Visited WW1 Pilot Tombstone

[Morris 2]

Yesterday I was snooping around on the internet looking at WW1 planes, medals and the pilots.

 

At the “theaerodrome.com” website I found the following pilot Andrew F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor was from South Africa.

 

http://www.theaerodrome.com/aces/safrica/beauchamp.php

 

Beauchamp-Proctor was also on the top 10 Aces of WW1:

 

 

Top 10 aces of World War I

Manfred von Richthofen

René Fonck

William Bishop

Ernst Udet

Edward Mannock

Raymond Collishaw

James McCudden

Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor

Erich Löwenhardt

Donald MacLaren

 

 

 

 

Then I saw that he was finally laid to rest in Mafikeng, South Africa. Mafikeng is 440km round trip from my town called Potchefstroom and I had a meeting in Mafikeng today.

 

These are picture of Andrew F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor tombstone on the 14^th January 2010.

 

Morris

 

 

 

 

 

 

[Morris 2]

Yesterday I was snooping around on the internet looking at WW1 planes, medals and the pilots.

 

At the “theaerodrome.com” website I found the following pilot Andrew F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor was from South Africa.

 

http://www.theaerodr...a/beauchamp.php

 

Beauchamp-Proctor was also on the top 10 Aces of WW1:

 

 

Top 10 aces of World War I

Manfred von Richthofen

René Fonck

William Bishop

Ernst Udet

Edward Mannock

Raymond Collishaw

James McCudden

Andrew Beauchamp-Proctor

Erich Löwenhardt

Donald MacLaren

 

 

Then I saw that he was finally laid to rest in Mafikeng, South Africa. Mafikeng is 440km round trip from my town called Potchefstroom and I had a meeting in Mafikeng today.

 

These are picture of Andrew F.W. Beauchamp-Proctor tombstone on the 14^th January 2010.

 

Morris

 

 

[Olham 164]

That must connect you more to WW1 air combat and OFF, to have this top ace's grave so near.

I may visit Berlin cemetries soon, to see, which graves are still there.

[Creaghorn 10]

That must connect you more to WW1 air combat and OFF, to have this top ace's grave so near.

I may visit Berlin cemetries soon, to see, which graves are still there.

 

nice pics, morris .

welcome back, olham. you have to look at the invalidenfriedhof in berlin, there should be more of them. MvR is buried in Wiesbaden.

 

i visited the grave of Ritter von Röth the other day. he is buried at johannesfriedhof in nürnberg. that's a very beautiful ancient graveyard with lot of famous germans from nürnberg (albrecht dürer, hans sachs, peter henlein etc.)

[pauljle 0]

Music for visiting Great War graves (Willie McBride).

 

[JimAttrill 24]

For those who don't know, the spelling of that town changed a couple of years ago from 'Mafeking' to 'Mafikeng'. It was famous in the war previous to WWI here in SA.

[Rickitycrate 10]

Morris, thanks for sharing.

[Bullethead 12]

Thanks for sharing.

 

While you were at it, did you see anything from the 2nd Boer War about "Mafeking" while you were there?

[Check Six 2]

There's a small cemetery a few miles from where I live, and in there is interred Lt Col Oswald Watt, who was OIC of the Australian Flying Corps in WW1. Obviously he survived the war, as there were only a few remains returned to Australia during or after the conflict. The only ones I can think of are General Bridges who was killed at Gallipoli, the Unknown Soldier (interred at the Australian War Memorial) and Sandy, a NSW whaler horse from the Australian Light Horse (his stuffed hide is also at the AWM).

 

Oswald Watt sadly drowned in a foot of water after slipping and hitting his head on the rocks at Bilgola Beach in Sydney. A very sad end for a warrior.

 

I visit his grave often.

[Olham 164]

Check Six, here is a link to Wavans British Cemetry, Pas de Calais, France.

Robert Alexander Little is buried there, as I found in The Aerodrome site.

Here is also a link to a picture of his headstone.

 

http://www.ww1cemeteries.com/ww1frenchextension/wavans.htm

 

http://www.theaerodr...nes/little1.php

 

And this is a link to a page at The Aerodrome, about the grave of Roderic Dallas:

 

http://www.theaerodr...h-cemetery.html

 

The Aerodrome is an incredible source of material all around and about WW1 air combat.

I am always again amazed about what I can find there; and you may well find more.

Edited January 15, 2010 by Olham

[Morris 2]

Bullethead,

 

I visit the Mafikeng area a lot. Are you looking for any specific information on the Boer WAR in the area?

 

If there is anything let me know and i will make it happen.

 

Morris

 

 

 

 

[Morris 2]

Olham,

 

Finding the grave and standing there, I had a feeling of total respect and admiration for a person that passed away a long time ago. These normal people were pioneers.

 

 

 

[Bullethead 12]

I visit the Mafikeng area a lot. Are you looking for any specific information on the Boer WAR in the area?

If there is anything let me know and i will make it happen.

 

Nothing specific. I was just wondering if there were any museums, monuments, etc., around the place these days.

 

Finding the grave and standing there, I had a feeling of total respect and admiration for a person that passed away a long time ago. These normal people were pioneers.

 

 

I got the same impression at Daniel Boone's grave, and walking around Arlington National Cemetery.

[RAF_Louvert 101]

.

 

Morris, thank you Sir for the photos. Must have been a very contemplative pilgrimage for you.

 

.

[Check Six 2]

Check Six, here is a link to Wavans British Cemetry, Pas de Calais, France.

Robert Alexander Little is buried there, as I found in The Aerodrome site.

Here is also a link to a picture of his headstone.

 

http://www.ww1cemete...sion/wavans.htm

 

http://www.theaerodr...nes/little1.php

 

And this is a link to a page at The Aerodrome, about the grave of Roderic Dallas:

 

http://www.theaerodr...h-cemetery.html

 

The Aerodrome is an incredible source of material all around and about WW1 air combat.

I am always again amazed about what I can find there; and you may well find more.

 

Olham,

 

I have visited Wavans cemetery, travelling all the way from Australia to pay my respects. It is incredibly tiny. From memory, just over thirty graves in there. Compared to the MASSIVE cemeteries around there, I had trouble finding it. I tried (with my pathetic schoolboy French) to ask for the BIG cemetery for the soldiers of the Great War, and the locals directed me to a tiny cemetery where the locals are interred. Finally I found it, and was shocked at its size. Despite its tiny size, it is the last resting place of two famous aces, Robert Alexander Little and James Thomas Byford McCudden VC.

 

Also surprisingly, it has one of your German compatriots resting there. Otto Wolter, from a machine gun company. I have no idea why he is buried in a Commonwealth cemetery, and have tried hard to no avail to find out why. Please don't get me wrong, I don't begrudge him being interred there. As a matter of fact, I was quite moved by it. I was pleased to see that his resting place was as well looked after as the Commonwealth soldier and airmen buried there.

 

I also visited the grave of Roderic Stanley Dallas in Pernes to pay my respects there too. A much larger cemetery, well looked after (as all the Commonwealth War Graves are).

 

I visit "The Aerodrome" daily, Herr Olham. Fascinating. I go to the Forum there, and ask and answer questions, post pictures, and marvel at the depth of knowledge there. Many famous writers and historians visit there to impart their wealth of knowledge. I recommend it to anyone who hasn't visited there.