Blair Mayne

DISTINGUISHED SERVICE ORDER & 3 Bars

List of medals & awards

1939-45 Star, Africa Star & 8th Army Bar, Italy Star, France & Germany Star,

Defence Medal, War Medal & Oak Leaf,

Mentioned in Despatches .... 20/2/42 - Litani River, Syria 11(Scottish) Commando.
D.S.O. ... Middle East .... 20/2/42 Rank Lieutenant
1st Bar - Sicily .... 21/10/43 Rank Captain / Temp Major
2nd Bar - Normandy .... 29/3/45 Rank Major / Temp Lt. Colonel
3rd Bar - North West Europe .... 11/10/45 Rank Lt Colonel

Legion D'Honneur & Croix De Guerre with palm

The Blair Mayne Association

Each one of his four citations reached the same conclusions when they described Mayne's qualities of superb, fine and brilliant leadership. They also mentioned his outstanding gallantry and great courage. The D.S.O. ranks just slightly lower in stature than the Victoria Cross and to gain that prestigious award while holding the junior rank of Lieutenant made it an even more significant acheivment. Only seven other men were to be awarded three bars to the D.S.O. The French people and their Government held Blair Mayne in very high esteem for his gallant and fearless conduct in helping to free their country from the Germans. They honoured him with the award of The Legion D'Honneur & Croix De Guerre on 5th March 1946 for his services. Those two great honours made him one of the most highly decorated Allied soldiers at the end of World War 2.

More than sixty years on many people, including 100 Members of Parliment from all sides of the house, still feel very strongly that despite all his great war time achievments he was treated very badly and should have been granted the award that he was originally cited for at Oldenburg, The Victoria Cross.

Brig. Mike Calvert - Commander SAS Troops
Maj.Gen C. Vokes - GOC 4th Canadian Armoured Division

Lt.Gen G. Simonds - Commander 2nd Canadian Corp

Surely these three senior officers were not wrong to sign the citation ?

Pictured below is part of the citation clearly showing the letters VC crossed out.

Blair Mayne statue, Newtownards

Blair Mayne statue, Newtownards

near to Drumhirk and Newtownards, Ireland

英女王60年前电影胶片

60年前年轻的伊丽莎白

伊丽莎白轻松愉快地微笑

60年前年轻的伊丽莎白 60年前年轻的伊丽莎白 BBC首次公布英国女王60年前电影胶片(组图) 伊丽莎白轻松愉快地微笑 中国网9月25日讯据英国媒体9月25日报道，英国广播公司（BBC）日前播出了一部伊丽莎白女王60年前的电影胶片。这部电影胶片是伊丽莎白继承王位两年前拍摄的，此后一直被遗忘在角落里从未播出。消息人士称伊丽莎白女王对这部电影胶片感到非常惊喜，并拷贝了一份在家中观看。 英国广播公司播出的这部电影胶片是伊丽莎白继任王位前两年拍摄的，当时伊丽莎白抱着一位婴儿，脸上露着轻松快乐的笑容。这部老的电影胶片拍摄完成后，从来没有公开放映，后来更是几乎从王室和公众的记忆中完全消失。这部纪录影片是由居住在肯特郡的外科医生维克多-多恩拍摄的，当他去世后，他将这些电影胶片留给他的侄子--现年76岁居住在哈罗加特的托尼-毛勒。当这部胶片被偶然发现时，他们共花了两天的时间来观看，但一直没有发现任何有趣的内容和画面，但就在他们准备放弃的时候，却突然发现后面的胶片中出现了伊丽莎白女王年轻时的画面。有消息人士证实，伊丽莎白对自己年轻时的胶片感到非常惊喜，并已经拷贝了一份保存。 伊丽莎白女王曾与英国广播公司多次发生不快。2007年7月，英国广播公司在制作纪录片时出现失误，将一些画面的时序颠倒进而造成女王似乎被摄影师激怒而离去的假象，此节目播出后引起轩然大波。英国广播公司在为纪录片制作的节目预告短片中，先显示女王伊丽莎白二世在进行肖像摄影，并和著名的人像摄影师安妮-莱博维茨交谈；然后画面显示女王一边急匆匆地走着，一边对仕女说，“我不会换别的，我穿够了那些衣服，谢谢。”似乎她是被莱博维茨激怒了才气冲冲地离去。其实，两段画面的时序是颠倒的，英女王当时是要走向摄影室让莱博维茨为她拍照，而非被激怒后离去。剪辑失误使得全国观众哗然，英国广播公司立即向王室道歉并勒令相关主管引咎辞职。 此前，为庆祝英国女王伊丽莎白二世80岁的生日以及为她的访美行程作准备，英国广播公司曾筹划拍摄了一部题为《与女王共度一年时光》的纪录片，美国摄影师安妮·雷波维特兹受聘担任首席摄像指导。当穿着盛装的英国女王坐下来等待拍摄的时候，她的面容显得端庄而慈祥。但雷波维特兹却对女王说：“我认为，如果您取下王冠，拍摄的效果将会更好些。您可以少穿一点，因为长长的外衣是如此特别。”在英国广播公司提供的纪录片上，人们可以看到女王愤怒起身的情景。尽管播放带有英国女王失态镜头的纪录片会在国内引起轩然大波，但英国广播公司仍然安排这部纪录片在第一频道播放。 上个月，伊丽莎白女王的侍者奥德丽·泰勒逝世。她生前记录王室成员早餐菜单的笔记定于9月25日正式拍卖。1990年至1994年间，泰勒任英国王室咖啡事务副总管一职，主要负责为王室成员以及来访贵宾准备早餐、分配茶盘。为免遗忘每个服侍对象的特殊要求，细心的泰勒每天都将工作上的备忘字条记录在笔记本里。根据泰勒的记录，女王伊丽莎白二世常吃白面包和燕麦饼干，女王的丈夫菲利普亲王则吃麦饼和谷粒吐司。早餐还搭配有麦片、小罐红糖、蜂蜜、果汁和果酱等。

