JOHNNY CASH - UNCHAINED

Johnny Cash's second album produced by Rick Rubin, Unchained, was released thirty years ago on 5 November 1996., In this artricle, originally published in the Johnny Cash Fanzine I ran for twenty-five years, we look back at the album.

In late-1995 Johnny Cash and producer Rick Rubin started work on the follow up to the critically acclaimed American Recordings.

Sessions, which would continue through to April 1996, took place at various locations including Akademie Mathematique of Philosophical Sound Research (Rubin’s own studio), Sound City, Oceanway Recording and NRG Recording, all based in the Los Angeles area. Additional recording was carried out at Jack Clement’s Nashville studios, the Cowboy’s Arms Hotel and Recording Spa.

Unlike their first release which featured just Cash and his guitar this new album would involve a full band - Tom Petty & The Heartbreakers whose members included Mike Campbell (guitar), Benmont Tench (piano/organ), Howie Epstein (bass) and Steve Ferrone (drums).

Tom Petty recalled the sessions in the Unearthed liner notes, “Rick Rubin called me and said, ‘Hey, would you like to play bass on this Johnny Cash record I’m doing?’ I said, ‘Aw shit, yeah, I love to play the bass. I started out as a bass player and did that for years before the Heartbreakers, where I switched to guitar. And of course any time I could work with John I’d be right there. To my surprise I turned up and Benmont Tench was there and Mike Campbell and within a couple of days all the Heartbreakers were there, so we were pretty much Johnny Cash’s backing band.”

At the time Cash laughed and commented, “Not a bad little group.”. Additional musicians included Marty Stuart (guitar), Flea (bass) and Fleetwood Mac members Lindsey Buckingham (guitar) and Mick Fleetwood (drums). American issued a press release announcing, “Johnny Cash, in the studio with mainman producer, Rick Rubin, is currently putting the finishing touches to his new album due out later this year on American Recordings.”

This was the first time that the songs Pocahontas, Addicted To Love and Rusty Cage were mentioned although it did go on to say it was unknown if these would make the final selection. I was fortunate to be given paperwork that detailed the changes to the track list that the project went through over a period of weeks. This showed how the running order changed several times and that both Pocahontas and Addicted To Love were at one time considered for inclusion.

The album opens with Rowboat, a song written and originally recorded by American musician and singer/songwriter Beck. The lyrics fit within the crying-in-your-beer, heartbroken country song genre with it’s story of the person he loves having gone and left him devastated. Quoting a line from the song, ‘Dogfood on the floor,’ Cash remarked that “I’m not sure what Beck means by that, but I’ve been there.”

Cash then turns to hillbilly classics covering Don Gibson’s #2 country hit from 1962 Sea Of Heartbreak. It is surprising he never covered this song earlier in his career but his version made the wait worthwhile. The song features two members of Fleetwood Mac – Mick Fleetwood on drums and Lindsey Buckingham on guitar.

Written by Soundgarden frontman Chris Cornell the grunge anthem Rusty Cage was originally released in 1992 and was a track that Cash thought would not suit him. “When Rick mentioned Rusty Cage to me and I heard it, I didn’t think it was for me, although I loved the lyrics. Then he put down an arrangement that he thought I would like, and when I heard it, I really did—the lyrics and music felt so good to me.”

The One Rose was originally recorded by Jimmie Rodgers back in 1932 after the songs composer Lanny McEntire wrote the song and gave it to Rodgers during a session in Hollywood where he was making a short film. Cash recalled hearing the song on the radio when he was a kid and years later decided to record his own version.

Next up is Country Boy, the first of two Cash originals that were first recorded back at Sun Records in the fifties. Talking about the new recording Cash said, “There’s no way I could change that song a lot. It’s basically the same arrangement as the original but the instrumentals are a little longer because I was really happy with the way it sounded with Tom and his group and Marty Stuart.”

Probably best known for the #1 version recorded and released by crooner Dean Martin back in 1955, Cash takes Memories Are Made Of This and makes it his own. 

The transcendent Spiritual gives Cash another opportunity to sing of his faith. Written by American jazz musician Josh Haden, founder, bass player and lead singer of the group Spain, the song finds Cash giving one of his most emotive performances on the album.

Kneeling Drunkard’s Plea tells the story of a drunkard whose mother was dying and her final plea was for her son to come to her. Unfortunately he was one day too late when he staggered through the church gates. Written and originally recorded by Mother Maybelle Carter and her daughters June, Helen and Anita, on Cash’s version Tom Petty provides the harmony vocals.

It seemed inevitable that with Tom Petty working with Cash on the album that one of his songs would make the final selection. The deeply moving Southern Accents, with its general pre-occupation of everything Southern, appealed to Cash. “When I first listened to that song, I thought, that’s my anthem. I love it – it says what I always wanted to say about the South. It’s one of my favourites on the album." 

