52 Photos Week 21: Memorial

Question

Ready for week 21 of the 52 Photos challenge?

This week's theme:

MEMORIAL

To participate, simply:

1. reply below, and
2. add a photo that fits the theme to this week's free-space gallery.

If you use a social network (Facebook, Instagram, etc.) please share the photo there as well, using #52photos and #wikitree. This can be a great way to involve more family members. If you use a blog, include a link to your blog post in your answer below so we can all read it.

Members who participate every week can earn challenge badges. Click here for more info. If this is your first time participating and you don't have the participation badge, or if you pass a milestone (13 in 13, 26 in 26, 52 in 52) please post here.

Comments

Richard and Jean Erdoes' ashes are buried here, as they both wished.  An unconventional marker for an unconventional couple. They are missed.

Answer 1

This is a Jan 1945 photo of my parents, MSgt. Clare Alexander and Clarice Lovelace, in Wichita Kansas. He was stationed there with his crew waiting for the production of his B-29 that he would be the flight engineer on. She was helping to build B-29s at the Boeing Plant. He went on to Guam, and on 29 May 1945 his B-29 was shot down off the coast of Japan. He was MIA, and his name is inscribed on the Honolulu Memorial, also known as the Courts of the Missing, located within the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific. 

Comments

What a wonderful, but sad story. Thank you for sharing the photo of your parents. Both of them gave so much for their country and all of us.

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I am so sorry for your loss.

Thank you for sharing your story!

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Thank you Robin, she never did remarry. I always wished that she would have.

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Thank you Cheryl, the photos do not due her justice, as she had beautiful red hair like you.

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What a great picture of your parents!  I know there are not many of them together, so that's a real treasure!

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Awe, thank you Alexis. How kind of you!

You are just way too sweet!

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Thank you Lynn. Yes, this is the best photo I have of them together.

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Maybe she never found anyone who could take his place.

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I think you are right Robin. She was engaged when I was five to a nice man, but she broke the engagement.

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What a wonderful picture of them! I'd swear I can see some Gwen and Clarice in your parents' faces. Love you.

Answer 2

My granddad Boile Died 1922 in China only 49 Year old 

I had This from the newspaper 

 

Comments

What an interesting life he must have had, Susan.

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Thank You Laurie, he certainly has must have been so wonderful for him, I am sad I never meet him.

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Thank you for sharing this memorial, Susan. I'm sorry you never got to meet your grandfather. He must have had a very interesting life.

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thank you Robin I so much wish I had meet him. I  have a feeling he wan a wonderful man

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Susan, I am sorry you never got to meet your grandfather. It sounds like he had an interesting life, though.

You always share the most interesting pictures, articles and stories.

Thank you.

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Thank you Cheryl yes I would have love to meet him

Thank You for the comments about my photo you are very sweet

Answer 3

Just Christian Christiansen had a son Daniel Joseph whose nickname was Jum. He Joined the RAF in 1941 but was regrettably killed when his Dakota flew into a Italian alp whilst air-dropping supplies to partisans.

He was my grandfathers brother son

Comments

Thank you for sharing this story in your family. Your photos are always so interesting. Sad that he lost his life helping others.

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Wonderful collection of photos, Susan.

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Thank You Alexis, you certainly have some amazing photo too always a joy to look at them

Yes it was very sad he died must have been terrible for his parents

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Thank You Laurie you are very kind always

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Thank you for this series of photos. They tell so much about the times. And your great-uncle's son was definitely a hero.

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Thank You Robin for your sweet comments he was a hero a shame he died

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Susan, once again you came through with some great pictures, but a sad story. I lost my son four years ago, so I can only imagine how Daniel's parents felt when they received the news.

He died being a hero.

THank you for sharing all of this with us.

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Cheryl that is so sad about you lost your son, I am so sad reading you lost your son, that most the worst things that can happen, I really are so sorry You never get over things like that

Must have been so difficult for you thank You for sharing this sad experience with me

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Thank you Susan for your sympathy. It is not something I am getting over. He died on May 17th, and we buried him on May 23rd. My birthday and anniversary are May 22nd, so it has taken our celebration away from what should be a wonderful day.

You are such a very sweet person. Thank you again. 