WWI Australian, British war dead to be exhumed

– The hats of four Australian soldiers who died during World War I at the Commonwealth cemetery in Merris, …

Thu Apr 30, 10:30 pm ET

PARIS (AFP) – Experts will Tuesday begin exhuming hundreds of British and Australian troops from a World War I mass grave in northern France, before laying the fallen soldiers to rest in a new war cemetery.

Up to 400 Australian and British troops, lost in the Battle of Fromelles in 1916, are thought to have been buried in pits by German forces, without their dog tags, in a location known as Pheasants Wood near the village of Fromelles.

Between now and September, a team of archaeologists is to recover the soldiers' remains, in hope of identifying as many as possible and giving them a fitting burial, the British embassy said in a statement.

Built next to the mass grave on land donated by the owner, the new military cemetery, to be completed by 2010, will the first created by the Commonwealth War Graves Commisssion since the end of World War II.

Acting on behalf of the British and Australian governments, supervised by the Commonwealth commission, experts from British firm Oxford Archaeology will carry out DNA analysis on the bodies, before laying them individually to rest.

Excavation and recovery work is to begin Tuesday in presence of government representatives from France, Britain and Australia, after a religious blessing of the site, where a memorial and an ossuary currently stand.

An amateur historian in Australia discovered the mass grave, and the Fromelles dig was launched in 2007 after several years of campaigning on behalf of Australians who hope to give their missing relatives a fitting burial.

Skeletal remains, along with British and Australian service medals and military badges, were found during limited excavation work in May and June last year, confirming the presence of the soldiers.

The British and Australian governments have published the names of some soldiers who they believe may be buried at Fromelles, and are asking people to register details of relatives they believe may be interred there.

The Battle of Fromelles was the first major battle on the Western front involving Australian troops.

Intended to divert German troops from the Battle of the Somme, it was a bloody failure.

British and Australian troops were ordered to attack on the evening of July 19, 1916, advancing in clear view of German enemy lines, who fired on them as if they were sitting ducks.

Some 5,553 Australian and 1,547 British soldiers were killed in the space of a few hours.

It was the worst loss of life for the Australian Imperial Force in a 24-hour period, more even than Gallipoli in 1915, and poisoned relations between the Australians and their British commanders.

