Neil York

Great Grandson of Henry York, Barnsley Pals, Killed in Action at Serre 1st July 1916.

[Neil York @johncopse]

Rest peacefully, my hero. Swallowed up in victory. #Somme #WW1 #Barnsley #OTD

[Neil York @johncopse]

Organised visits to the #Somme in 1919 but at prices way out of reach of Joe Public. The London Evening News, 24th May 1919. #WW1.

[Neil York @johncopse]

Advice for early battlefield visitors to the Western Front. Be careful or your accommodation may be an old dugout! The Daily News, 28th June 1919. #WW1 #Somme #Ypres

[Ian lyall @Ianlyall9]

An early morning visit

[Neil York @johncopse]

Questions and Answers Episode 54 https://t.co/m0rYAR3klu via @OldFrontLinePod

[Commonwealth War Graves @CWGC]

May 2026 update – caring for our headstones

Independent scientific analysis into black spot staining is continuing, led by specialist partners. Alongside this, our teams have completed seasonal cleaning programmes, ongoing interventions and targeted trials. We remain committed to finding the most effective and responsible ways to care for our headstones.

https://t.co/45QFlBISzw

[Neil York @johncopse]

Thunder in the Mountains with Tom Isitt https://t.co/ABNI1SSCkK via @OldFrontLinePod

[Sandra Gittins @ypreswoman1]

New postcard:
Normality returning to the Somme at Beaumont-Hamel after WW1.
Washing on the fence outside the aptly named Cafe Renaissance.

[Neil York @johncopse]

Questions and Answers Episode 53 https://t.co/bS2b5rQxjM via @OldFrontLinePod

[Brian Elliott @BElliottAuthor]

Rare original battlefield cross WW1. Hathersage, Derbyshire #lestweforget

[Neil York @johncopse]

@BElliottAuthor Thanks for the photo, Brian. @Ianlyall9 is correct. Wounded at Nab Valley 1/7/16, one of the less visited yet important 1st July killing fields. He's buried @CWGC Heilly Station Cemetery.

[Neil York @johncopse]

St Eloi Craters 1916 https://t.co/ur94c9ADoe via @OldFrontLinePod

[Neil York @johncopse]

The Battle of Aubers opened #OTD in 1915. It epitomises the British public's perception that #WW1 soldiers were sacrificed needlessly in over-the-top attacks. Jack Newman Gilbey was present with the 2/Welsh Regiment and later penned these sad words about the disastrous day.

[Neil York @johncopse]

@agh57 The solitude of Redan Ridge is special. On every visit since my first in 1993 I've had the place to myself. I find it odd that the place remains largely off the tourist trail. Is it because of access?

[Neil York @johncopse]

Questions and Answers Episode 52 https://t.co/deGtpK4CRN via @OldFrontLinePod

[Dan P @DanielJPhelan_]

Brigadier General James Riddell was killed in action while commanding the 149th (1st Northumberland) Infantry Brigade. His headstone records that he was killed leading his brigade just five days after arriving on the Western Front.

📍Tyne Cot Cemetery 🇧🇪

[Neil York @johncopse]

The Bad Luck Battalion https://t.co/PfwjDxsQqs via @OldFrontLinePod

[Nick Jenkins @nicholasjenkins]

More than 350,000 hectares of French forest was cut down to supply the insatiable demands of the First World War - trenches, huts, railways, crates, fuel.
So much timber was exported from Britain that the Forestry Commission was set up in 1919.

[Neil York @johncopse]

Questions and Answers Episode 51 https://t.co/GHWK6Q9Leb via @OldFrontLinePod

[Neil York @johncopse]

@Ianlyall9 I see his brother 2nd Lieut. Leslie Montrose Ekin, also 8/Y&L, died alongside him at Nab Valley. Devastating news for their family.

[Neil York @johncopse]

Questions and Answers Episode 50 https://t.co/AkkiHKtPd4 via @OldFrontLinePod