Answer 4

My Great Uncle Herbert Thompson was KIA at Paschendaele in Belgium in 1917

Comments

I also have a great uncle that was killed in WWI, so sad that so many young men died so far from home, and their families had so little information. Thank you for sharing Herbert Thompson’s Memorial.

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what a fantastic memory you have Robynne of your great uncle

Thank You for sharing this

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What a beautiful memorial you have for your great uncle Herbert, Robynne.

I am sorry that he will killed during the war, but I thank your family for his service.

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What a shock.  I saw your photograph and realised I had written the biography of the only Trueblood killed in the Great War.  Killed in the same battle and with his name inscribed on the same wall.  But then there are a lot of dead on the memorial at Tyne Cot... 

Answer 5

I don't have any ancestors (that I know of) that served in WWI or WWII.  My father-in-law served in WWII and is still living at 94 years old so I couldn't pick him.  

This week, I am honoring my 3x great uncle John Wesley White.  He joined the New York 109th infantry regiment on August 11, 1862 along with his brother my 3x great grandfather Riley White.  They left for the war leaving their wives and children on the White family farm in Freeville.

John was killed in battle on May 12, 1864 at the battle at Spotsylvania Courthouse. They called it the "bloody angle" where the union and confederate soldiers battled for over 22 hours in hand to hand combat.  I can't imagine the horror of that day.  My great great great grandfather Riley survived the war.  How hard it must have been to leave his brother dead on the ground there and continue on to Cold Harbor and Petersburg.  John was Riley's only sibling.  It must have been a heavy burden to carry to tell his parents and John's wife of his death.

Bloody Angle, Crowded Ravine wayside marker

Comments

What a fantastic story also that your father in law are still living

Thank You for sharing this

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So glad to know that your 94 year old father-in-law is still living. We are quickly losing our WWII Veterans. I will go to a 39th Bomb Group Reunion in July, and now there are only 6 WWII Veterans that are well enough to travel to the reunion. Hope he has many more good years after 94. Thank you for your information and photo on the White brothers. The Civil War must have been horrible.

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Thanks Susan and Alexis for your comments.  Jim (my FIL) is an amazing man.  He is still completely "with it" mentally and as a result of his lifetime devotion to physical exercise, he is still physically strong!  He runs his life still and does what he wants when he wants.  I hope that I am that blessed!

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What a sad story. That must be a memory that he lives with today. How hard to live a sibling alone and continue on.

On the other hand, how terrific that he is still alive today. As others have said, our WWII Veterans are slowly dying out.

Thanks to your family for the service of your father-in-law.

Answer 6

My great-great-grandfather served as the Town Major of the British Army garrison at Sydney, Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia, from 1833 to 1854. His wife and eldest son were buried in this cemetery. A local told us that very few gravestones remain because as the names became too worn to read, the stones were removed and used for lintels and foundation stones in local houses.

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Comments

Amazing story, about your g g grandfather was a major in Sydney what a very beautiful gravestone

Thank You for sharing this story and the stone

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This is a wonderful memorial to your gg grandfather.

I love the last sentence:

"May you find serenity and peace in these surroundings". What a lovely saying for the cemetery. I used to be anxious when I was in a cemetery, but now I feel very peaceful when I go.

You didn't say if your gg grandmother and your great grandfather's stones were still in the cemetery. What a shame that they remove the stones when they are worn.

Thank you for sharing this story with your Wikitree family.

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Thank you Cheryl. I love that line too and am glad that the words ring true for you now, particularly after the difficult time you've had. No, I never found their stones. Cape Breton was a poor area and over the years many people moved away. When the names couldn't be read and no one in the family was there to replace the stones, those who stayed probably didn't think it mattered if they were used for a practical purpose.

Answer 7

These pictures show the grave(s) of my grandmother's brother, Charles Obie Edwards, who died of disease in World War 1 in France (I think).  The 2nd picture is the monument that ws erected to his memory in their church cemetery.   Since this picture, we have cleaned the stone, and it looks so much better now.

Comments

My grandmother’s brother also died on 10 Oct 1918, and I saw disease written in one text, so I am also not sure either.  It is easy for me to remember that date, as 10 Oct is my birthday. Thanks for sharing this, you are certainly nice to do stone cleaning.