英澳将重新安葬一战阵亡士兵遗骸（新华社转法新社转的的不全，特作补充）

　　http://news.sina.com.cn/w/2009-05-01/202417728903.shtml
　　新华社的连接
　　
　　http://news.yahoo.com/s/afp/20090501/wl_uk_afp/francebritainaustraliahistorywwi
　　yahoo新闻的连接
　　
　　 新华网巴黎5月1日电 根据英国和澳大利亚政府的决定，一些专家将挖掘法国北部一处据信埋葬有数百名在一战期间阵亡的英国和澳大利亚士兵的墓坑，被挖掘出的遗骸将被安葬在新建的军人墓地。
　　
　　　　据当地媒体5月1日报道，专家们将从5日开始挖掘位于法国北部弗罗梅勒镇附近的墓坑。在1916年的弗罗梅勒战役中，有约400名阵亡的英国和澳大利亚士兵被敌方的德国军队集中埋在弗罗梅勒镇附近的一个墓坑里，都没有身份识别牌。
　　
　　　　澳大利亚一位业余历史学家后来发现了该墓地。去年，在弗罗梅勒镇的局部挖掘中发现了英国和澳大利亚军队的勋章和徽章，证实了英澳士兵阵亡此地的事实。
　　
　　　　据报道，挖掘开始当天将举行一个仪式，英国、澳大利亚和法国的官方代表将出席。挖掘工作将持续到9月，来自英国公司“牛津考古”的专家们将对挖掘出的遗骸进行DNA鉴定，确认身份的遗骸将分别埋葬在即将建于墓坑旁边的军人墓地。墓地将于2010年完工。
　　
　　　　弗罗梅勒战役发生在第一次世界大战中著名的索姆河战役开始后不久。1916年7月19日，部分英国和澳大利亚部队在德军的视线范围内发起进攻，以便分散在索姆河战斗的德军的精力。
　　
　　
　　
　　看到sina上的新闻后，特地检索了一下英文原文，发现的确转载的不全，对照原文补充一些：
　　
　　 英国与澳大利亚政府已经公布了数百名据信被埋葬在弗罗梅勒的军人姓名。
　　 弗罗梅勒战役是澳大利亚军队在西线战场参加的第一次重要战役。这是一场血腥的失败。几个小时内，5553名澳大利亚军人和1547名英军阵亡。
　　 这是澳大利亚帝国武装部队，单日内最惨重的损失，甚至超过了1915年在加里波第的单日记录。这一事件极大损害了英军和澳大利亚军队指挥官之间的关系。
　　

2009-05-02 10:31:23 A&SH 大英皇军

　　墓地的坐标值是：50°36′36.36″N 2°51′17.10″E / 50.6101°N 2.85475°E / 50.6101; 2.85475,
　　
　　
　　再补充一点WIKI上的关于这次战役，进攻行动的目标是德军第6巴伐利亚后背步兵师扼守的阵地，正面宽度15英里，位置在距里尔城16公里处的弗罗梅勒村附近。据信阿道夫.希特勒，作为巴伐利亚第6师第16后备步兵团的一名27岁的下士传令兵，也参加了这场战役。
　　
　　行动由英国理查德.哈京中将指挥，由澳大利亚第5师和英国第61师负责实施。1916年7月19日凌晨6点，伴随弹幕射击之后，行动开始。澳 大利亚第5师师第一澳大利亚帝国武装部队（1st AIF）里最缺乏作战经验的一个师（建立时间最晚）。参战澳军的损失，超过了澳大利亚参加布尔战争、朝鲜战争预备越南战争阵亡人数的总和。
　　
　　英军两天内的阵亡人数，则几乎达到了截止今年3月2日，在伊拉克作战5年阵亡人数的10倍。
　　
　　行动的后果是，澳大利亚第5师基本瘫痪，几个月内无法战斗。战斗结束后，德军将英联邦军队遗弃在德军战线后的尸体集中用临时敷设的窄轨火车， 运输至德军战线后方掩埋。一战结束后，英联邦战争公墓委员会曾经寻找这次战役后阵亡英联邦军人遗骸并再次安葬。这次发现的集体掩埋墓地，据信应该是当年遗 漏的。
　　
　　参战英军是来自东米德兰地区的皇家沃里克郡团、伍斯特郡团，格罗斯特郡团的好汉。