We should note Harry's birthday. On 28th August 1918, Harry was 31 years old. He had been in the army for 1 year and 8 months and had a son, Willie, who was two and a half years old.
My World Tour continues; I've updated "the World Tour" blog about the Tonga experience with additional bits and fresh pictures. Click on the link to view.
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Today, Perth, Western Australia. I can be contacted through the "email" link above.
I'm sorry that there's a gap between letters. I can't make up correspondence. I suppose his family would have been as worried as my readers.
I have two possible photographs of Willie for the letter of 19th August. Both are "studio" photographs so I expect that Kate may have helped with the cost. I've added them to the post.
Harry's Birthday
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51 comments:
Congratulations on your commitment to teaching and enjoy the retirement & world trip!
Where in the States are you going? If you are going to be in the Boston area I would like to meet up and have a drink or coffee if possible.
Congratulations! And Bon Voyage!
Congratulations on your retirement. I have thoroughly the blog for the last several months since I discovered it. I anxiously check my RSS reader every morning hoping for a post. History is a passion of mine and I think there is no better way to learn about history than from the people who were actually there. Your blog is an asset to anyone interested in history.
I pray for a safe journey for you on your much deserved trip.
Thank you again for the blog.
-John Nall
Congratulations! I hope you have a wonderful trip. How your students will miss you and how proud your grandad would be!! If you're coming to Texas, I'd love to meet you. I'm sure the Western Front Association here would love to meet you too!
All best,
Marcy
Congratulations - enjoy yourself! I do look forward to keeping up with news from Italy though!
Congratulations on your retirement! Best Wishes for new adventures!
Cecilia in Michigan
Congratulations on your retirement. Have a wonderful trip! Thanks for continuing the blog. I start each day checking to see if I have a letter from Harry.
Have a great retirement. The trip sounds like something you have always wanted to do. Congrats on the great career. Your students will no doubt miss someone with such great talents.
Congratulations and all good wishes for a long and happy retirement: enjoy that trip!
Enjoy you holiday and your retirement
Enjoy your travels and thank you so much for keeping us all up to date on Harry's trials and tribulations.
Bon voyage!!!!
Congratulations on your retirement. Enjoy the trip.
Jackie
Congrats and happy retirement!
Enjoy your trip, it sounds well deserved!
Congrats on your retirement and your dedication to teaching for the past 26 years. I too check your blog everyday to see if there is a letter from Harry!
Enjoy your well deserved world trip and I look forward to Harry's letters and pray he (and you) will both return home safely.
Congrats! Have a great time. We will still be following along.
enjoy your retirement.
you've earned it.
i log on at 1am, every morning
hoping there's a new letter.
tony. manchester.
I'll ditto what Jared said -- if you're traveling near the Boston area I hope there might be an opportunity to say Hello :)
Have a great trip, especially down under to Tonga NZ and OZ. Congrats on your retirement and the blog, its been great to follow WW1 from the view of an individaul soldiers view and not just the numbers that history usually deals with.
How wonderful! Congratulations on your retirement and your well deserved trip. It sounds very exciting. If you are in the Pacific Northwest and planning to be near Portland Oregon I hope you contact me. I have a great guest room and you would certainly be welcome. As others have said I start the day by checking to see if "I" have a letter!
Thank you for sharing them and making this part of history so real and personal.
Most sincerely, Connie
Have a great trip!
Glad to hear you will keep the blog going.
Marvelous! have a great time and a long and happy retirement.
Kind regards
Linda
Good luck on your retirement and safe travels.
I have really enjoyed the blog. In September I am going to be visiting Kansas City and intend on visiting the World War I exhibit at The Liberty Museum.
Congratulations! And thank you for your work here in bringing the Great War to life for all of us. While I've been a student of that particular historical tragedy for the last twenty years, I've never felt so personally connected. Thank you a thousand times!
Congratulations from Indianapolis, Indiana! May you have a wonderful and blessed retirement.
Congratulations on your retirement, and all the best during your travels. I'll be looking forward to your posts.
regards,
Anne-Marie
Congratulations. Enjoy your trip.
Bill,
Congratulations on your retirement! I wish you the best.
Congratulations. Both with your retirement and with one of the most interesting blogs I read.