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Several years ago, my cousin, Connie, and I attended the headstone cleaning workshop at the Old Brick Church (also known as St. Luke's) in Isle of Wight County, Va.  That church dates back to about 1650, so they have some VERY old graves.  They use the same cleaning method that is used at Arlington, so you know it is safe to do on the stones.  The difference (before and after) is SO remarkable that it makes us want to go around to every cemetery and clean their stones, LOL.   A HUGE feeling of accomplishment.

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That is a beautiful memorial stone. Thank you so much for sharing it with your WIkiTree family.

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Thank You Lynn the memories stone are amazing thank You for sharing

Answer 8

Grandpa was on a ship in the first fleet sent to stop the Japanese after WWII.  His regiment landed in Australia, then to New Caledonia and then island hopped, fighting through Guadalcanal, all the way to the Japanese mainland.  The regiment was so decimated that it was merged into a new unit.  Luckly, grandpa was injured early and came home to recuperate.  Rather than being mustered out, he volunteered to remain on duty and served in the Military Police stateside.  He climbed from E1 Private to E8 First Sergeant in about 2 1/2 years.

He died two years ago at 99 years, and 9 months -  3 months shy of centenarian (100 years).

Carrol Dale Baty

While he thankfully survived the war, his First Sergeant Tony Muscarello did not survive the war.

Comments

Great photo of your grandfather. Thanks for sharing.  May we all be so blessed to almost reach 100!  I hope he got to tell you some stories about his amazing life.

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We compared notes and we looked at our Army training scores and we found that we both shot expert, the highest scores in our respective Battalions.  He went to Louisiana to train for World War II and fought (in training against Texas regiments).  When I trained for Iraq, I went to Louisiana and fought against Illinois units from his same regiment - they were wearing the patch he wore to World War II.  Funny little circles of life...

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What an interesting story about your grandfather, sounds like he had more than his share of WWII before he was injured. Glad he lived to almost 100; it will be sad when the WWII Veterans are all gone, so many of them have such amazing stories. Looks like you inherited his marksmanship. Thank you for your service to our country SJ.

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SJ what a great photo and story about your grandfather

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Your Grandpa was not only handsome, but a very honorable man. He could have taken the easy way out, but he stayed in the war to do what he could for his country. This, while other man fight to stay out of the war. I bet he had some interesting stories to tell.

How lucky for you that he lived to be almost 100. My grandmother lived to be 98, and she was full of great stories.

Thanks to your family, for the service of a wonderful man.

Thanks to you for sharing your grandfather with us.

Answer 9

This memorial is for a cemetery I'm working on for the Global Cemeteries Project. It is dedicated to the wreck of the Brother Jonathan, a steam-driven side-paddle wheeler that went down on 30 July 1865 in stormy seas four miles off Point St. George, just north of Crescent City, California.

With the loss of over 200 lives, the wreck of the Brother Jonathan remains the worst shipping disaster on the Pacific Coast. Only 19 people survived. Some of the victims were buried in the old cemetery where the memorial now stands.

If you were to turn around from where this memorial was photographed you would be facing the beautiful Pacific Ocean just a few hundred yards away.

Comments

the photo must be a treasure for you to have, I am so sad to read Robin only 19 survived How very sad for all the people that died really sad

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Robin, this is an interesting story, so much so, that I googled it and found that the paddle-wheeler was carrying $50 million in gold coins. That there were several legal suits filed over the money that salvors recovered, and it was eventually settled in the U.S. Supreme Court in 1998.

This story didn't end in 1865, but was still alive in 1999 when 1006 gold coins were auctioned for 5.3 million dollars.

For anyone willing to risk it and if they have the time, I read that 4/5th of the treasure is still buried.

What a worthwhile project you are working on.

Hats off to you Robin.

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Thank you for your interest and comments. I hadn't learned all this yet.

But I can assure you that I'm not going to go diving for that treasure! The water is too rough, too cold, and I can't swim that well!! How about you? Coming for a visit?

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I can't swim at all!  

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Oh, oh! I guess no treasure for us!!

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Guess not - but we can watch from the shore!

Answer 10

Memorial plaque located in Hill Cemetery, Burford, Ontario, Canada.  The plaque is in memory of my Great-great-grandparents, Thomas and Margaret (Smith) Hill.  It was dedicated by Bruce Hill who was their grandson and first cousin to my paternal grandmother.  The land that the cemetery is located on was donated by one of my ancestors.

