Findmypast is a great tool we use for nearly all our videos. If you want to do your family research, you can check it out under the following links: You can try it completely free for 7 days: www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2114&awinaffid=949579&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.co.uk%2Ffree-trial Or start your family tree for free: www.awin1.com/cread.php?awinmid=2114&awinaffid=949579&ued=https%3A%2F%2Fwww.findmypast.co.uk%2Ffamily-tree

@sirandrelefaedelinoge

5 ай бұрын

Sorry just an observation

when my parents bought a house in 1970, the owners were an old couple who said about their regular trips to Germany. Eventually they said their son was in the RAF in WW2, and flew in bombers and was posted missing over Germany. They never gave up hope he was alive and went to Germany to look for him hoping maybe to see him thinking he may have amnesia, terribly sad, I often think of them, how many more were there like that after both wars

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

So powerful.

@leighlowe1069

7 ай бұрын

That's heartbreaking. Almost makes me hope you're making it up (but alas, I believe you)

@SaltimusMaximus

7 ай бұрын

@@leighlowe1069 it was true. They went to Germany as many times as they possibly could in a year, sadly many aircrew disappeared over the sea on the way home when their damaged aircraft couldn’t keep going

@maxwellcrazycat9204

6 ай бұрын

Many soldiers died in trenches and bomb craters that became filled in and covered up.

@Remember28

6 ай бұрын

Very sad

Whoever read aloud John's letters home was an absolute master at it, thank you. xx

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

That's Hugo our professional voice-over artist, he really is superb and brings the character of John to life!

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

yes he is top notch!@@xxxxxxxx3476

@SueGirling68

8 ай бұрын

@@BattleGuideVT he is awesome. x

My great, great uncle Arthur was lost and never found on a raid into Hulluch in September 1917. This is the first reference to Hulluch I have ever seen beyond my own investigations. Thanks.

@NaillHaig

13 күн бұрын

My great grandfather and 3 of his brothers .. all lost in the mud.

There are around 10,000 Australians whose unidentified body parts remain forever in the soil of the killing fields on the Somme and in Flanders fields. My Uncle, Pte. Albert Williams KIA June 1916 is one. Lest we forget. Lest we forget. 🫡🙏🕊️🇦🇺🦘

@Aaron_Hanson

2 ай бұрын

🇦🇺 Lest We Forget 🇳🇿

My paternal grandfather was badly injured at Loos by machine gunfire and spent 3 days and nights in no man’s land. At some point a German officer with a search party found him, gave him a drink of water and told him they would return to collect him but before that happened, he was rescued by his own side. The surgeon who had to amputate his leg told him that without that drink of water he would have died so the family is forever grateful to that unknown German soldier. For a start, I wouldn’t be here today!

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

@QED_

7 ай бұрын

"that unknown German soldier . . .'

God bless you for keeping these brave mens memories alive and telling their story. Brilliant job . Top notch. ! Thank you. ! 👍💛👊

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

@geraldjacobs2376

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for reminding people about all the sacrifice these soldiers and their families.

@user-gn4dq3fw3z

6 ай бұрын

Don't forget about the thousands of horses that were killed or terribly injured in this war. They suffered as well.

@jesseray9944

4 ай бұрын

i agree after seeing this account ive never learned much about ww1 until this page

My great great uncle Ernest was thankfully found & laid to rest in Danzig Alley, Mametz. He sleeps around 500 metres from where he sadly fell, on The Somme. July 1st 1916. His brother, my great great Uncle William sadly didn’t have the privilege of a grave, as he drowned at Jutland. My great great grandmother Alice received the death penny twice within a matter of weeks. Sadly the loss of her two babies sent her into a manic depressive state. She was institutionalised for near enough the remainder of her life 😞

@luckyguy600

6 ай бұрын

that happened a lot. Very sadly.

@andrewlucas9282

6 ай бұрын

😢

@lindsaygaffney5426

3 ай бұрын

😢

My maternal Grandfather was in the pioneers during WW1, and his Battalion were given the job of finding the fallen and reburing the ones already buried in hasty graves,must have been horrendous he would not talk about it,we found out from Grandma,bless you Grandad you where such a lovely man so calm and quiet,I'm 76 now but still miss you ❤

@gonefishing167

6 ай бұрын

🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏🙏👵🇦🇺

@pascalepauwels1247

5 ай бұрын

Indeed it must be very hard to searching the bodies and then reburing the bodies . Respect for your grandfather 💝

My Uncle (my Dads Brother) served with the Chindits in WW2. He was killed in action in the Burmese jungle in April 1944. My Grandmother received a telegram reporting him being missing in action. His date of death was only confirmed after the war in 1946. His body was never recovered. His name is on the war memorial in Rangoon.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

Greetings and respects from France for the sacrifices made to save our land

Dad's uncle Bill Jones was buried alive and woke from a coma in an army hospital. They called him the wrong name and he told them. They had notified his family in Salford that he was dead. When Bill walked through the door, Dad's mum nearly had a fit. He was always a bit grumpy afterwards, according to dad. I explained to dad that he had extenuating circumstances.

