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13 November 2014

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Remembrance

You are in: Gloucestershire > History > Remembrance > Duane's poignant poppy pilgrimage

The poppy crosses placed by Duane and his wife at the spot where his great-grandfather died in the First World War

Poppy crosses where Edwin died in WW1

Duane's poignant poppy pilgrimage

An unexpected detour in France led to a fascinating journey of family discovery for Duane Phillips from Gloucester.

Duane Phillips was driving through Northern France with his family on the way home from a holiday in Switzerland in 2007 when he had a shiver down his spine he can only describe as "spooky".

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The feeling was so vivid that when he got home to Gloucester he rang his dad, an Anglican minister.

"He told me the spot where I'd had that feeling was very close to the village where my great-grandfather had died in the First World War. His body had never been found."

Edwin Phillips

Edwin Phillips in his Army uniform

Suddenly Duane wanted to know more about the last days of Edwin Phillips of the 1st Lancashire Fusiliers, who died in the battle of Veiux-Berquin, near Dunkirk, on April 12 1918.

Research in battalion diaries helped pinpoint the exact location of the battle. And a few months later, 90 years on to the very day Edwin lost his life, Duane and his wife Rhian made a poignant motorcycle pilgrimage back to France to place remembrance poppies at the field where his great-grandfather fell.

Final resting-place

At the same time their children Angharad, 13, and seven-year-old Rhys were attending a Remembrance service conducted by their grandfather at the war memorial in Port Talbot, South Wales, close to where Edwin had lived and worked before he went off to war.

Duane is convinced his great-grandfather was with him in the last few miles of that pilgrimage to his final resting-place, and Angharad is equally sure she felt Edwin's presence at the memorial service she attended with her brother.

"It hit us that he was actually watching us and thanking us for celebrating his life," she says.

Rhys has since asked his parents to have his Edwin's name added to his own. "I feel very happy that I've got my great-great-grandfather's name."

And as well as laying Remembrance poppies in the field where Edwin lost his 90 years ago, Duane had another family duty on April 12 2008.

"We took a sample of the soil and brought that home to bury under the headstone of my great-grandmother's grave.

"It's the closest she's been to her husband since he went out to France in the winter of 1917."

Click 'Next' below to read Duane's personal account of his trip to France and the poem he has written.

last updated: 14/11/2008 at 13:17
created: 30/10/2008

Have Your Say

Have you ever visited place where an ancestor died in WW1? Record your thoughts here.

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Duane Phillips
Hello Jim. That is amazing. I have got a couple of photographs of my Great Grandfather with his Battalion (or at least that is what we assume). It is a good possiblility that your Great Uncle is in one of the photos. Again if you are interested, see if you can get my contact details via 大象传媒 Gloucester. Myself and my family will be going back out to the Battlefield and to the memorial in May next year. So I will look out for your Great Uncle's and Rosemary's Grandfather's name on the Ploegsteert memorial.

Jim Cooper
Your account of your visit has sent a bit of a shiver down my spine as well. My Great uncle William Henry Cooper also served with the 1st Battalion Lancashire fusiliers and was also killed on the 12th April 1918 in the same battle. Just like your Great Grandfather and Rosemarys Grandfather, his body was never recovered and he is also remembered on the Ploegsteert memorial.

Duane Phillips
Hello Rosemary. Thank you for posting your comment. I contacted the Lancs Fusiliers Museum, who were able to send me details of my Great Grandfather's Battalion's movements during the last days of his life. They were also able to send me details of which panel one the Ploegsteert his name is listed. Contacting The King's (Liverpool Regiment) might be a good place to start. Who knows what information they may be able to send you. If you would like to get in contact with me to chat about the research and compare notes, my contact details could probably be obtained via 大象传媒 Gloucestershire, maybe through Clare Parrack.

rosemary malley
I was very moved to read Duane's story as my Grandfather was killed on the same day as duane'e great grandfather 12th April 1918. His name Hugh Hughes is on the same Ploegsteert memorial as his body was never found. He was a private in The King's (Liverpool Regiment). I would love to find out more details to enable me to visit. My Grandmother was told that he had been killed by a sniper in the early morning and buried by the roadside before the battalion moved on.

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