Congratulations, Mr. Lamin, on your new life. I'm in education myself, so I know your attachment. Best wishes in the future.
Congratulations on your retirement --- I'm sure the school will miss you greatly, you must have been a wonderful teacher: anyone who can hold the interest of the whole world must've found a single classroom easy!
I'll second what everyone has said--and if you want the best barbecue in Texas, your trip to Harold's Barbecue in Abilene (about four hours west of Dallas) will be OUR TREAT!
Merry retirement!
Bon Voyage! I hope that your trip goes wonderfully well. I just got back after a short three day jaunt and thought "I wonder if Harry wrote while I was gone?"
He grows on one!
Congratulations!
Congrats! Happy and safe travels to you!
Congratlations, and have a ball. I get the feeling that the teaching profession has lost a good 'un.
Just turned 60 myself a few weeks ago, and wondering when to pull the plug between now and 65. Tough call, but for the moment I'm still enjoying myself.
When in NZ, check out the army museum in Waiouru if you can (near the centre of the North Island). Te Papa Tongarewa (Museum of New Zealand) in Wellington is worth a look too.
Do some bushwalking while you're here as well if you can. There's several places in Wellington you can wander around that only take a couple of hours.
Scott.
I love your blog... The pictures you posted of the cemeteries are riveting... I check your blog each day...
My name is Kathleen and I live in upstate New York, USA... I am a veteran of the USAF and I have shared your blog with my father and uncle, who are veterans of the US Army (1950) and US Navy (1960's)... Congratulations upon your retirement from teaching and we look forward to hearing from you during or after your world trip...
Well done Mr Lamin. I am sure that Harry and all his compatriots who fought and fell in this war and the next would be pleased to know that their sacrifices would help and permit us to travel as widely as we now can. Enjoy your retirement, and bon voyages!
congratulations for your rwtirement and best wishes for your fantastic trip. I always read your blog because my paternal grandfather was a Cavaliere di Vittorio Veneto while my maternal grandfather's brother was in 5th Alpini,one of the most glorious corps... I have many stories about WWI told to me and I appreciate what you are doing with your grandfather's one!
federica
hope you have a happy and fulfilling retirement and a safe and enjoyable journey....look forward to many more postings from harry
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I'll subscribe all of the above statements. Although my visits have been more sporadic, I did enjoy reading most of the correspondence In reading sessions. Have you considered published in book format? By explaining part of the journey that has led you to this point, it would be a great tribute.
Best regards, may retirement bring you the best!
/Tiago
Congratulations, enjoy that trip.
Blog fantastic...
If you are travelling through Auckland then try to get to the Akl war museum as there are displays of interest and relevance to Harry's experiences.
I would be happy to meet and act as a (novice) guide!
I seem to have lost the thread of Harry's letters. Has the blog stopped? The last I heard was in mid-August. Anyone?
Hello Harry:
Glad to hear that your grand leave is going well. We've started on a grand 15-day trek across the desert. Didn't join up to be a camel, what? Stop by and have a read when you get the chance.
Sam
Happy Birthday Harry! (a few days late)
I just wanted to inform you that I have chosen your blog as one of my five picks for Blog Day 2008. Thank you for bringing us this unique voice!
http://blog.andvaranaut.es/2008/08/blog-day-2008/
In a way, all of us reading this blog are now also Harry's "family": and as you said, Bill, all that we can do is wait and hope and pray for his continued safety.
It's sad to think that Harry has missed more than half of his young son's life so far. My own father was in the Navy and spent perhaps two thirds of my childhood at sea; we knew why, we understood the call of duty, but it was still very tough on both him and those of us at home.
I've just put a link to your blog, and an endorsement of it, on my blog sitea; http://lindaswindow.blogspot.com/2008/09/terrific-blog-take-look.html
I hope that's okay!
This is an amazing piece of work, and something we should all thank you for doing.
Thank you!
What a surprise I do share the same Birthday with Harry some 78years later. He is almost 1 year older then my Great Grand Father who served many month in the military at the same time in the alps but on the much safer swiss side. I guess that are some reason why I feel so intrigued about his "adventure". Just hope he gets out of this alive but sorry to disappoint some of you praying wont help anymore.
Feel very proud that there will be a postal stamp about "our" Harry.
RK
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