Outstanding work! My great uncle, Georges J. Bernard (my icon photo) served with the 129th Infantry Regiment, French 5th Army, and fell at the 1st Battle of the Marne, he was 25 years old.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

From someone who grew up and has lived in Sussex my whole life. RIP John 🙏❤️

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

The pain of losing a loved one during the mindless killing of War, can only be exceeded by the agony of never having closure. May God grant the Fallen.....and their loved ones..... Peace. 😢

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Very eloquently put Bruce. Thank you.

@luckyguy600

6 ай бұрын

Finding the Fallen from Hell

@la_old_salt2241

16 күн бұрын

Well said Bruce.

So heartbreaking for the parents!! Searched their whole lives not to find their beloved son; and to think they might have walked by his grave is horrific 😢

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment Danny and yes you are right... so close but yet so far.

My Great, Great Uncle, Private A J Stedman, 15th Service (2nd Birmingham) Battalion, Royal Warwickshire Regiment was killed on 5th October 1917 at Polderhoek Chateau, in the Ypres Salient. He is one of 35,000 listed on the memorial to the missing at Tyne Cot Cemetery.

My great uncle Albion was killed 11 November 1917 with the 6th Marine Division, USMC near Chateau Thierry. His body was never found. Thank you for this video.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for sharing Dana

I had long searched for my great uncle Patrick Burns, originally from Belfast, who, according to family lore, was killed at the Somme in June 1916. I tried to find him him on a number of occasions to no end. The Irish government digitised the 1901 and 1910 census results. To my total surprise, my great grandparents had changed their surname from Burns to Byrne. Due to this, i was able to trace Him using what little family history i had of him, such as getting married and moving to Lurgan, Co. Armagh. He was killed at the battle of Loos, his grave bring destroyed later in the war. He is known to be buried in Bois Carre cemetery just across from St. Mary's ads were young Kipling lies. After being missing to my family for over 100 years, i first visited in 2018, and I am a regular visitor, and was there again last week.Set. 2023. Ironically, those who had graves destroyed are commemorated with a headstone along the wall of the cemetery about ten headstones down is Agustus Farrell of Dalkey co. Dublin ( no relation), but I remember thinking at the time, Well Paddy, you were in good company all these years.

@docastrov9013

6 ай бұрын

I traced a cousin of my mother's and went to his grave Moeuvre. I thought I was the only person to go - then I found out later some other relatives had been. Still it's the thought that counts.

my maternal grandfather and his two brothers went into that hell of chaos one died one maimed ie lost a leg and gassed and my grandfater survived intact glory to those who gave

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

My great grandfather perished there, his body was never found and the last letter my great grandmother got was that he was injured by a gas attack written by his friend which took best part of a month to arrive, they never heard from my great grandfather ever again. Very sad, he was 22 years old, what a waste fighting for Kitchener as with all the others who perished fighting a rich man’s war!

@vixtex

7 ай бұрын

My deepest condolences. My great grandpa ended up dying of lung cancer due to mustard gas. Horrible.

@martinwarner1178

7 ай бұрын

Rich men get richer, poor men lose out with blood. Peace be unto you.

@jonf4731

7 ай бұрын

A tough read that, of your great grand father. Many wasted lives and good men and boys are lost. I must say however that many rich men and their sons perished in the Great War. The kiplings are but one example of good men for which money and class did not save you. I used to believe the old trope “lions led by donkeys” but further inspection and research proves otherwise.

@Rese516

6 ай бұрын

Aren’t most wars “rich men’s wars”?

@martinwarner1178

6 ай бұрын

@@Rese516 I think the same. Truly, peace be unto you.

Much respect to Lt. Kipling and his brave sacrifice in the face of what can only be described as Hell on earth. Rest in peace Sir.

@patriciarose6371

Ай бұрын

His Father wrote the immortal poem "IF" and his son certainly was a man ,! May he and all others lost in that mindless brutal war rip for ever more

Fascinating. If my own 1980's infantry experience is anything to go by 2nd Lieutenants were simply referred to as Lieutenants in conversation and maybe the guys who found Johns body in 1920 could plainly see his 2nd Lieutenants pips and quite correctly reported him as a Lieutenant. I can imagine an appalled labour battalion private breathing through a cloth mask yelling to his clipboard wielding NCO that he's found a Lieutenant and the NCO duly noting it as such, said clipboard then travelling up the chain and eventually into the archive. It's a system wide open to confusion in tragic circumstances like this.