Comments

Beautiful memorial plaque.  Thank you so much for sharing.

Answer 11

This week's entry is an oil painting from ca. 1560 entitled "The Judde Memorial". From the inscriptions on the front it's clear that the portrait commemorates a marriage. From his coat-of-arms it seems likely that the man is William Judde, second son of Thomas Judde of Wykforde, Essex.

There seems to be no record of his marriage, but his bride may tentatively be identified by her coat-of-arms as either Joan or Anne Cromwell, daughters of Walter Cromwell, whose brother Sir Richard was related by marriage to the Judde family.

Comments

Beautiful picture. I hope the true characters in the picture are found.

It is late at night, so I may not be seeing right, is that a skull they have their hands on? I may regret typing this in the morning when I can see more clearly.

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Yes, it's a skull. The painting is rather macabre, which is why I find it interesting.

The bottom inscription says: "Live to die and die to live eternally."

Answer 12

The picture I'm posting is of my grandma's uncle, Clarence Smith Crossley.  He served in France during World War One, and while he thankfully came back alive, he was severely injured by mustard gas.  My grandma remembered him as a very kind man who faced severe ongoing health problems stemming from his wartime injuries.

Comments

Hopefully we have seen the end of mustard gas, very sad that he had to have heath problems from it. It must have been a terrible thing in WWI. Thank you for sharing this kind man’s story.

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I am sorry that Clarence suffered from the effects of Mustard gas. Mustard gas has a potent smell, but the effects are not immediate. Clarence may not have known that he had any injuries until a little later.

His eyes may have become bloodshot, and he could have become temporarily blind. That would have been so scary.

Another symptom of Mustard Gas is that your skin starts to blister in areas where it is damp, like under your arms, between your legs, etc.  When the blisters pop, those areas often became infected.

We don't even want to talk about what happens if he were to breathe in the gas.

I am glad that he made it home alive.

Thanks to your family for Clarence's service during the War.

Answer 13

I thought I'd use my paternal grandfather's brother for this one; the only relative of mine of whom I have a photo, that died due to a war. This was Stephen Gardner, my grandfather's brother.

I don't know much about him. He was born and raised in Saguache county, Colorado. He married Louise Kilgore, of Texas in 1942, location of marriage unknown, but probably Texas. His son was born Nov. 5, 1942 Texas. He enlisted in WWII on June 10, 1943, in Denver, Colorado. He served in the South Pacific, and died in 1946, of a disease that he caught there.

Comments

What a handsome young man, so sad that he became ill and died due to his service to his country. Thank you Alison for sharing this photo and story.

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Very nice picture. He was a handsome man.

Thank you for his service..

Thank you for his picture.

Answer 14

This is a photo of the memorial stone to my gr. gr. gr. grandparents Thomas and Ann Mayoh in Young, New South Wales, Australia. They travelled to Australia in 1841 and endured a mutiny on board the ship during the voyage.

Comments

Great picture, David.  Magnificent grave, they must have been very successful in their new land.  Were they farmers?

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They most certainly were farmers, Stephen and had a large family of twelve children. Two children and two gr.children are also named on one side of the monument. It is in Young, New South Wales, Australia and I wish I could see it all, in person.

https://www.wikitree.com/index.php?title=Mayoh-3&public=1

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I love walking through old cemeteries and running across stones exactly like your 3rd grandparents. A lot of times they share a lot of information about the family. Your stone is stunning. I love the large cross on top.

Thank you for sharing.

Answer 15

These are the graves of my two of my ggg grandmothers, one of my gg grandfathers, and a ggg aunt. I discovered them quite recently in a town near where I live. And a ggg grandfather, who died over fifty years earlier, and is buried far away in India, is memorialised here on his wife's grave. 

Considering that they were born as far afield as Tahiti, India, Norfolk and Worcestershire, UK, it's lovely to find them remembered in a corner of an over-grown graveyard in Devon. It's on my to-do list to go and clean up the graves and leave some flowers.

Comments

Very nice find ! Sally. A striking collection of headstones too.

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Very interesting picture of how other countries have their headstones above the graves. I love the crosses of your relatives. It is amazing that you were able to locate them.

Thank you for sharing them with us.

Answer 16

My grandmother's mother, Mabel, was relatively young in 1937 when she died of pneumonia - only forty-five. 

