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Published: July 14th 2016
Tuesday 12 July 2016
Rain poured for most of our northbound journey. Neville welcomed the planned stop at Lyon. This stop was extremely significant for Mabel. Her only brother, Lyon, was named after this city. Her father, Sgt Wesley Charles Rivers Taylor, had travelled by train through France from Marseilles in 1916. After his time in Gallipoli he wrote the following in his diary:
Thursday 30th March 1916 Arrived Marseilles 7 oclock. I am in love with France Friday 31st March 1916 Left the Briton at 8.30 & entrained an hour later Saturday 1st April 1916 Stunned by the beauty of France Sunday 2nd April 1916 We have been travelling for 26 hours. It is glorious. Hot tea is waiting for us at every main station. I am writing this on Les Laumes. (Venarey-les-Laumes is in Burgundy, France)
Lyon would have been one of the main train stations where the hot tea was served. The difference between the battlefields of Gallipoli and the countryside and cities of France must have been so profoundly tangible. As we travelled north,
Jan was closely looking for the train line and imagining her grandfather travelling it with his war mates100 years ago. The beauty of France. Stunning.
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Glenda Garde
non-member comment
Oooh la la!
You all look so relaxed and happy. Can almost smell the croissants just reading your beautiful posts. Have definitely added Avignon and Lyon to the list. Just for the food! Much love and continued safe travelling my friend. (Rug up when you get off that plane in Melbourne Brrr!)