November 13th, Armistice Day. I remember Harry and wonder if I will ever visit El Alamein Museum

 On Armistice day and every day I recall Harry Godfrey, known as Val . because he was born on Valentine's Day in 1919.

He died in 1941 at El Alamein. The plane he was in was shot down and a couple of people survived but he was not one of them.

He was 22 years old.

He was married to my late mother, Netta, for 6 months.

Her father, Paul, had to go round to the boys' parents to tell them. Paul said as soon as Harry's parents opened their front door to him and saw his distraught face they knew the bad news.

Netta had to keep the letter saying he was missing, presumed dead, in order for her to re-marry. After she died, I found it.

During WWII she later married my father.

Netta on her wedding day to my father.

I went to the 80th birthday party of a distant relative. One of her relatives pulled out a lot of family photos.

He said, 'This is her, this is so and so. I don't know who this couple are.'

I gasped, 'That's my parents! It's their wedding photo.'

'Are you sure it's them? It doesn't look like a wedding photo. She isn't wearing white.'

'It was wartime. Hard to get white. And not suitable. It was her second marriage. She lost her first husband in the war.'

'Would you like the photo?'

'I'd love it. Thank you. Are you sure?'

'Yes. It doesn't mean anything to me. But it's your parents and it means a lot to you so you should have it.'

For ancestry.com I have separated the picture of my father and mother to give each of them their separate entry in the family tree.

Bride Netta's wartime wedding.

My husband has used computer aided software to enhance the photo of her, making it sharper, and another programme to add colour. She had a sallow skin and brown eyes. Regardless, the likeness is good and I makes her look lovely, which she was, always smiling like me.

Netta Lansbury, wartime wedding photo. Colour enhanced by Trevor Sharot.

Always smiling around people, who are a fun distraction. Sad sometimes, when alone. When the past creeps up.

My mother died in the year 2000. I had been hunting for details of her husband for years, since then. I only recently found his Harry's obituary which does not mention my mother.

If his family have any descendants, I would love to hear from them. I would have liked a picture of my mother's marriage to him.

Where could I visit connected with him? The El Alamein cemetery has his name on the wall. Just a name. That's all.

Wikipedia has several photos of the cemetery and the museum and tanks on display.

El Alamein Military Museum.

Useful Websites

https://commons.wikimedia.org/wiki/Category:El_Alamein_Military_Museum

Useful Websites

UK

https://www.rememberingthejewsofww2.com/raf/godfrey-harry/

Association of Jewish Ex Service

https://www.ajex.org.uk/

National Arboretum

https://www.thenma.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Memorial_Arboretum#

UK and Worldwide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_11_November_1918

USA

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gathering_of_Jewish_Holocaust_Survivors_and_their_Descendants

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11416231/What-time-Remembrance-Day-two-minutes-silence-Armistice-Day-honoured.html

Please share links to your favourite photos.

November 11th Armistice Day, Veterans Day, Remembrance Sunday

Since the end of WWI the Armistice Day has been an important occasion. Two minutes silence is observed.

You can honour the dead, honour their endurance, feel sad at the sacrifice of their life, honour the survivors, and pray for peace.

Armistice Day in London has parades and wreath laying in central London. 

Also wreaths in cemeteries all over the UK and wreaths placed on public memorials. For example, the mayor of Harrow lays a wreath on the grave of Leafe Robinson in the borough of Harrow.

The Australians and New Zealanders have their commemorations of the Anzacs - Australian and New Zealand. That is every year, in late April.

Many other groups gather together for memorials.

In London a Jewish group honours those who died. Ancestry tracing has me in its thrall.

All the military records websites keep sending me updates. They notify me of traces of people with the same surname in newly acquired records from the army, navy and other services around the world.

My mother's first husband died at Gallipoli in a plane which was shot down. My mother had the letter informing her of his death. She needed to produce it to re-marry, to prove she was a widow and not committing bigamy. I was born to her second husband. I was only able to trace the story after both my parents died.

War museums have their own exhibitions.

More commemorations are held on Rememberance Sunday.

The USA call Nov 11th Veterans Day. Slightly different emphasis.

Places to visit

UK

The Cenotaph, London

National Arboretum, Staffordshire.

10-5pm, free but donations appreciated. Restaurant. Parking may be full and places may need to be booked at major events such as at services on Armistice Day.

Useful Websites

UK

Association of Jewish Ex Service

https://www.ajex.org.uk/

National Arboretum

https://www.thenma.org.uk/

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/National_Memorial_Arboretum#

UK and Worldwide

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Armistice_of_11_November_1918

USA

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/ushome/index.html

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Remembrance_Day

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/American_Gathering_of_Jewish_Holocaust_Survivors_and_their_Descendants

https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-11416231/What-time-Remembrance-Day-two-minutes-silence-Armistice-Day-honoured.html

Armistice Day in England and statue in Seaham of Tommy

The Great War, The Somme. The peace treaty was signed at 5 am, arranged after a secret meeting in Southern England at what is now Port Lympne Safari park. Cease fire was not until the 11th hour of the 11 day of the 11th month and sadly some people died after the ceasefire had already been agreed.

Commemorations are taking place for the centenary of the 1914-18 war in many of the countries involved, especially in Normandy, France and in Flanders, Belgium.

In London, England, there is a minute of silence nationwide and a parade of veterans in London. Wreaths are placed at the Cenotaph.

In 2014 we had a sea of red porcelain poppies in the moat in The Tower of London.

My favourite photograph this year if of pebbled painted red and placed in the pattern of a copy at the feet of the statue of Tommy (nickname for any soldier), in Seaham, County Durham, England.

https://www.tripadvisor.co.uk/Attraction_Review-g315931-d6925619-Reviews-or10-World_War_One_Soldier_Sculpture-Seaham_County_Durham_England.html#REVIEWS
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/uk-37951771?post_id=10155595000985597_10157727971990597#_=_ (Armistice Day in pictures including one of Tommy statue and red painted poppies)
The best picture worldwide was the red poppies in Sydney Opera House, Australia
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-australia-

Angela Lansbury, travel writer and photographer, author and speaker.