Tuesday 31 July 2007

Day Two and all systems go...

I cannot believe how much dirt our team has shifted. Yesterday went really well. Trench 1 has been excavating a concrete bunker foundation. after the war the locals demolished the shelter for scrap and concrete chippings for the road but the foundations survived and Kirsty and her team, including friends from the historicql society have uncovered the plan. It is heavy work as rubble fills the blockhouse. Meanwhile Steve R has found what may be a trench mortar pit , Steve L abnf teqm are looking for an Anzac trench cutting the upcast from the Ultimo mine and Jon has been exploring the Factory Farm crater. Here the mine destroyed q moated farm which the Germans had fortified. We have found not only military remains but also the evidence of life before the war, includig glassware, china and horse harness.

Australian TV are happy that we can tell stories of the Anzac battle and Michael M is so excited to be here in the landscape - as he says you cannot write about a battlefield without seeing it and walking round it to experience the terrain.

Last night James plqyed his pipes in the bar and the Irish/Ulster guests at the Peace Village got out a fiddle and there was music and even a little dancing. The music theme continued when John Tomlinson the uber bass of Wagnerian opera came to visit Peter C, the site artist!

Also Franky Bostyn and Bert Heyvaert fron the Passchendale museum in Zonnebeke visited. Their work is excellent - visit the museum!

More soon!

And the sun is shining...

2 comments:

Wesley said...

Sounds very exciting, but really Peter there was no need to hide in a trench to avoid answering my questions about WIP for the financial end of year! Keep up the digging!

Johnny Crawford said...

Hi folks,
Glad all is going well and the weather gods appear to be smiling! I'm keeping up with your progress, good information already coming to light it seems... no Anzora bottles yet?