Visit to the Somme graveyards. A moving experience.

During our Spring visit to our friends at Lille, where we were made most welcome , we decided to visit the First World War graveyard of the Devonshire Regiment, with which we have a certain connection. Kim found out from the Net that this is situated at the small village of Mametz, near the town of Albert. As this was not too far from Lille, we set off to find it.
  With our usual luck, we spotted a sign to the site just before reaching the village, and were able to park nearby. A short, paved path led us to the cemetery gate.
   The graveyard , as is the case with all military cemeteries, is tended by the Comonwealth War Graves Committee and they do a grand job. Lawns cut and weeded, all ironwork freshly painted, the tombstones kept clear of any lichen, and loads of information provided. The 14-18 war is long enough ago to be before my time, yet it is not exactly history either. I expected it to be interesting but was not prepared for how moving it was. I found tears in my eyes several times, seeing tombs of people with common Plymouth names, they could have been my uncles or neighbours.
  The Devonshire cemetery is relatively small, mainly consisting of soldiers killed in a sortie against the near-by German front line, clearly visible from the trenches held by the Devonshire Regiment. Previously weakened by a severe artillery barrage, the German trenches were taken by the Devonshires but a machine gun hidden in a near-by graveyard cut down dozens of our soldiers. The bodies were interred by their comrades in the trench and a poignant inscription carved- The Devonshire Regiment held this trench; they hold it still. After the war, this trench was converted  into the existing cemetery.