@nickgreaves3355

8 ай бұрын

I totally agree Anton I also was years in the (PBI) poor bloody infantry during the 80s finishing in the late 90s a second lewy was always just called lieutenant by all who knew.

My great X3 uncle harry lythe served in the Great War and was never found. He was born in 1891 in England emigrated to Canada in 1910. He enlisted to the Canadian expeditionary force in 1915 and went missing during the battle of passchaendale in 1917 whilst serving as part of a Lewis gun crew. Rest in peace

@luckyguy600

6 ай бұрын

My father's father has the very same story attached to him, but he was born in Ireland. He too was a Lewis Gunner team member in the Last 100 Days, 1st. Canadian Division. He was injured cleaning a Lewis gun and ended the war in England in a hospital ward, acting as an ordinary. He came home. I knew and loved the man, my grandfather. My grandfather came home/ your relative didn't. It could have been just the reverse. How odd eh?

My great uncle, 18 year old David Dingwall of the Royal Scots Fusiliers died in Oct of 1914. His body has never been recovered. Unfortunately, the records for that regiment were moved to London for storage and were destroyed by bombing during the second work war.

The Kipling piece "My Boy Jack" is about Royal Navy sailor Jack Cornwell, killed at the Battle Of Jutland. Its not about John Kipling.

@lordeden2732

4 ай бұрын

Not according to Rudyard himself he started it was about his son and it's well.know John was know in the family as Jack.

Many of the success stories I have seen concern high-ranking soldiers and officers. Discovering the fate of an ordinary soldier like my great uncle L/Cpl Ernest Cottell seems to be a much harder task. I know that he went missing somewhere in the vicinity of "Inverness Copse" easy of Ypres on Aug 22nd, 1917. There is no correspondence with the family, no eye witness accounts. nothing. He was in A company, 6th battalion Somerset Light Infantry, apparently attacking an area known as Herenthage Chateau but they were driven back. That's all I know and I now believe his remains won't ever be found. He was just 19.

Wow, What an amazing episode. Unbelievable how many people (young boys) died. Thank you for honoring these men.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the very kind comment. We invested a lot into this production and in doing so you have a feeling that you get to know the individuals that little bit more.

@marksallows113

7 ай бұрын

And they remain forever, young boys :( They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.

@douglasherron7534

7 ай бұрын

My great uncle was one of those boys. Killed attacking the Hohenzollern Redoubt with the 8th Black Watch he was barely 17. His body was never recovered.

@LesleyBerry-em3yv

2 ай бұрын

Both my grandma and grandfather lost their youngest brothers at the age of 19. One on the Somme and the other at Arras with no known graves. My brother has been to Tyne Cot and seen my great uncles name on the memorial.

With No Man's Land being constantly bombarded by artillery and mortar fire, not very many of the bodies were left to find.

We have a relative that died around Hill 60 in April 1915. He's still there, somewhere! He's on the Ypres memorial 😢

@rastra1321

7 ай бұрын

My great grandfather was declared missing in action on 23rd April 1915 and also has his name on the Ypres Memorial. I have no other info…I have searched for him for quite sometime but cannot find anything prior to 1911. I so desperately want to know who he was. 😪

@NaillHaig

13 күн бұрын

Menin Gate ?

Couldn't stop watching! Unreal video. My great uncle died at the battle of jutland in the navy. What a waste of young lives!

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

Just an extraordinary presentation of a very sad story. Your work is amazingly well done.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you very much.

To think, if Rudyard hadn't pulled strings to get his son, who had terrible eyesight, and had failed his medical, a way into the army, he would never have been in France at all.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Yes, I suppose that is one of the tragedies of the story. We hope you enjoyed the video?

@MrDiscodaveII

8 ай бұрын

His son was very keen on doing his "bit" by all accounts. If his dad refused to help him he'd find some other way to serve in battle and be seriously annoyed with his father to boot.

@joaocosta3374

7 ай бұрын

The mentality of the people was quite different. Honor, responsibility and duty were untinkable not to uphold.

@Dulcimertunes

7 ай бұрын

Young men who appeared able bodied were disdained as ‘chicken’. Young women wandered around looking for victims whom they would identify with a white feather.