Cash then takes his second trip back to his Sun days with a re-recording of Mean Eyed Cat. When Cash first recorded the song Sam Phillips insisted a demo went on his debut album even though he had not finished writing the lyrics. For Unchained Cash wrote a third verse.

Meet Me In Heaven was written for June Carter Cash a year before he recorded it. Talking about the title Cash said, “I always wanted to write a song called Meet Me In Heaven because those words are on my brother’s and father’s tombstones. That song is one of those songs of peace that comes with my faith.”

Made famous by Roy Clark who took the song into the top five on the country charts, I Never Picked Cotton was written by Bobby George and Charlie Williams. The story of a native of a poor sharecropping family recalling how his mother, brother and sister picked cotton while his dad worked in a coal-mine is well suited to Cash’s storytelling style.

The penultimate track is also the albums title track. Unchained was written by American singer/songwriter Jude Johnston whose material has been covered by many artists including Emmylou Harris and Stevie Nicks. Cash takes her poetic lyrics and evocative melody and turns them into a hymn-like masterpiece.

The album is brought to a close with I’ve Been Everywhere, written by Geoff Mack in 1959 and made popular by the singer Lucky Starr in 1962. He offered the song to country singer Hank Snow who thought the song had potential but only if the place names were adapted for the North American market. The title is self-explanatory and it is great to hear Cash singing the various place names at breakneck speed. Cash’s version was also used by Choice Hotels in their commercials.

Unchained was released on 5 November 1996 and a press release issued at the time read, “Departing from the solo acoustic approach of the last album, Rubin’s instinct this time was to team Cash with such rock and roll luminaries as Tom Petty and The Heartbreakers, Flea from the Red Hot Chili Peppers and Mick Fleetwood.”

Andy Earl, having taken the iconic cover photo for American Recordings, was once again asked to take a series of photographs in the grounds of the Cash house in Hendersonville for the Unchained album. Other photos taken during this photo-shoot would appear on the My Mothers Hymn Book CD and in the book that accompanied the Unearthed set.

Talking about the album Cash said, “We both agreed from day one that this was really an important album, that we kind of opened the door for me with the first album, into other areas. Now the question is, am I gonna walk on through the door? I hope so!”

In their review Pulse wrote, “Despite the stark brilliance of Johnny Cash’s solo-acoustic comeback American Recordings, that album’s relatively narrow focus didn’t do justice to the depth and breadth of Cash’s uniquely American and deeply personal art. The album’s follow-up Unchained is a bit more representative.” They went on to comment about the choice of material, “And if Cash’s voice isn’t the technical marvel it once was, he remains a singularly lucid interpreter, cocky enough to tackle unfamiliar material head on, and confident enough to take a sentimental chestnut like Memories Are Made Of This at face value.”

As had happened during the recording of their first collaboration, Rubin and Cash recorded much more material than would fit on the album. Tracks including Pocahontas, Two Timin’ Woman, Everybody’s Trying To Be My Baby (recorded with Carl Perkins), Trouble In Mind, The Running Kind and a new version of As Long As The Grass Shall Grow all found a release on the 2003 set Unearthed. Other tracks including Don’t Sell Daddy Anymore Whiskey, The Devil, I Changed The Locks and several alternate takes of songs like Country Boy, I’ve Been Everywhere and The One Rose have all been issued on bootleg CDs. It is strange that Addicted To Love has never seen the light of day, either officially or unofficially.

In February 1997 Unchained took the honours at the Annual Grammy Awards Ceremony when it won the ‘Best Country Album’ category.

A month later a full-page ad appeared in Billboard magazine blasting Nashville bosses. The ad, featuring the classic photo of Cash giving the finger, was accompanied by the sarcastic comment, “American Recordings and Johnny Cash would like to acknowledge the Nashville music establishment and country radio for your support.” 

At the bottom of the ad it said, “Johnny Cash Unchained. Winner Best Country Album. Thanks to those who made a difference–you know who you are.”

Cash was rightly proud of the album, “Making this album is the greatest experience I’ve ever had with a producer. This new record represents the most in-depth relationship I’ve had with a producer in sitting down eye-to-eye and tooth-to-tooth and working out the songs and deciding which ones to do. I think I have enjoyed working with Rick more on this album than any album I’ve ever done.”

ELVIS PRESLEY - THE LAST RECORDING SESSION

It is exactly fifty years ago (October 1976) that Elvis made a number of recordings in The Den (later to be known as The Jungle Room)  at Graceland, his home in Memphis. In this article we look back at those final recordings which, although not recorded in an actual studio can be seen as his last 'studio' recordings. We also look at where those recordings were released and what might have been had he attended a session that was booked for the following January.

By February 1976 it seemed that Elvis had lost interest in recording and RCA were getting frustrated that he would not agree to enter a recording studio to lay down enough tracks to fulfill his contract with the company. His last recordings were back in March 1975 where just ten finished masters were completed and these were released on the album Elvis Today.

