Sep 02
Lieutenant Colonel Harry Vivian Robert Hodson Our two day trip was drawing to a close and so, lunchtime baguettes eaten and the loo in a local café visited, our thoughts turned back to Richard’s grandfather Harry Hodson. After the battle of Mametz Wood, Harry assumed command of the 14 Royal Welsh Fusiliers on 18 July …
Sep 02
The trouble with writing about your retirement is that it could easily come out like one of those circular Christmas letters where people vie with each other to list their family achievements – little Emily’s amazing performance at as the youngest Olympic gymnast ever, young Peter’s prowess on the Jew’s Harp and forthcoming debut at …
Aug 26
Lieutenant Colonel Harry Vivian Robert Hodson The Gerrards and the Hodsons had completed a moving but successful first day travelling round the Somme and as our schedule only allowed us two days in the battlefield area we were up and about early on our second day, ready to find another one of Richard’s family members …
Aug 18
Private Gilbert Sexton The first morning of the Gerrards and Hodsons’ Somme trip had been spent finding graves and memorials to Richard Hodson’s family members. Now, well-fed and watered after our omelette lunch at a typical French tabac, we were up for our next challenge – this time to find the site at Fromelles where Francis’ …
Aug 11
Captain Walter Basil Haddon-Smith The Gerrards and the Hodsons had successfully tracked down the first of Richard’s family members and so onwards on the next stage of our journey – this time to find the Le Touret Monument to 13,400 soldiers whose families had no marked graves to visit. On this would be carved the …
Aug 04
2nd Lieutenant Robert Charles Hodson As I told you in the introduction to my story, we, the Gerrards and the Hodsons, had arrived safely in Lille and had prepared for our long awaited Somme expedition in May 2016. Finally we were on our way on the first day of our exploration, and were off to find the …
Jul 27
Frost Magazine is conscious that this year, 2016, marks the centenary of the The Battle of the Somme, which lasted from July 1st to November 18 1916, with huge loss of life. We are enormously moved and delighted that writer, Penny Gerrard, has written a series of features for us centred around this event, which we …
Oct 26
A typical day? No such thing – and that’s the way I like it. I’m certainly an early bird – whizzing about doing “lick and a promise” style housework while catching up with The Archers. I really look forward to those days when I am sitting in my local court as a magistrate. I love …
