London and SACS OB's at Browns

Ascot station on my way to London for my first visit of this trip.

First view of London as I leave Waterloo Station.

My first 'live' view of the Shard. Remarkable building.

Imperial War Museum. Last seen in 1993.

A car hit by an IED in Iraq. Anyone tell me what make it was?

Buzz Bomb. WW2 Nazi V-1.

Engine of a Nazi V2 from WW2.

I took many of these quotes from the WW1 exhibit while being jostled by too many people in at once. Poinant and so true of so many especially during WW1

Some shells from WW1. They had a devastating effect on troops in trenches and on the PTSD that resulted from the incessant shelling during major battles like the Battle of the Somme in which the British alone fired tens of thousands of shells.

Sudden reality of the men lying about outside the trenches after another abortive attempt at breaking the deadlock. How could the Generals not have cared?

Took them long enough, but I understand why.

Do you blame them for saying this? The generals did not care that they were individual men, just numbers and they decided how many they could kill to achieve their objectives.

Oh boy did the French get this wrong at the 'Peace' Conference at Versailles in 1919.

The last major offensive of the Imperial German Army which turned into a humanitarian disaster for the Germans.

They did not know how vindictive the French would be, not that it was possible to blame the French in 1919 with such destruction of a broad swath of their country. However, the British and Americans and General Smuts did warn the French of the consequences of their vindictiveness and they paid the price in 1940!

Anyone who watches Downton Abby will have a better understanding of this for the British and then for the world in 1935, 1939 and 1941 and of course by 1945.

British WW2 tank. I think it is a Centurian, but I am not sure. No label.

One of my favourite aircraft. A Spuermarine Spitfire with a Rolls Royce Merlinn 12 cylindr engine and the sound it makes is glorious.

The first Atom bomb ignited in anger over Hiroshima. Not that big if you consider its destructiveness.

The only shot I took in the Holocaust exhibit. I should not have gone in again. I get too emotionally involved. This time, two young Germans were standing next to me and they thought Hitler's Nuremburg speech was great and they fist pumped when he said they must 'eliminate' all the Jews. My only response at the time was to become very angry and I walked out. I remained angry until I met up with Grant Ralph at the Tower. He calmed my troubled thoughts. I am so angry at how totally disrespectful and inhuman their response was. I taught so many boys about the inhumanity and barbarism of Hitlers SS and Camp officials and the Einstsgruppen and Mengele et al for so many years and heard dad tell the stories of the survivors from the Camps and those survivors that I met through Facing the past and Ourselves, that I get both immensely angry and emotional when I see the Holocaust in the museums around the world. I fail to understand that we keep on repeating History until I realize that most people either do not get taught History at all or they are given a twisted amd bigoted view of it. So, we just go on repeating History because History can never repaet itself. History is inanimate. People repeat History.

The great Naval guns in front of the IWM.

Up out of the Underground at the Tower of London with the Shard prominent in the background.

Shot by Grant Ralph before we enjoyed a quick lunch together. Will see him again for some quality time.

From the previous photo to this one, the 'river of poppies (blood)' each representing every single British soldier killed in WW1. It is a devastating sight. People stand around silent at the immensity of it. We cannot know what 2.3 million looks like until we see this. It is like saying that the Nazi's executed 6 million Jews and 3.5 million Russian prisoners and expect people to comprehend what that number means. Watch the film 'Paperclips' and you will begin to comprehend the enormity of the number 6 million, or 21 million who died in the Holocaust and combat in WW2.

Trafalgar Square and ominous clouds which deposited rain liberally. Luckily I had my Pick and Pay R9.00 Poncho which kept me dry. 

Every so often a new 'sculpture' appears on this Plinth. Love it.

National Gallery - St Sebastian's execution.

 

One of my favourite paintings by one of my favourite artists. Van Gogh.

Constable. The Hay Wain.

One of Turner's magnificent water colours. Luminescent quality. So many poeple, many who were indoors due to rain, kept bumping me. I gave up and used this anyway.

London Eye for the first time as I crossed the pedestrain bridge to Waterloo Station.

Bust of Neslon Mandela near the London Eye. Very moving tribute below. We are so blessed to have had him, and so unfortunate that the present 'regime' are so cluless about what his legacy was about.

At the end of the day, with my boys at Browns Pub in Windsor. So good to be with them. Thanks Peter. The waiter did not get a 'blur-free' shot with my camera! Face Book shot with Peter's camera is better. But, here for posterity. Kim D'Arcy Masters, Michael Truter, Peter Borcherds and Richard Stegman. Pity that Nick had left earlier. Much more to come from my UK visit. The journey continues.