@spannaspinna

7 ай бұрын

Kipling wanted him in the officer corp , he wouldn’t of failed a medical for a rank and file soldier , probably thought he’d get a cushy safe job in the rear

It may be well over a century since these brave young soldiers lost their lives in the great war, many of them never being found, But you guys go some wat to recognising them, and even finding their correct resting place. I was born in 57, But I have had the honour to read up on quite a number of conflicts, and to see their memories being kept alive after all this time, is thanks to your great endeavours, Lest we forget !

When working for the War Graves Commission in the '70s I was aware of an investigation into Kipling's death and burial. At that time, with the same information available it was decided that it did not reach the required standard for the Commission to change the headstone.

@angelinaboyd836

7 ай бұрын

Was there ever a reason as to why they said ,it didn't reach requirements?

@MrTaorluath

7 ай бұрын

The differing rank insignia and the place of the original burial being a long way from the last known sighting. It didn't meet the exacting criteria then in place. @@angelinaboyd836

I love when you guys cover ww1! You keep their memory and their sacrifices that they made alive.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you.. its part of our mission.

Richard van Emden's book Missing: the need for closure is worth reading.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

I think we have that in our collection. Will certainly revisit it!

Cried my eyes out after watching this incredibly moving story. John was such a loyal and brave patriot who cared for the soldiers he led. Thank you for sensitive and remarkable account of how he was finally found. God bless.

From an ex Irish Guards soldier, I was aware of John Kiplings story as many other Irish guardsmen will be if inyerested in their regimental history. This detailed docuvideo filled in the gaps not covered in Rudyard Kiplings History of the Irish Guards. So id lime to say thankyou!

One of my relatives died on the 27th September 1915, with the Welsh Guards. His name is on the Loos Memorial. I have always wondered if his remains were found, and was buried as an unknown soldier of the Great War.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Sadly a thought that has echoed in many households and still echoes to this day as families think about lost loved ones. Thank you for sharing.

Thank you for a well researched video. I had an uncle killed in ww1 on the western front on 4 August 1917. He is buried at Trois Arbres cemetery. I wonder what he would have been like had he lived. If you tour around the small towns of New Zealand you see lots of memorials to men who died in ww1. Very sad indeed. I heard a few years ago that my grandmother almost lost it when she opened a package of his belongings covered with his blood. All the best from Sydney Australia 🇦🇺

Fantastic video - this is the sort of history that must never be forgotten - I'm so glad I found and watched this as my own grandfather was a survivor of the WW1, passing away in 1968.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

Great doco. Loved it. So glad they kept records of the reburials so historians could track his grave.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

@luckyguy600

6 ай бұрын

It is quite amazing the records they did keep on everyone. My grandfathers and his brothers are so detailed as to their entire time in the First War. It must have taken such effort to set it down in records one can read today. Quite amazing really. At least in the Canadian records from the First Great War. We shan't know from the Second War. We will be dead and long gone before that operation is completed. I am now 73. So what I have is the First War records at least.

Beautiful tragic story. Sometimes a study of one person famous or not can hit harder than a big overview

One of our friends father who was in Gallipoli with the British army he was 17 he was sent to France to re-bury the dead, but they would do they would take the body out. They would fold it in half because it will be decomposed and put the body parts in a small box. They would be re-buried in a proper cemetery , the soldiers buried the dead, were paid shilling a day extra given a pint of brandy , my friend’s father he fell asleep. When he was on guard, he was tied to the gun and carriage wheels for 24 hours without food or water he was 17.

It is necessary to understand that in the early part of the last century how important it still was to have an actual headstone representing a loved one. Efforts to locate graves after the American Civil War were so extensive and because of the number of letters to the war department from loved ones, thousands of people were sent south to locate and mark unrecorded graves. It’s rumored “Carpetbagger”arose here.Millions were spent to seek graves of Yankee soldiers but not a nickel for the “rebels.”

Don't think I'll ever look at Mogli in quite the same way again. My mancub came home, as did I. Of six great uncles in ww1(two with the AEF, four for the Kaiser) all returned, though some a bit worse for wear. The following generation was far less fortunate. Crossed some items off the bucket list a couple months back; walked Verdun, peddled the Chemin des dames, found my cousin's grave marker at the Soldaten Friedhof near Foy(blind luck). It matters, can change many things when they fail to return. But a marker is at least something. To quote an inscription I saw once on an English marker in Egypt; "The precious dust of our lovely lad is hidden here". Thank you. What a powerful segment.

Well that was devastating and heartbreaking but I am glad you focused on it. You need to be able to remember and mourn one family’s tragedy in order to mourn the millions of families who suffered a loss. May they RIP

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind comment.