The answer was to record him at home although this would not be without its own problems. RCA's mobile recording truck was driven to Graceland and engineer Brian Christian was in charge of engineering the session along with producer Felton Jarvis. The conditions, and technical issues, made recording more difficult than if they were at a proper recording studio.

Over the seven days Elvis recorded twelve tracks, enough for one album and a single. RCA were hoping for enough for two albums and two singles.

Most of Elvis' stage band and backing vocalists were present along with David Briggs (piano), Bill Sandford (guitar), Norbert Putnam (bass) and Bobby Emmons (electric piano).

Ten of the tracks recorded were released on the album, From Elvis Presley Boulevard, Memphis, Tennessee released in May 1976. Another in a long line of albums with a live image on the cover it also had the words Recorded Live on the cover. Apparently, this was not suggesting it was a live album but that the tracks were recorded live in the studio! Common sense prevailed and later issues of the album had the wording removed.

Other tracks recorded during the February sessions included Moody Blue and She Thinks I Still Care, both of which were released as a single in November 1976 and would appear on his next album. The lead track would become the albums title.

Elvis also rehearsed Feelings, a recent hit for Morris Albert which was erased, and attempts were made to record the patriotic  America The Beautiful, with it being America's Bicentennial and a song Elvis had performed in concert throughout 1976, but only fragments have been released. It is not known how serious the attempts at both songs were and they were not attempted again.

Following his seventh tour of the year, which started in Chicago, Illinois on 14 October and ended on 27 October in Carbondale, Illinois, he flew back to Memphis for another session to provide enough material for the new album. Once again they would be held in The Den at Graceland and started at 9pm on 29 October.

There had been technical issues during the February recordings, mainly due to the conditions under which they were recorded. A room at Graceland wasn’t the best option with all the musicians so close together. In an effort to try and improve the sound a new enginner was present. Mike Moran had worked on the December 1973 Stax sessions and it was hoped, with a new microphone, they could block out the noise they had experienced back in February.

Once again most of Elvis' touring musicians and back-up singers were present although, as previously, a considerable amount of additional overdubs would be required before release.

The first track recorded was It's Easy For You, a ballad written by Andrew Lloyd Webber and Tim Rice, best known for their musicals Jesus Christ Superstar and Evita. It told the story of a man forced to face the loss of his wife, lover and even his reason for living. The lyrics would capture Elvis' recent life.

Next up was Way Down, a great rock song written by American singer/songwriter Layng Martine Jr, whose other compositions included I Wanna Go Too Far (Trisha Yearwood), Let Me On (Jerry Lee Lewis) and Should I Do It (The Pointer Sisters). Given a great song Elvis and the band could really rip it up and this was one of  the strongest songs he had recorded in over a year.

Originally recorded by Johnny Ace and also covered by Roy Hamilton, two artists Elvis loved, Pledging My Love, written by Ferdinand Washington and Don Robey in 1954, was a great choice. The last song recorded on the first day it received a strong performance from Elvis with great support from the band.

The next day, without Elvis present, the band worked on a song by band member Jerry Scheff, Fire Down Below. Another up-tempo song that was well suited to Elvis and would have been a great addition to the forthcoming album. Unfortunatey, when Elvis finally appeared, and despite at first being quite taken with the song, their concentration waned and before long jokes and laughter called a halt to the proceedings after which Elvs returned upstairs and there was no chance of anymore work being done that evening.

Felton Jarvis did get the band to lay down the track for He'll Have To Go, probably a song that had already been scheduled. Written by Joe and Audrey Allison it was a major hit for Jim Reeves in 1959. It told the story of a man talking to the woman he loves on the telephone realising that there was another man with her.

The next night Elvis recorded his vocal for the song but no further recording took place and that bought three days of sessions to an end with only four new masters in the can.

Apparently Felton Jarvis carried around a copy of the Fire Down Below track hoping he could get Elvis to record a vocal, unfortunately it never happened. In 2007 Shakin' Stevens included the song on his Now Listen album.

In his book A Study In Music, Robert Matthew-Walker covered the songs recorded at the session with mixed opinions. Talking about He'll Have To Go he wrote, "(It) was a surprising choice. The song is well known, and had long passed the peak of its popularity. Presley's performance is very slow and very long. Although he is in good voice, the quality is not as good as in the past." 

Moving on to It's Easy For You he said, "Another slow ballad. The performance seems good enough but the backing musicians are so outstanding, especially Ronnie Tutt, that they tend to detract from Presley."

Feeling that Way Down redeemed the session, he comments, "This was Presley's last original hit, and shows him at the height of his powers. In spite of the troubles which beset the session, this magnificent rock number brought out the best in this great artist."

