Cambridgeshire WFA

21/10/2026

Another event for your diary:

The War Detectives: The work of the JCCC (part 2) - 26 October 2026 20:00 to 26 October 2026 21:30

The Joint Casualty and Compassionate Centre (JCCC) Commemorations Team, also known as the "MOD War Detectives," identifies the remains of British service members from historical battlefields and rededicates previously unknown graves. They primarily investigate cases from World War I onwards.

20/10/2026

110th Anniversary of the successful assault of the Schwaben Redoubt

I have had a long admiration for the assault of the Schwaben Redoubt by the 1/1 Cambridgeshire Regiment on the 14th October 1916. Unfortunately, it is a success seldom discussed. The attention of battlefield pilgrims focuses on the endeavours of the 36th Division on 1st July 1916.
I attended the Centenary in 2016, when the Regimental Association of the Royal Anglian Regt inaugurated a long overdue memorial to the 1/1 Cambridgeshires. The Memorial is on a farm building wall overlooking the site of the Schwaben Redoubt.

My hope was there to attend this year for the 110th anniversary, but for personal reasons my arrangements were last minute. On the evening of the 13th I booked my shuttle and phoned my friend, Avril Williams in Auchonvillers (Ocean Villas) who fortunately had a room available. At 04.30 I’m on my way, booked on the 08.15 shuttle from Folkestone. Eurotunnel played silly games, cancelling the 08.15 and moving me to the 07.45, but then cancelled that too. Next shuttle 08.45!

Arriving in Calais at 10.30 I decided to avoid the motorways and the tolls, I’d endured those on almost every previous visit to the Somme. The cross country drive was a mere 20 minutes longer, less in mileage and far more enjoyable.

There was time to visit the Thiepval Memorial and see a friendly face, Patrick who works in the Visitor Centre there. Imagine my surprise though when I bumped into our own Matt Colley and members of the Lincoln WFA who had attended commemorations at the Hohenzollern Redoubt at Loos! At 14.45 I laid a wreath on behalf of our branch at the Cambridgeshire Regiments Memorial , recited The Exhortation and held two minutes silence. It was a beautiful day and so peaceful as I wandered over the ground. Then it was on to Avril’s for my billet for the evening. Matt & the Lincoln boys joined me for a pre-dinner drink before they departed for their accommodation. My Western Front conversations didn’t end there though. Sophie, of Sophies Great War Tours was also in residence with a couple of her colleagues and two clients from the US. We had a very convivial evening together and as Sophie is a Cambridgeshire resident it was especially good to meet her and extend an invitation to our meetings.

An English breakfast after a good nights sleep and hot shower prepared me well for the day ahead. I wanted to visit Cambridgeshire men on the Somme before heading for home and this I did whilst heading for the Shuttle at Calais, again via the back roads and a more direct route. I was back through my front door at 21.30, and glad I had made the effort to represent our branch on this special anniversary.

If enough people are interested, I’ll ask Tim to share photographs of the cemeteries I visited and the Cambridgeshire men buried there, perhaps over the next few months. To show your interest, click Like (the thumbs-up button). I think 20 or more likes would be enough to encourage me.
Oh, nearly forgot, how much did it cost? E105 at Avrils for room, dinner & breakfast; £110 for the shuttle & £92 for petrol. If you are thinking of visiting the Somme, for me Avril Williams Tea Rooms and Guest House in Auchonvillers is the place to stay. You can tell her I told you so!

Emrys

16/10/2026

15/10/2026

The next meeting of the Cambridgeshire branch of the Western Front Association will take place on Wednesday, 4 November 2026, at Great Stukeley Village Hall, Ermine Street, Great Stukeley, Huntingdon, PE28 4AQ.

The subject for the evening will be 'Lest We Forget: Commemoration & care of WW1 dead buried in the UK' by Dr Megan Kelleher. This talk will provide an overview of the commemoration and care experienced by First World War dead buried in the United Kingdom, with a particular focus on the work of the Imperial (later known as Commonwealth) War Graves Commission. Founded in 1917, the organisation now known as the Commonwealth War Graves Commission is arguably the first organisation of its kind. Today, it operates in over 150 countries and territories worldwide with sites at more than 23,000 locations. While many individuals will be familiar with its work overseas at sites in France and Belgium, the work undertaken by the Commission in the United Kingdom has been unrepresented in public memory; this is in spite of the second highest number of commemorations by the Commission globally being found here, with more than 300,000 war dead remembered in Britain at over 10,000 locations. The talk seeks to redress this gap.

You don't have to be a Member of The Western Front Association to attend our meetings as all are equally welcome. Do come along and enjoy a friendly atmosphere and the good company of fellow enthusiasts.

