh is small or little but because of a grammatical ‘rule’ frequently a word is mutated so bach becomes fach and still means small or little. Welsh being a harsh sounding language needs the mutations to soften the spoken word.

As a matter of further interest the town Llanelli which is of some significant rugby fame is nick named ‘Sospan’ hence the connection between the song and rugby.

There are many variations of the song including the ‘russian’ version and many rude translations used by rival country’s fans.

I’ll not go into the full translation but the first line is interesting;

“Mae bys Mari Ann wedi gwywo” translates to

“My sweet Mary Ann’s hurt her finger”

and goes on “a cat scratches Jonny’s face” The pan boils over” and “David the soldier with his shirtail hanging out” etc et.

One day I’ll post it with full translation. Perhaps.

The Aunt I refered to is Anne, The Princess Royal who is something of a ‘mscot’ to the Scotland Rugby Team.

Sorry for off post BRW but thought it would interest posters.

Your point on Richard Kay’s comment is well made and PW has missed many opportunities to enhance the affection that many had for him following his Mum’s demise.

Both Diana and Charles hated the press and the intrusion into their private lives which may have contributed to the ending of their marriage. In earlier times the puplicity on the couple would not have been so intense and in private their marriage just may have survived if the public humiliation Diana felt had been avoided.

However, despite this loathing, both D and C used the press to their advantage thus building up an “affection built on visibility ” which both used eventually and helped both their causes in many respects.

PW , inheriting both parents loathing and ultimately blamed the press (as a whole) for the loss of his beloved mother, has not inherited his parents ’savvy’ in building up this
“affection from visibility” and his relationship with the press since he left university has been confrontational to say the least.

This has developed into a phobia with the press in general which has undoubtedly affected the PW/KM relationship and in the manner of all predators the press retaliated and rounded on his weakest link, and KM and her family became fair game and suffered the most appalling treatment continuously over several months.

PW failure to adopt an adult attitude to this intrusion has certainly affected his ability to attract this affection built on visibility, so Mr Kay , depite his own many failings, makes a valid point.

Indeed, an opportunity missed.