However, he is very critical of what was the strongest performace from the session, Pledging My Love. He wrote, "(It) is another curiosity, at least twenty years out of date, this slow, rocking ballad, with its heavy dragging triplets, is musically nothing."

More sessions were planned and Creative Workshop in Nashville was booked from 20 January to 24 January 1977. The studio was owned by Buzz Cason and founded in 1970. It was the first studio established in the Berry Hill district and one of the first independently owned in Nashville.

Several songs were rumoured for consideration and six were definitely chosen… That’s What You Do To Me (Bob Morrison), Energy (Bob Morrison), Rainy Night In Georgia (Tony Joe White), By Day By Day (Dennis Linde), Let Me On (Layng Martine Jr.) and Yes I Do (Alan Rush).

Steve Earle’s Mustang Wine and Miss Misunderstood, written by David Bellamy of the Bellamy Brothers, have also been mentioned but more than likely were just among the songs submitted for consideration.

Unfortunately, although Elvis did make it to Nashville, he never showed up at the studio. Some reports say he had an argument with girlfriend Ginger Alden and went back to Memphis, and others say he turned up at the studio, took one look, and left in anger.

It is unclear if backing tracks for all six songs were made but the musicians did turn up for the session, the same ones who had been at the October sessions at Graceland along with percussionist Randy Cullers.

Before release all four songs recorded at Graceland were overdubbed at sessions at Creative Workshop in Nashville on 22 January 1977 and Young ‘un Sound, Murfreesboro on 6 and 7 April 1977. Both Way Down and Pledging My Love received additional guitar, piano and drums while It’s Easy For You and He’ll Have To Go had synthesizer, guitar and steel guitar added to the original recordings.

June 1977 saw the release of Elvis' latest single which paired up two tracks from the October 1976 sessions. It's initial chart run would see Way Down/Pledging My Love (PB-10998), stalling at #31 in America and #42 in the UK.

However, following the sad news of his death in August the single would reach #18  in America and in the UK would give Elvis another #1 hit single. It would go on to receive Gold and Platinum awards from the British Phonographic Institute (BPI) and the Record Industry Association of America (RIAA).

The same month saw the release of the album Moody Blue (AFL1-2428) which, despite having another live image on the cover, showed a bit more effort in the design. It would be issued on both blue and black vinyl.

The album would eventually peak at #3 in the UK, despite a a slow start, while in America it reached #3 on the Billboard 200 and #1 on the Country Chart. It would go on to reach Platinum status from the RIAA.

For RCA Records and producer Felton Jarvis, Moody Blue was not an easy album to put together. Having already used most of what was recorded back in Febraury 1977 there were only a handful of tracks left that could be used to create a full ten-track album.

There were the two singles, Moody Blue, She Thinks I Still Care, Way Down and Pledging My Love. Added to this were the two remaining recent recordings, He'll Have To Go and It's Easy For You. This still left them four songs short so they turned to recent recordings Jarvis had made during Elvis' recent tours.

Many performances were unsuitable, either due to multiple live versions of the same songs being released before or the quality was poor. They did manage to pick three songs Elvis hadn't recorded or released previously... a strong performance of the Righteous Brothers 1965 classic hit Unchained Melody, If You Love Me Let Me Know, written by John Rostill and a hit for Olivia Newton-John in 1974, and a throw away version of Little Darlin, originally a hit for The Diamonds. It was scraping the barrel but worse was the fact that they had to go back to the 1974 live Memphis album for Let Me Be There to complete the album.

Moody Blue was the last album recorded in his lifetime and Way Down his last single and while both deserved the recognition and success they achieved it is doubtful they would have been so successful had Elvis not died.

We will now look at the many outtakes of the four songs recorded in October and on which releases they appear but first a CD that would give a glimpse of what might have been.

In 2005 J.A.T Records, an independent label, would release the CD Cold Night In Nashville which focussed on the songs that were planned for the January 1977 sessions in Nashville and gives an idea of what direction Elvis’ career could have taken.

The original composer demos of the songs mentioned earlier are included along with the original demos of Way Down (Layng Martine Jr.) and I’ve Got A Feeling In My Body (Dennis Linde). Rounding off the set were the original versions of Rainy Night In Georgia (Brook Benton) and Energy (Tommy Roe).

An interesting album to listen to and one can only imaging how Elvis would have handled the songs.

The first outtakes to be released from the October sessions were Way Down (take 2a) and Pledging My Love (take 3), both of which appeared on the 1997 4-CD set Platinum.

In 1999 Sony Music created the Follow That Dream Label (FTD), a collector’s label which would see themed albums full of previously unreleased outtakes. One of the early releases was The Jungle Room Sessions, released in 2000, which included It’s Easy For You (take 1), Way Down (take 2), Pledging My Love (unedited master), He’ll Have To Go (rough mix master) and the backing track of Fire Down Below.