@mammuchan8923

8 ай бұрын

@@BattleGuideVT you are most welcome. This story will stay with me for a long time

I visited Batemans at Burwash and learned of John's death, at my age 11, 1966. Bateman's is a National Trust place - visitable. Your video is interesting both for reminding me of this individual, and of my pilgrimage to visit my late uncles grave, another War Graves Commission grave (Third town battle of Casino, 1943). Tragic that both men lost their lives so young. The War Graves Commission complains that fewer than half of all the graves have ever been visited by a relative. That is even though the locations of graves are easy to discover with an internet search. My father visited his brother's grave, and so, independently did I. None of my three sisters did, and neither did Ronald's own son (a year old at time of his death).

My grandfather was at the Battle of the Somme, in the line, for nigh onto six weeks in September - October 1916. Out of his 15 men he went in with, only two were still there when his regiment was taken out of the line, the rest were just hasty replacements. His memoirs are quite harrowing when he describes how these people went under the relentless bombardment. And since they couldn't get the fallen back out, they were mostly buried where there was an opportunity. In one chapter he writes "Our dead messmates now sleep in the new traverse." while also describing how the artillery chewed up the trenches and traverses and how these shallow graves were then scattered over the trench and no-mans land. Soldiers who were buried in that fashion rarely were found or identified later. He also writes that while digging new trenches they were uncovering such graves all the time and had to incorporate them into the new structures. And even digging was dangerous enough, he writes how the blade of his spade was hit by a 75mm round when he and his men were entrenching, just in the moment when the blade was above the trenchline throwing the dirt out. He wasn't hurt per se, but, as he put it, he wasn't good for anything for a couple of hours, clealy a shock.

This really touched me. Here in the U.S. very few people understand the impact the Great War had on Britain and her Empire. From the Western Front to Palestine to the South Atlantic nearly a million men were lost. It's no wonder when I travel in the UK or Canada, I can hardly turn around without seeing a memorial to "the fallen." A fitting tribute indeed! The tragedy is that the sons of the Tommies who fought at Mons and Ypres and the Somme had to do it again a generation later! I don't know if another commenter mentioned this but I know who should have the last word here: "Well it's Tommy this and Tommy that and Tommy 'ow's yer soul but it's thin red line of 'eroes when the drums begin to roll..."

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment!

@luckyguy600

6 ай бұрын

Sadly little is remembered by the youth today. Most are from other countries and they know nothing of our country's history. Such as was drilled into us in our youth. We were surrounded by veterans every day no matter where we were in Canada. Most/ if not all are 'passed' today. All that I knew from both World Wars and the Korean Conflict. That poor want-a-be conflict that literally nobody ever remembers. It will be a case eventually of, "They will NOT be Remembered" And the books will be closed, and that will be that. Other plans are in store for my country of Canada. I am glad I shall not witness them. Dam all politicians to Hell. The NWO eh?

Amazing amount of research thank you so much for doing this, my grandmother lost 2 older brothers in France neither being found. I can’t imagine the torment the whole family must have suffered!

Wow, imagine if he would have gotten that ID disc before falling 😢

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Yes, its amazing how these little moments can dictate so much in time. :( Thanks for the comment, we hope you enjoyed the video?

I lost family members on both sides of this terrible conflict; all those wretched politicians and generals that caused it, and all those poor souls that paid for it with their lives.

@Dulcimertunes

7 ай бұрын

Yes! Old men sending young men to die

Wow… What a fantastic story so well told👏🏻👏🏻 The heartbreak of such families was so tragic..

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for the kind comment.

My granduncle "Archie" was with the 2nd Battalion Irish Guards from Loos till the German spring offensive in 1918, he told me he killed a 15 year old German in a communication trench.

I've watched many uploads by Crocodile Tear who does similar research to identify fallen soldiers. It's quite alarming to find out just how common it is for incorrect information being recorded. The sheer numbers of incorrectly identified persons is quite saddening.

@FrauUnibrow

7 ай бұрын

I can recommend his channel as well , Crocodile Tear has some great videos.

My grandfather, George Glanfield of the Royal London Fusiliers is one of the missing. He was killed near Arras in April 1917. He was last seen sheltering in a shell crater and is thought another shell landed and buried him. Although he has no known grave, I have seen his name inscribed on the memorial in Arras. Thanks for the very informative video.

@BattleGuideVT Since finding your channel about a month back, I have looked forward to every new Great War video! My Great Uncle was Killed on the 20th February 1917, Fampoux, after surviving the onslaught at Delville Wood the previous year (14th-20th July 1916). Your presentation is phenomenal. Keep up the fantastic work Mate. Delville isn't a well known battle. Love the work Mate!