The doors to the venue open only at 7:00pm with the talk starting at 7:30pm. Please note that the speaker and committee members need a short period of time before 7:00pm by themselves to set up the meeting so it would be appreciated if visitors could wait until 7:00 pm before entering the hall.

Image: Newark Courtesy of the CWGC

14/10/2026

So where else would our branch chair be today but at the Schwaben Redoubt on the Somme. Emrys laid a wreath on behalf of the branch at the Regimental Memorial overlooking the Schwaben Redoubt.

14/10/2026

The 110th Anniversary of the storming and holding of the Schwaben Redoubt.

On the 14 October 1916, the 1/1st Cambridgeshire Regiment, supported by other troops of the 39th Division, stormed and held the Schwaben Redoubt, a key fortification in the German defences on the Somme that had resisted at least six previous attacks. The assault, which cost the Battalion over 200 casualties, led to no less than 42 gallantry awards and was described by Field Marshall Douglas Haig as ‘one of the finest feats of arms in the history of the British Army’.

Much has been written about the German strongpoint officially known to the British soldiers as the Schwaben Redoubt and, unofficially, by many of the men who fought and died on its gentle slope as the Devil’s Dwelling Place. The Schwaben sat above the Ancre river valley, to the north of the village of Thiepval. It formed part of an interlocking triangle of defensive strongpoints that controlled the local landscape. From their well-constructed position in the Redoubt the Germans could unleash devastating machine gun fire for thousands of yards to the south and across the valley to the west. It was widely recognised that this fortification was the key to the whole surrounding stretch of the Somme front line.

Back in September, in anticipation of the 110th anniversary of this remarkable achievement, I stood at the exact location of the Schwaben Redoubt (courtesy of ‘Linesman’) and made this brief video panning from the right, close to the Ulster Tower, towards the Thiepval Monument on the left. After the hot and arid summer, the crops had long been harvested and I was able to appreciate the way that the German defenders were able to dominate the killing zone for so many weeks after the initial heroic attack by the 36th Ulster Division on 1 July. It took the inspired leadership and meticulous planning of Lieutenant Colonel ‘Ted’ Riddell leading the Cambridgeshires to finally take control of this iconic fortification. Small wonder Haig was so grateful.

David Griffiths, Cambs WFA

11/10/2026

Congratulations to Steve Warburton:

The judging of the Association's 2026 Gallipoli Essay Competition has been completed. We are pleased to announce the winners.

First Prize: Steve Warburton with 'Restoring the Broken'

Second Prize: Edward Green with 'Beetle Goes to War'

Steve Warburton is a WFA member, a former Chair at our branch and is currently our esteemed Treasurer. His enthusiastic interest in the Gallipoli Campaign is well known to those who attend our meetings and on behalf of the branch may I heartily congratulate Steve on this award.

Emrys Jones (Branch Chairman)

We are the foremost Association for the Gallipoli campaign who, with genuine passion and enthusiasm, help to keep its memory alive.

10/10/2026

You might want to put this event in your diary...

CWG Chat - The Headstone Directives Detectives at 12:00 (GMT) on Wednesday, November 4 2026.

https://foundation.cwgc.org/support-us/events/cwg-chat-the-headstone-directives-detectives/

09/10/2026

Martyn Smith had a succesful exhibition last Saturday about the Huntingdonshire Cyclists Battalion, a long time passion of his.

https://www.facebook.com/permalink.php?story_fbid=pfbid02U479u1L7nuuFWdAh45rhDaBcT3X7XbGDY7fkS3zRbASmoTKSSEPU12tJQow9r7fWl&id=100067851355094

Martyn wrote - "This was the second exhibition I have done in 2 weeks and at Sawtry last week I met a graphic designer. We had a conversation about A. I. and the fact I still think of the conflict as a B & W or sepia event. He asked if I had seen what A.I. could do to one of my display photos, took a copy on his phone and 90 seconds later the image of the B & W photo was produced."

I have to say that it looks very good and fairly accurate, and the colours are not far off but do members like to see the war portrayed in colour or B & W?

What are your thoughts and preferences? Do please say"

08/10/2026

Last nights meeting saw another small increase in numbers, to hear two different but facinating presentations. Tim Coltman had travelled from Burton-on-Trent to deliver the story of his great grandfather, William Coltman, VC, DCM & Bar, MM & Bar. If you missed it, look the accounts up on the internet, but it was special to hear from his grandson and to shake the hand of a man who has held his great grandfathers VC. Hope you got home safely Tim? Our own Stuart Ainsworth then presented a little of his own family, a great uncle, at one time serving with the Army Intelligence Service as a driver, translator, interpreter and later with Hotchkiss. Another tale of a fascinating life, thanks Stuart. No photographs of last nights meeting, our regular contributor was in Ypres, sampling the beers of Wipers Times. Shocking!