This is the only release to include the Fire Down Below backing track and it has not been included on any subsequent release.

In 2013 FTD released Moody Blue in their ‘Classic Album’ series. A two CD-set that included the original album, and a wealth of previously unreleased undubbed masters, rehearsals, alternate versions and outtakes from both the February and October sessions. The following tracks from October 1976 were included… Pledging My Love (rehearsal/take 3 composite, takes 1, 2, 3, 4, 5, undubbed/unedited master), Way Down (rehearsal, takes 1, 2a, 2b, undubbed master, rough mix of master), It’s Easy For You (takes 1, 3, 4 and undubbed master) and He’ll Have To Go (rough mix).

A 16-page booklet contained behind-the-scenes notes, session details and many photos, unfortunately none from the actual recording sessions, and various pieces of paperwork and other memorabilia.

FTD began to reissue many of the classic albums on vinyl and Moody Blue was no exception. Released in both clear and gold vinyl it was a cut down version of the 2-CD set and only had twenty tracks, with just four from the October sessions.

Released in August 2016, Way Down In The Jungle Room was a mainstream 2-CD compilation of tracks from both the February and October sessions. As well as the masters on CD 1 there was a selection of outtakes on the second disc including It’s Easy For You (take 1), Way Down (take 2) and Pledging My Love (take 3).

The set included a 24-page booklet with notes by John Jackson of Sony/Legacy, detailed recording session information, full credits and many live photos and a centre-page spread showing various record labels, paperwork, tape boxes and other memorabilia.

The tracks were newly mixed by Matt Ross-Spang and it is the best compilation of material from the sessions.

The set did well on the charts reaching #16 in the UK, #6 on the Billboard Top Country Albums chart and #79 on the Billboard 200. By the end of the year it had sold over 15,000 copies.

The material recorded during October was, on the whole, very strong and it was just a shame that on the Moody Blue album it had to appear alongside three live recordings and a previously released live recording that was already three years old.

There is no doubt that if Elvis had committed himself to recording the tracks that were picked for the sessions at Creative Workshop then the Moody Blue album would have ended up as one of his strongest for several years, could have seen a change of direction in his career and bought about more positive reception from the media, reviewers and record buying public.
 
 

BRITAIN AT WAR

For many years I have had an interest in World War One and World War Two along with photography. This has given me the opportunity to visit and photograph various sites with connections to both wars.

Over the years I have written articles on my Leger Battlefield Tours to France, Belgium and Holland. These have included trips to The Western Front, Normandy, Dunkirk & Arnhem and you can read about these along with a selection of photographs, by following the links here... https://peter-lewry.blogspot.com/2025/03/history-articles.html

However, in this article, which will be regularly updated, I will take a look at places, with a military connection, that I have visited in Britain with photos and a brief history about each location.

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PETWORTH SCHOOL BOMBING

On the morning of Tuesday 29 September 1942 tragedy struck Petworth, a small village in West Sussex.

It was a normal day, and the Petworth Boy’s School was full of children and lessons were underway. No air-raid siren was sounded when a lone German Junkers JU88 dropped its load on the school while heading home.

The school wasn’t the intended target, and the bombs were meant to fall on Petworth House where troops were stationed.

Twenty-eight children, aged between seven and twelve, and two teachers were killed along with two people who worked in the nearby laundry.

John Exall, a pupil, recalled the event, “At break time I was playing around in the cloakroom when the first bomb dropped. I remember seeing the dust fall from the ceiling. I ran to get out of the building but was told to go the other way as we had been told there was an escape route through the laundry into the tunnel that went into Petworth Park, but that was not to be as the bomb fell on the laundry too. There were two more bombs and by that time I don't remember much more as I was buried under the rubble. I came to and heard a lot of voices and realised that I couldn't move except for one arm, which I managed to push up through the rubble.”

The original school building no longer exists but there is a plaque with the inscription, ‘This memorial marks the site of the Petworth Boys School destroyed by enemy action Michaelmas 1942 with the tragic loss of two teachers and twenty-eight pupils forever remembered.’

Just a short walk from the original site is Petworth Horsham Road Cemetery where twenty-seven of the children and the two teachers are buried in a communal grave. The grave bears the inscription, ‘In Loving Memory of the headmaster, teacher and boys who lost their lives when Petworth Boys School was bombed on 29th September 1942.’

On the day they were buried, Canadian soldiers, who had been stationed nearby and helped with the rescue efforts, carried the coffins to the grave.

The Cemetery, which dates from Victorian times, was overgrown and in need of some attention when I visited a few years ago but is still worth a visit.

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STRETCHER RAILINGS

In the years before the start of World War Two the British Government formed the Air Raid Precautions (ARP), later to become the Civil Defence Service, whose role during the war was to protect civilians from air-raids. Among their many tasks was ensuring the blackout was adhered to, handing out gas masks and helping people to the shelters.