I've always wondered who wrote her obituary. An excerpt:

"In her home and school she drank deeply from the fountain of nature until her life seemed permeated with the fragrance of the rose and the purity of the lily and the joy of the the song birds, and these were the characteristics which won her friends, numbered by her acquaintances."

Comments

That's a really beautiful sentiment in her obituary.

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What a beautiful statement.

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I can see by the beauty of your grandmother, how someone would be inspired to write such a beautiful obituary for her.

She looks like she was a very lovely woman, and would have been a super grandmother. I am sorry she died so young.

Answer 17

Let's go large!

The tomb of my great x3 grandfather, William Peter Welham, in St Michael's cemetery, Convent, Louisiana.  Born in New York, his father died young.  He built a large plantation, Welham, on the Mississippi and died, very rich, on the eve of the Civil War.  All that wealth, perhaps appropriately, went up in smoke in the conflict.

Comments

That's a very bright white stone considering it's been exposed to the elements for 150+ years.  Must not be much air pollution in the area, or else somebody cleaned it not so long ago.

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Convent is a pretty small place.But I think you’re right, it must have had some recent work.  Stephen

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Your 3rd great grandfather has a very beautiful tomb, and I love the fence surrounding it. The contrast of the black and white makes it really stand out, and as others have said, the stone is starkinly white.

I am amazed that we are still able to clearly read his name and Family Tomb.

Thank you for sharing this beautiful picture.

Answer 18

Specialist Mitchell K. Daehling was killed in action on Tuesday May 14, 2013 while serving his country in Kandahār, Afghanistan.

The picture below is of his high school friends and their significant others otherwise known as "Mitch's Mudders" at the start of the Tough Mudder in Charlton, Massachusetts in June of 2018. This group or a subset of them have competed in numerous Tough Mudders in Mitch's memory over the last six years. 

While Mitch was not a relative, he was one of my son's very good friends. My son and his wife are on the far right of the before picture and the far left of the during picture.

On June 1, 2019 a bridge near Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton, Massachusetts will be dedicated as the "Specialist Mitchell K. Daehling Memorial Bridge".

The same crew about halfway through after the Arctic Enema

I was able to attend the dedication ceremony for the Specialist Mitchell K. Daehling Memorial Bridge next to Wahconah Regional High School in Dalton, Massachusetts.

Comments

What a nice tribute. They are keeping him alive :)

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What a great thing your son and daughter-in-law are doing to keep their friend's memory alive.

Mitch must have been a very good friend of theirs, and I am sorry they lost him in the war.

Thank you Mitch, for your service.

Answer 19

My half 4th great-uncle, Lieutenant Levin Handy, USN, died of "apoplexy" aboard the USS Constellation in Hong Kong Harbour in 1842; his widow, Henrietta Dorsey Ball Handy, never remarried, and had a memorial to him erected in Congressional Cemetery in Washington (he's buried at Happy Valley, in Hong Kong).

Comments

What a lovely memorial to your 4th great uncle. And only 29 years old. How sad!

Thank you for sharing.

Answer 20

My wife's 1st cousin, once removed was Victor Paul Vlahovich from Lincoln Illinois. He was KIA in WWII. His memorial reads: "Victor served as a First Lieutenant & Pilot on B-17G #42-102429, 840th Bomber Squadron, 483rd Bomber Group, Heavy, U.S. Army Air Forces during World War II. He resided in White Pine County, Nevada prior to the war. He enlisted in the Army on July 2, 1940, prior to the war, at Fort Douglas, Utah. Victor was "Killed In Action" over the Ploesti Oil Complex, Romania during the war when his B-17 was shot down by enemy flak. He was awarded the "Distinguished Flying Cross", Air Medal with 3 Oak Leaf Clusters and the Purple Heart."

In the photo, Victor is in the top row, third from the left.

Wikitree profile: https://www.wikitree.com/wiki/Vlahovich-4

Comments

Wonderful photo Bart you really have so many wonderful photos

Thank You for sharing

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Thanks Susan. This one is particularly moving. All the boys in the photo were lost. Such a horrible war.

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It is s very sad when you look at your photo the boys are lost

It is so terrible

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It is hard to look at a picture and know that we lost all of the men in the picture.

Looks like your wife's cousin was the tall one in the bunch.

Thank you for sharing this picture.