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

@EscanV

8 ай бұрын

​@@BattleGuideVTYou are most welcome mate, and thank you 😎

It’s amazing how life takes such mysterious turns. If John was not from such a distinguished family chances are he never would have been able to join the military. His father used his position to put his beloved son in such a deadly occupation

@patrickh4540

7 ай бұрын

Correct. How ever sad it is to see his son get killed, it is a prime example how rules and regulations don't apply to the "upper class". Then as well as now.

@mattleyland194

7 ай бұрын

There was also the embarrassment of not being able to serve your country while all your friends are going to war.

@grahamhodge8313

7 ай бұрын

Also,without that level of influence, I suspect that far less effort would have been employed to try and find his remains.

What a beautiful, tragic story. I would encourage everyone to walk some of the battlefields of WWI in France and Belgium to get some sense of the scale of the slaughter. I've walked Chateau-Thierry, Belleau Wood, and Verdun. The latter still looks like a moonscape with overlapping craters, great shattered forts, and the ossuary filled with the bones of the unknown. My maternal grandfather was wounded in the Meuse-Argonne, and an uncle landed at Normandy and fought to the Elbe and the end of the war. WWI had the efficiency of modern rifles, machine guns, and artillery without the equipment and tactics of later wars to defend troops against such weapons. I can't imagine the last moments of young Kipling's life, wandering in great pain with his jaw shot off until disabled by pain, shock, and blood loss he collapsed and died, far from home and friends... or that of his parents never knowing how their son died. War is truly a terrible thing.

The toll of that war should have taught the world a lesson. Of course it didn't. The next war still didn't seem to drive that lesson home. Even though we haven't seen conflicts of that magnitude since, soldiers, sailors, airmen and civilians are still being caught up in smaller but no less lethal battles. Those losses carved out parts of whole generations and left countless families heartbroken. This story really made me think. I hope it does with others who were fortunate enough not to have had to deal with that kund of loss. May they all Rest In Peace..

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment!

1:40 Trench warfare was not new in WW1, trenches had been much used in siege attacks since the 17th century and the American Civil War saw extensive trench lines.

@lordeden2732

4 ай бұрын

Hardly if ever used till the American Civil war. Most modern war techniques were pioneered during the American Civil war

A few months 😢 ran across this story elsewhere. In attempting to understand the feeling of the time. They thought the war might not last long. A sad event that took so many lives. I wonder if John needed to prove himself in some way. His father was such a well known and celebrated individual. I am sorry for the loss, but if his father hadn't pulled strings, he could not have gone.😢

@normannokes9513

7 ай бұрын

I understand that John had defective vision and would have been denied a commission. His father's status prevailed.

Terribly sad, made even sader by knowing that R.Kipling lost his eldest daughter at a young age as well. His last remaining child (Elsie) would go on to live a long life, then left her house (Wimpole Estate) to The National Trust after her death. I worked there as a teenager in 2015 which is when I learnt about John (Jack) and the more personal side of the Kipling story. In the reception area of the hall there was a walking stick with R.Kipling engraved into it, visitors would often leave their umbrella's alongside it without noticing which would make me chuckle as they were unaware they were resting their umbrella on the walking stick of the man who wrote one of the most popular childrens stories of all time, The Jungle Book 🐅

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

@angelinaboyd836

7 ай бұрын

What was it like to work there, and can u share more of the Kipling history that u have been subjected too. Like was there more info about Elsie that, most people wouldn't know? Was her house kept the same even after her passing. Were there personal accounts or stories of Elsie, when living, like where there workers there who lived long enough to know Elsie?

@yuelingchu4361

Ай бұрын

Frequent local visitor to Wimpole, and my parents knew Elsie before she died.

the Kiplings "engaged the services" of many "psychics" in the futile hope of reaching their son in the afterlife...unsurprisingly, to no avail

Incredible story and analysis, just wow 🤯

So incredibly sad, not only for the Kipling parents, but all of those similarly at home who continued to live their lives and died not knowing what happened to their sons.

@markl4670

7 ай бұрын

My Dad lost his brother in WW2. His Brother served with the Chindits and was killed in action in the Burmese Jungle in April 1944. My Grandmother received a missing in action telegram a month later, but the actual day of his death was only confirmed in 1946. His body was never recovered. His name is etched on the war memorial in Rangoon war cemetery.