One of the tools used by the ARP were the emergency stretchers for transporting those injured during the bombing raids to safety. The Government had anticipated that this was one of the items that would be required and by the summer of 1939 more than 150,000 had been produced in places including Hertfordshire and the West Midlands and distributed to local authorities. Eventually more than 600,000 would be produced.

These stretchers, which were very basic with just two steel poles, wire mesh and curved supports to keep them off the ground and make it easy for them to be picked up, were easy and quick to construct and easier than wooden or canvas stretchers to clean and disinfect.

The war effort saw London’s many housing estates stripped of their metal railings for use in the construction of weaponry and other needs.

Following the end of the war there was a large supply of these surplus stretchers and London City Council decided to put these to good use.

It was decided to replace the railings that had been lost during the war at estates in areas including Brixton, Deptford, Peckham, Dulwich and, as shown in these photos, Becket House in Tabard Street, Southwark.

The stretchers were suspended from vertical supports sunk into concrete and are easy to spot, mainly due to the curved supports section.

Over the years many of these stretchers/railings have rusted, fallen into disrepair and been removed which is a shame. Fortunately, a society was formed to preserve and maintain them. The Stretcher Railing Company was created to raise funding and help local councils and conservation authorities to undertake the complex restoration required. Back in 2017 they created a map showing the locations of the railings.

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CUCKMERE HAVEN

In 1940 one of the many locations along the south coast of England that was a possible invasion spot for Operation Seelowe (Operation Sealion), Germany's code name for their planned invasion of Britain, was Cuckmere Haven. Located between Eastbourne and Brighton it is where the Cuckmere River meets the English Channel and was flanked by high chalk cliffs.

As a result of this a number of defences were constructed in the area to prevent a possible landing by the Germans.

Although much of the original defences have been dismantled or suffered damage over the years, including the anti-tank scaffolding (often known as Admiralty scaffolding or Obstacle Z.1) and barbed wire, there are still many original structures that can be visited in the area which now lies within the Seven Sisters Country Park.

There are several pillboxes and machine gun emplacements in the area of different styles including Type 24, FW3/25 and Type 26 as well as a number that are defined as non-standard.

It is possible to go inside a couple but care should always be taken. Some are located further inland but most overlook the mouth of the Cuckmere River.

You can also still see examples of the slit trenches, large defensive earthworks that could be occupied by between 10 and 20 soldiers.

Finally, running along the banks of the river are a number of tank traps, known as dragons teeth. Pyramidal anti-tank obstacles constructed of reinforced concrete to impede the movement of tanks and other armoured vehicles. 

The Seven Sisters Country Park and Cuckmere Haven are well worth a visit if you are interested in how Britain prepared for a possible invasion.

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GROVE ROAD, MILE END, LONDON

In 1944 Germany launched the first of the V1 (Flying Bombs) on Britain. Launched from various sites across France they had a range of almost 257 kilometres (160 miles). 

The first V1s to hit Britain were launched on 13 June 1944. There were four on this first attack which was not a trial but the start of a major full-scale offensive. The first to hit, at 4.13am, fell about five miles west of Gravesend at Swanscombe. The second six minutes later in Cuckfield, Sussex while a fourth fell at 5.06 am at Platt, near Sevenoaks. The third had hit London.

At 4.25am on 13 June 1944, a few days after the D-Day Landings, the first V1 (Flying Bomb) fell on Central London. The V1 hit the LNER (London North Eastern Railway) bridge and the houses nearby in Grove Road. 

Six people were killed and nine seriously injured. A further 200 were left homeless following the attack.

The casualties were, Dora Cohen (aged 55), Connie Day (32), Willie Rogers (50), Lennie Sherman (12), Ellen Woodcraft (19) and her son Tom (eight-months old).

The bridge was badly damaged but within 40 hours it was repaired, with a temporary bridge which stood until 1948 when a permanent structure was erected. 

In June 1987 a steel blue plaque was placed on the bridge by the Greater London Council following a proposal by Joseph Waters, an east-ender whose  brother had been injured. The plaque was later stolen and replaced with an English Heritage ceramic blue plaque which remains today.

Grove Road is one of many World War One and Two sites I have visited in London and I will be covering more in future updates.

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NATIONAL MEMORIAL ARBORETUM

I recently visited the National Memorial Arboretum in Staffordshire after originally planning to go in 2025 but having to cancel due to train/tube strikes and the bad weather.

As I live on the south coast I booked a couple of nights away in Tamworth which gave me the chance to spend a whole day at the Arboretum.

I travelled up on the Sunday and after checking in to the hotel spent the evening walking around Tamworth and enjoying dinner and a pint at the local Wetherspoons, The Bole Bridge.

Early Monday morning I headed back to the train station and picked up the local bus service whick took about 30 minutes to reach the Arboretum.

