Poppy Mercier
@poppymercier.bsky.social
27 y/o graphic designer & battlefield guide living on the Somme 🇫🇷 All views my own.
I am proud of finding this new postcard of Flers (c.1919-1923) because I spotted something special about it. If you look closely, the hut in the foreground has a tiny Imperial War Graves Commission sign over the door. The card was posted in 1923. @poppymercier.bsky.social
Sunset tonight from Haringhe (Bandaghem) cemetery; a smaller site, close to the French boarder, commemorating just over 800 casualties
After so many years, its wonderful to finally put a face to a name. Frank Hayward was born in Bristol in August 1898 to Henry & Minnie. He attested into the 12th Battalion Essex Regiment in August 1916, around the time of his 18th birthday.
There are not very many IWGC staff spouses buried in @cwgc.bsky.social cemeteries in France. Even fewer with the standard, curved-top headstone. Lilian Cooper, wife of foreman A.B. Cooper, died in 1920 near the IWGC head office in St. Omer. She is buried in Longuenesse (St. Omer) Souvenir Cemetery.
Grave of Herbert Dickens in Longuenesse. He worked for the @cwgc.bsky.social in many capacities in France: gardener, mechanic, blacksmith, coppersmith, etc. Dickens lived in Beaurains, near the current CWGC Experience. He was interned in 1940, along with his teenage son and daughter.
One of the reasons I was in France was to visit the graves of civilian bombing victims like Jeanne (10) and Micheline (2) Vasseur, who were killed by Allied bombs in 1944. It is beyond horrific that the US is now murdering hundreds of children in Iran in a war of braggadocio, not liberation.
There is a plot of ~25 IWGC staff graves at Longuenesse, but also several other staff members scattered through the cemetery (like Lt. Paul Dematons (d.1924)). I’ll be adding these to the list of staff burials curated by @poppymercier.bsky.social: en.wikipedia.org/wiki/List_of...
My latest Legion Magazine article is out now, featuring an interview with British-born French resident and historian Poppy Mercier (@poppymercier.bsky.social), who has embarked on a journey to honour locally buried Canadian airmen from WW II. legionmagazine.com/british-born... 📸 Poppy Mercier.
Uncle Jack John “Jack” Marketis was my grandma Joan’s older brother. I was always quite close to her up to her death and I remember her telling me stories about her siblings including Jack. He joined the Royal Navy prior to the Second World War breaking out.
L'église Notre-Dame de Carentan Then & Now: 15/16 June 1944 to 20 May 2025 Members of the 326th Airborne Medical Company (101st Airborne Division) with one of their Jeeps parked in front of the church at Carentan talking to the locals. Original photo courtesy of “WW2 US Medical Research Centre”
Burial service for 2 unknown commonwealth soldiers today in CWGC Ovillers Military Cemetery. Sadly their identities could not be discovered; they both receive a burial with full military honours. May they rest in peace, now alongside their comrades once more.
It was great to finally be able to visit Loos British Cemetery Extension at the start of the week. The new cemetery has been built to accommodate another 1,200 burials; with the increase of remains being found over the last 10 years such a site is now greatly needed.
All ready for a new season and out with my first group next week! If you’re looking for a local guide who can bring a fresh perspective to your tours, don’t hesitate to contact me; from a general Battle of the Somme tour or following in the footsteps of a relative, I’m always happy to assist
A beautiful day for exploring the battlefields - visit No.1 to Brie British Cemetery, just outside of Péronne. Such a beautiful small cemetery out in the middle of nowhere with some fascinating burials.
A beautiful service held today for L/Cpl George Rankeillor. He has previously been listed as missing on the Arras Memorial. Service was attended by the Household Cavalry and the Regimantal Association.
New unit markings on the jeep, more accurate to her unit (326 Airborne Medical Co)
I took a brief visit to the tool shed at Serre No2 to see where IWGC Ben Leech hid allied airmen during WW2. “To Major G.B. Simler in remembrance of his staying as guest? at Serre Road No. 2 Beaumont Hamel Somme France 1944" Photo from the Simler family, shared by @caitlindeangelis.bsky.social
Buried in Meharicourt cemetery is the crew of Lancaster KB714. On 13 June 1944 the crew from 419 Sqd were returning from bombing Cambrai when they were shot down very close by to Courcelette British Cemetery, killing all on board. May they rest in peace. “Moosa aswayita"
I wrote a little book about the War Graves gardeners in France and what happened to them after the “lack of proper arrangement for [their] evacuation and the complete disappearance of all [their] leaders.” www.goodreads.com/book/show/12...
The Caretakers: War Graves Gardeners and the Secret Bat…
When World War I ended, hundreds of British veterans st…
goodreads.com
Merry Christmas to all friends and followers. I wish you all a lovely time and a very happy new year 🎄🎉
#ChristmasMarkets in #Berlin last week. We went to a few but I only took photos at Alexanderplatz & Das Center in Potsdammer Platz.
(If you're a wikipedia editor, you can add them yourself, or you can send them to me or @poppymercier.bsky.social, who is responsible for the good work maintaining that page!)
Just some highlights of my 5 days in Berlin…always an excellent time exploring the city, rediscovering its history and enjoying some of the local culture.
Only a few days now until I’m back in my favourite city for the first time since 2019. Berlin is such a beautiful city, with such a rich history and an amazing variety of museums and historic sites
When we discovered this German backpack in a 1914 trench near Wijdendrift (Langemark), we could never have imagined the extraordinary find it held. Only during cleaning in the depot did the eyes and claws of a cuddly toy come to light. #FWW #Archaeology #History
Bert Haskins was a War Graves gardener in Dunkirk in the 1920s-30s. In 1940, he was arrested by the Germans and sent to an internment camp. In transit, he befriended the author P.G. Wodehouse, sharing food Bert brought from home. They became friends; Wodehouse dedicated "Money in the Bank" to him