Wonderful story, excellently narrated.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

Another fantastic and informative video. My Great Uncle, Anthony Lucas, was also killed on the same day in the same battle but he served with the Yorkshire Regiment (Green Howard’s). His body was also never identified and either lies in an unmarked grave or still out in the battlefield undiscovered. It is a comfort to the family knowing that he fought and lays alongside the son of one of this countries favourite authors. Whenever I hear a Kipling story I think of them both. Thank you for keeping the memory of all those young men alive 🙏

Interesting vid. My G'father's service number was re-used, which gave me a problem. He was killed on the 1st day the Tanks rolled in. He lies with the Guards at Lesboeufs. The family received bronze disc with his details. By an extraordinary piece of luck, I was able to get a slightly singed copy of his enlistment paper, so I was able to see his signature.

you do amazing work ! my story was long research to Find my missing great uncle who died in 1917 in Arleux-en-gohelle, Body recoverd in 1927, I found with the help of a Canadian university the trench maps, unit records and such, then actually went to the location they found him exactly ,also had help from a British battlefield archaeologist helped me find his grave stone which I went and visited, First of my family to Do so, as many had tried before to find info.

Always in awe of the amount of detail, forethought, and research y’all do. 🎉cheers to you and all who help keep these amazing stories coming. Great content 🎉🎉🎉🎉

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

What a kind comment. thank you so much! Comments like these really make all the hard work and hours poring over maps worth it!

@judescinnamon

7 ай бұрын

these naive boys who experienced such horror, in other times, should have been just boys setting up a camp trip somewhere in France, Chalk Pit Alley, trying French wine, looking at pretty women and generally enjoying their carefree youth..but here they are; gassed, exhausted, mentally tortured, mown down in cold blood, all for European Royalty. may all sides rest in peace. so sad for their families. ❤

I lost my G/Uncle Harry Martin White G326 at Loos killed by shellfire and his body never recovered, he died on the 14th Oct 1915. It tears me up that not only was he never found but I have never even found a photo of him. Rest in peace Uncle Harry.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

@ChristinaMitchell-USA

4 ай бұрын

May God Bless Your Uncle Harry's soul.

@mark703

4 ай бұрын

@@ChristinaMitchell-USA Thankyou for your blessing Christina and may god grant you a beautiful life.

@jesseray9944

4 ай бұрын

im sure they have a photo of him somewere alot of old people hide photos i never new my grandma and aunty had photos of them when they were younger never got to see the photos until they both passed away

@mark703

4 ай бұрын

@@jesseray9944 I dont really have any relatives older than me to ask Jesse, it sure makes wish i could have asked years ago. Thx for your comment.

Thank you for sharing that, my great great cousin was awarded posthumously the VC in France near the end of WW1 his actions are recorded and remembered at the VC wall at the war memorial Canberra, Australia.

I did a school project on him in one of my war classes. Loved learning about him and still do. The respect he had for his fellow pilots whether enemy or friend is amazing and the same goes for the respect others had for him. Love the video

A sad story told sensitively and well. An ancestor on my mother's side, Ernest Luke Moss was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme and is one of the many with no known grave, remembered instead on the Thiepval Memorial. It's humbling to remember the sacrifice of so many and puts our petty troubles into perspective. Thank you for this video.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks very much Andrew

Just such a senseless loss of lives still reverberating hundred years later. To think, just a mere boy having his face shot off only days into his deployment.

Such a sad story .. RIP John.

He just wanted to do his bit although he was turned down my the navy and the army because of his poor eyesight maybe he should have been given a staff job but he was a very brave man

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Would certainly have saved his life.

This is horrifying to us today the Great War the war to end all wars. These men gave their lives with so much bravery. No thought of their own safety just following orders. All those men killed hundreds and more just sent to replace them. Then not many thought another war would happen. The men who did return some never recovering from the ordeal. I look at how they fought so bravely in the trenches. I wonder if I could have been that brave giving my life so others may live. The loss of human life is insurmountable and some never recovered. Some who were no one knew their name. I remember being told by my grandmother I think, that no family was left unscarred. Whole villages losing a whole generation of young men. How as a family do you move forward my heart goes out to them all. That through them and those in WW2 gave their lives for me. Thank you one and all.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

We are glad you enjoyed the video!

Taking on a chronically short sighted man as an officer was incredibly bad as it exposed both him and the men he led to hazards and danger.

@lordeden2732

4 ай бұрын

During the first world war junior officer ranks were not really used for leaders as such more as moral raising canon fodder. Who went over the top clutching just a swagger stick and a webly service revolver if they remembered to draw it after getting to the top of the trench ladder. The real trench raiding leaders were senior ranks of N.C.O's

Thank for sharing this very sad story of very Brave Young men. So sad his parents died not knowing what happened to him. May all the fallen Rest in Peace. You do a wonderful job.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment!