I arrived just as they opened and was greeted by a very polite member of staff who enquired if it was my first visit and was there any memorials in particular that I was interested in seeing.

As I had already purchased a guide book a few weeks before I had a very good idea and plan for the day.

As I had left the hotel early I took the opportunity to enjoy a breakfast at the Arboretum restaurant which was very nice. I have to say, once again, all the staff were very polite. Breakfast eaten it was time to start exploring.

Before I talk about just a few of the memorials I visited, a short history of the site.

The National Memorial Arboretum is a site of remembrance in Alrewas near Lichfield, Staffordshire.

The idea was suggested by Commander David Childs, CBE who, in 1988, wished to create a centre for remembrance to those who had lost their lives in defence of their country.

In 1994 Prime Minister John Major launched an appeal believing that the Arboretum would become a living tribute to the service men and women.

Three proposals were agreed... the site was to be the location of the Armed Forces Memorial, the Ministry of Defence would pay a grant allowing free entry into the site and The Royal British Legion would accept the site as somewhere for the nation's year-round remembrance. 

At first there was no money for the land, staff or trees and it was only an idea. Fortunately The National Lottery granted forty per-cent of the funds required with extra funds being donated by both civilian and military organisations.

The area chosen for the site was reclaimed gravel workings located between the Trent and Tame Rivers and donated by Tarmac Lafarge.

Work commenced in 1997 and the Arboretum was officially opened on 16 May 2001 by Her Royal Highness The Duchess of Kent.

The site covers approximately 150 acres, contains more than 25,000 trees and over 420 memorials to the armed forces, civilian organisations and voluntary bodies that all played a part in serving the country.

The largest memorial, which is positioned at the heart of the Arboretum close to the entrance, is the Armed Forces Memorial. A tribute to 16,000 service personnel who lost their lives in conflict or as a result of terroist acts, since the Second World War.

Designed by Liam O'Connor Architects there are inner and outer walls with each of the names inscribed on them.

At 11am on 11 November each year the sun shines through the gaps between the inner and outer walls casting a shaft of light across the wreath that sits in the centre of the memorial.

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The first memorial to be erected was The Polar Bear Memorial: 49th Infantry West Riding Division. Made from yellow hardwood it took six years to create. Standing 9ft long, 5ft high and weighing over 2 tonnes it is an impressive structure.

It is a tribute to the 49th Infantry West Riding Division who fought in Flanders during the First World War. They received the nickname 'The Polar Bears' during the Second World War when they were stationed in Iceland and fought in Norway, often in more than 20 inches of snow.

The memorial was dedicated in 1998, three years before the Arboretum's official opening in 2001.

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The Guinea Pig Club was formed in July 1941 by Allied aircrew who were being treated for severe burns. The members were being treated by Sir Archibold McIndoe and his team at the Queen Victoria Hospital in East Grinstead. At the end of the war there were more than 600 members of the Club.

McIndoe, born in New Zealand, trained in plastic surgery at St Bartholomew's Hospital and became one of the leading plastic surgeons. His work at the Queen Victoria during World War Two saw those airmen with horrific burns to their faces and bodies, known as 'McIndoe's Guinea Pigs', given pioneering reconstructive surgery.

Carved from green slate the memorial is formed in a similar shape to a Spitfire wing. At the botton there is a depiction of a crashed Hurricane with a vapour trail running down from the top. The trail actually forms a facial outline of McIndoe. An inscription reads, 'Out of the flames came inspiration.'

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The work of the SOE (Special Operations Executive) is remembered with the Vera Atkins Memorial Seat designed in the form of a hexagram, a 6-pointed star, and a shape that is used in many cultures around the world.

The shape of the memorial was chosen as it encompasses a pine tree that was grown from a seed found in a cone from the Natzweiler Concentration Camp by Annette Colton and planted at the Arboretum by her in 2008.

Vera Atkins was an intelligence officer whose responsibility included choosing and looking after the women who were sent to France as couriers, radio operators and to assist the French Resistance. After the war she went back to Europe to find out the fate of those agents who did not return.

There are plaques placed around the memorial with details of those agents who did not return, either executed or died of diseases at concentration camps including Dachu, Ravensbruck and Natzweiler.

The agents include, Violette Szabo, Lilian Rolfe, Diana Rowden, Noor Inayat-Khan and Yolande Beekman but many others are listed.

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Two memorials have a connection with football and they both commemorate events during the First World War.

Christmas Truce Memorial: Football Remembers is dedicated to the soldiers from both sides engaged in an unofficial truce in No Man's Land on the Western Front on Christmas Day 1914. During this brief respite from the horrors of war they shook hands, chatted, exchanged gifts and took part in an impromptu game of football.

Designed by ten-year old Spencer Turner it features two bronze hands, one British and one German, shaking hands all enclosed within a wire football. The stone plinth has the wording, 'Christmas Truce 1914... Football Remembers'.

