The Soldiers of the Flanders Field American Military Cemetery - Couverture souple

Sims, Christopher; Lernout, Patrick

Couverture souple

ISBN 10 : 1908345411 ISBN 13 : 9781908345417

Editeur : Christopher Sims - Patrick Lernout, 2017

Synopsis

The American engagement in World War I was short but violent and aggressive. Many American families lost a son, daughter or spouse in a far an unknown land.

This book does not specifically cover or emphasize the military operations in Flanders, Belgium. We have tried to present a unique document with original photography which has never been published before. This way we have taken it a step further than most authors who mainly focus on strategy and battlefields.

This 705 page profusely illustrated book includes 414 cameos of American soldiers who gave their lives on two different fronts in Belgium between July 1918 and the armistice. It also covers the history of the United States leading up to their involvement in World War I, the 4 Divisions (27^th,30^th, 37^th and 91^st) in Belgium, the aftermath documenting the work of the American Graves Registration Service, the origins of the cemetery, the establishment of the American Battle Monuments Commission, American Overseas Memorial Day Association and Gold Star Mother Pilgrimages of the 1930's.

A propos du livre

À propos des auteurs

Christopher Sims was born in Nottingham, UK on 8 November 1953. Son of a British father and Belgian mother he emigrated with his parents to Belgium in 1965 where he graduated high school at the St. Vincentius College, Ypres in 1972. Although continuing his higher education at the Institute for Paramedic Studies in Gent, he eventually followed in the footsteps of his father and was assigned as Cemetery Associate to the Flanders Field American Cemetery in 1974. He retired in January 2015 after more than 40 years of service with the American Battle Monuments Commission. During his tenure he acquired an in depth knowledge of the military campaigns and U.S. involvement in the Flanders region and researched many stories of the individual soldiers buried in the cemetery. He has also given presentations on the US soldiers of Flanders Fields in Belgium, France and in the USA. Through his friendship with John Giles, Founder of the Western Front Association in 1980, he became one of the contacts in Belgium of this renowned association in 1983. In 1989 he established the Belgian Branch of the Western Front Association and became its first area chairman. His lifelong friendship with Patrick Lernout encouraged them both to embark on a 12 year research project and completing this historical work.

Patrick Lernout was born in Roeselare on 6 December 1953. He graduated with a degree in textile engineering from the HRITK in Gent, and for quite some time worked as a human resources director. His interest in WWI began as a young child, when he would walk past an old German war cemetery daily. At age 14 he visited the American cemetery at Omaha Beach and became fascinated and intrigued with what he saw. This encouraged him to learn more about the boys who were buried so far from home. Patrick researched many of these men for 12 years, finding relatives, photographs, and additional biographical information on them. During the search he also made many friends in the USA. In gratitude for the sacrifices that were made, his curiosity to know more about the lives and strife of these young men and his growing friendship with Christopher Sims resulted in the definite start and completion of this project.

Détails de l'édition

• Éditeur: Christopher Sims - Patrick Lernout
• Date d'édition: 2017
• Langue: anglais
• ISBN 10: 1908345411
• ISBN 13: 9781908345417
• Reliure: Broché
• Nombre de pages: 712
• Coordonnées du fabricant: non disponible
• Personne responsable: non disponible