SandraGittins
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sandragittins.bsky.social
SandraGittins
@sandragittins.bsky.social
Passionate about WW1 Railways on the Western Front
@Ypreswoman Located South Devon
Not forgotten
November 9, 2025 at 11:02 AM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

William Wyley Rankin - Horsekeeper Goods Dept Hockley
Driver 3rd Brigade Royal Horse Artillery
Killed in action 27/9/1914 aged 27
Buried Vendresse British Cemetery
October 5, 2025 at 4:26 PM
Farewell Ypres until the next time ❤️
September 23, 2025 at 2:35 PM
Solferino Farm Cemetery today
September 22, 2025 at 8:05 PM
Lovely day in Ypres
Looked around a certain well known book shop and came out with a Belgium railway lamp and chemin der fare watch - photo taken by a convenient WW1 railway sleeper!
September 22, 2025 at 8:02 PM
Went looking for the locations of the light railways in Trônes Wood
#WW1 #Railway
September 20, 2025 at 5:56 PM
Beaucourt Hamel station then and now
September 20, 2025 at 5:55 PM
Visited Delsaux and Bac-du-Sud cemeteries yesterday looking for 4 men of the 54th Light Rly Co RE’s
I am piecing together the company history as there is no diary or other archives, except for data I have found, and their story deserves telling
September 20, 2025 at 9:14 AM
Authuille Bridge - one of many bridges on the Albert to Arras line demolished in March 1918 as the Germans advance.
The red building seems to have survived the bridge demolition - looking at the date on the wall it was only built the year before!
Map @GreatWarDigital
September 18, 2025 at 7:04 PM
Albert Station today, complete with aeroplane hanging from the ticket hall ceiling - and why not!
September 18, 2025 at 7:02 PM
Grandcourt Level Crossing on the Albert to Arras line today. Note the two buildings by the crossing were rebuilt in 1919 and different design to the originals (see old postcard)
September 18, 2025 at 7:00 PM
Heilly Station
Well known for the Casualty Clearing Station in WW1 where trains arrived and departed with the wounded. Those who sadly didn’t journey onwards can be found in the cemetery in the distance
#ww1 #Railway #Somme
September 17, 2025 at 6:52 PM
Finally got the opportunity to pay my respects today to GWR employee Thomas Edmund Simpson at Vignacourt Cemetery.
The circumstances of his death illustrates how, as on many occasions, luck and fate can deal an appalling hand
(See below)
#GWR #Railway #WW1
September 17, 2025 at 6:33 PM
Rather a nice pad - plus the sound of the nearby trains on the Albert to Arras line
September 16, 2025 at 3:51 PM
Beautiful day for the start of our trip to get fully engrossed in all things WW1 Railways
#WW1🛤️🚂#Somme #Ypres
September 16, 2025 at 11:52 AM
New card:
Level crossing at Grandcourt - Somme

Will be looking at this for real in a couple of days time 😉
September 14, 2025 at 5:25 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

James Card (Packer Engineering Dept Lawrence Hill Bristol)
Rifleman 1st Battalion Rifle Brigade
Killed in action 13 Sept 1914 Aged 29
Buried at Vauxbuin French National Cemetery
September 14, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

John George Ilsey -Riveter Signal Dept Reading
Private 1st Royal Scots Fusiliers
Died of wounds 19/11/1914 aged 29
Buried at Boulogne Eastern Cemetery
August 31, 2025 at 4:33 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Henry Frank Milton Signal Porter Pyle (Bridgend)
Private 1st Battalion Gloucestershire Regt
killed in action 21/10/14 during First Battle of Ypres.
Aged 26 - commemorated on the Menin Gate Ypres
August 25, 2025 at 4:15 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

George Francis Lee (carriage cleaner Old Oak Common)
1st Class Stoker HMS Aboukir - was torpedoed by German submarine on the 22 September 1914
He is Commemorated on the Chatham Naval Memorial
August 10, 2025 at 5:06 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Albert John Bailey Labourer Loco Dept Old Oak Common
Private 2nd Highland Light Infantry
Died of wounds 23 Sept 1914 at American Ambulance Neuilly-sur-Seine & buried at the nearby CWGC cemetery Paris
August 3, 2025 at 4:56 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Edward Walter Turner - labourer Old Oak Common
Pte 1st Middlesex Regt
Died of wounds 26 Oct 1914 at the 19th Field Ambulance aged 27
Buried at Ration Farm Military Cemetery
July 27, 2025 at 2:47 PM
Enjoyed your article Judith.
Much research has been done over the years, including by me, regarding Seale Hayne. My grandfather was a patient and my grandmother was a worker there. Local BBC filmed there highlighting the groundbreaking work done there.

@judithbarrowauthor.bsky.social
July 21, 2025 at 2:39 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

Alfred John Hunt (Shunter Westbury)
L/Cpl 4th Middlesex Regiment
Died of wounds 21/10/1914 aged 26
Buried at Bethune Town Cemetery

Originally enlisted in 1903 when his occupation was a Gunsmith
July 20, 2025 at 5:00 PM
Great Western Railwaymen who lost their lives in the First World War #WW1 #FWW #GWR

William John Clifford (brakesman Tondu)
Pte 1st Bedfordshire Regiment
Killed in action 13 October 1914 aged 29
Commemorated on the Le Touret Memorial
July 13, 2025 at 2:19 PM