Amazing video still watching it. My great grandad was in the war. Thru ancestry I've been able to link to things about him on military archives. Im definitely going to be looking into findmypast. Never knew the man he was long gone before i came into this world but as an American I'm proud to have English blood of his thru my veins. They don't Make them like they used to the boys and men of both world wars.

The level of detailed research is mind boggling. Fantastic. Keep it up.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks very much, glad you enjoyed it!

As a parent, I can’t imagine the grief. I walked by the Cenotaph in our small town a few days ago and read some of the names from WW1. As people tend to stay here, their descendants and family must still be in the area. Many sadly, now just names lost to history. How very sad 😞

What a tragic waste of life thanks for sharing this story a tribute to all our fallen

An excellant video, presenting arguments for and against the identification. We had a talk about this some years ago in my branch of the Western Front Association and I have visited the battlefield several times. You will be aware that it has been suggested that the badges were misidientified and the body was that of an officer in another Irish Regiment. Further it would be most unusual, particularly in the Guards, for an officer to put up a badge of rank until it had been Gazetted and, presumably, appeared in Part i orders (or whatever they were called in WW1) not to mention the practical difficultly of getting extra pips when more or less in the front line. People may want to read the book by Toni and Valmai Holt on the subject. My own feeling is that, on balance, the body is not that of John Kipling. ''My son was killed while laughing at some jest./I would I knew what it might be/So it could serve me at a time when jests are few." One of Kipling's Epitaphs on the War (check the wording, I was going from memory). The irony of this and what we know about his son's last hours is horrendous. WE WILL REMEMBER THEM

This is a fantastic video, as entertaining as it factual. Keep them coming, please!

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you so much for the kind comment.

I've heard about a story about a German mother who spent decades going to the ruins of her old house destroyed by bombing for decades, waiting for a son who she thought had become a prisoner and would certainly return to his old home, but he never returned. .... In the book My Brother's Shadow, there is the real case of the author's mother who spent her whole life trying to visit the USSR to see if she could find her son's grave, for some "irrational" reason, the mother needed to be close to where her son died. beloved son was buried, but he never got there because the USSR did not allow foreigners to travel to the country.... How many mothers and fathers were never able to at least know where their "childrens" were buried, the war is very sad.....

@fosterfuchs

2 ай бұрын

My maternal grandfather was killed during WWII on the eastern front when my mom was 2 years old. When I grew up I was told his remains were probably buried in an unmarked grave. A few years ago, I discovered online that his remains have probably been taken to a German military cemetery near Kursk. I've been wanting to go there ever since. Of course with the current geopolitical situation, it's out of the question. I know, he shouldn't have been in the Soviet Union in the first place, along with the rest of the German armed forces. He never had become a member of the Nazi party out of conviction. This meant he faced repercussions, especially since he worked at city hall of his home town. Eventually he was drafted into the German army. If he had refused, he would've been executed by firing squad right away.

Any story and video from WW II and WW II are so important to be told for the generations who have never experienced the horror of fighting on a battle field. The stories, sadness, joy and heartache so many had to endure is brought home by these brilliant videos. Compulsive viewing and beautifully done, thank you.

This was so well done!

Ottimo video e grande lavoro.....😊😊😊😊😊belle anche le foto 😊😊😊😊 RICORDIAMO DI PORTARE SEMPRE FIORI E OMAGGI A TUTTI I NOSTRI CIPPI E MONUMENTI CHE CI SONO NEL NOSTRO PAESE O NELLA NOSTRA PIAZZA😊😊😊😊😊QUESTI RAGAZZI 😊SE LO MERITANO PER TUTTO QUELLO CHE HANNO PASSATO.......VISTO E PROVATO 😢😢😢😢😢😢

wonderful, if saddening, video. very well done. Very effective use of maps and reconstructions.

Pure quality. Incredible story.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thanks for the kind comments Adrian.

Great detective work. Much appreciated.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you for your comment!

Of all the members of my extended family who were killed in action during WW1 and WW2, not one has a grave; just a name on several memorials. Most were Royal Navy who went down with their ship.

@BattleGuideVT

7 ай бұрын

Thanks for the comment and sharing your story!

I never normally comment on videos, but these are seriously top notch. Makes me want to dig into some of my family history, and find out where any of my old relatives fought in WW1. Seriously, great job

Fantastic. Kudos to all involved. Delighted to support this channel on patreon.

@BattleGuideVT

8 ай бұрын

Thank you Oliver for the comment and the continued support via Patreon. The Patreon support really helps us going forward.

😮 OMG the poor young man who was so brave in battle he more than likely couldn't survive those types of wounds and I am certainly not a doctor or surgeon you tell me how you survive a wounds like that. Horrible thing God bless the men and women who served in WW1.