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The second football related memorial is to the players, staff and supporters of Clapton Orient Football Club who served and died with the 17th Battalion Middlesex Regiment. They became known as The Footballers Battalion.

The dedication reads, 'Footballers who were used to playing together on the field wished also to be together on the battlefields of Flanders and to be side by side with those with whom they fought at football.' In October 1946, Clapton Orient Football Club adopted the name Leyton Orient.

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Also in this area of the Arboretum is a stone with a plaque that has final lines from Robert Laurene Binyon's poem, For The Fallen, 'They shall not grow old, as we that are left grow old. Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning. We will remember them.'

It also bears the inscription, 'In Rembrance of 956,703 British Empire men and women who fell in the Great War 1914-1919.'

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Many women have seen active service, both at home and on the battlefields, and their contributions are remembered on several memorials.

The Women's Land Army and Timber Corps Memorial is a tribute to those women who provided additional agricultural support and provided food and timber to aid the war effort.

By 1943 more than 80,000 worked in the Land Army and were known as Land Girls. A further 6,000, known as Lumber Jills, worked in the Timber Corps.

The bronze memorial shows two girls dressed in their respective uniforms. The Land Girl is holding a sprig of corn and a pitchfork while the Lumber Girl has an axe over her shoulder and is holding a pine cone and sprig of oak, This sybolises both kinds of work they undertook, in agriculture and timber.

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Both the Women's Royal Army Corps (WRAC) and the Auxiliary Territorial Service are commemorated with statues.

The first, known as the 'WRAC Lady', pays tribute to all the women who served in the WRAC between 1949 and 1992. They played a big part in dealing with emergencies and security threats in Northern Ireland, Iraq, the Falklands and many other countries.

The second statue remembers those women of the Auxiliary Territorial Service which was the women's branch of the British Army and who served in the Second World War. Formed in September 1938 it had its roots in the Women's Auxiliary Army Corps (WAAC) which was formed in 1917 as a voluntary service. The ATS existed until 1949 when it was merged with the Women's Royal Army Corps.

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Pegasus Bridge, originally called the Benouville Bridge, was a crossing over the Caen Canal. Along with Ranville Bridge (later renamed Horsa Bridge) which spanned the Orne River, their capture was vital in defending the D-Day landing beaches in Normandy and the Airborne Forces drop zones to the west and east of the bridges.

Operation Deadstick, an operation that saw six Horsa Gliders released from Halifax aircraft landing near to the bridges, resulted in the capture of both bridges.

The Pegasus Bridge Memorial, which commemorates this event, depicts three Horsa Gliders set in a giant letter 'S' on a metal column. The 'S' represents the way the raid was carried out... in secret and silence with stealth, speed and surprise.

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The June 1944 D-Day Landings are remembered on the Normandy Veterans Memorial. The design of the memorial is based on the Normandy coastline, viewed from the sea, where the landings took place.

In front is a stone plinth with two metal plaques, one with a brief history of the D-Day landings and the other has the inscription, 'This plot is dedicated to all those men and women who took part in the Normandy Campaign of 1944.'

A map showing the coastline and beaches and the various army groups that landed is also featured..

Nearby are five stones, one for each of the beaches... Gold, Juno, Sword, Utah and Omaha.

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During the First World War 309 soldiers (British and Commonwealth) were shot for desertion, cowardice and other crimes and they are remembered at the Shot at Dawn Memorial.

The main statue depicts a young soldier, blindfolded and about to face the firing squad. Behind the statue are 309 metal posts arranged in a semi-circle, each with a small metal plaque bearing the name, rank, regiment and date and their age when they were shot.

Today it is known that many were underage when they joined up and many more suffered from Post Traumatic Stress Disorder (PTSD), something which wasn't recognised back in the First World War. It would be the 1980s before it was recognised as a medical condition.

A Pardons Campaign which commenced in the early-1990s aimed to pardon those who were wrongly convicted.

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The Royal Airforces Association Remembrance Garden (RAFA) is an impressive memorial to all those who served in the RAF and Commonwealth Air Forces.

In the centre of the 50-metre garden is the Royal Air Force Association emblem, a stainless steel eagle sitting above a globe. The eagle was constructed from more than a thousand hand-forged feathers.

The eagle is surrounded by an RAF roundel separated into four different sections which depicts the Association at the heart of RAF welfare.

The plinth on which the eagle stands has the dedication, 'In friendship and in service one to another we are pledged to keep alive the memory of those of all Nations who died in the Royal Air Force and in the Air Forces of The Commonwealth. In their name we give ourselves to this noble cause. Proudly and thankfully we will remember them.'

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The Women's Royal Air Force Memorial celebrates the work of the women who served alongside their male counterparts in the ranks or as commissioned officers.

The WRAF has had a long and varied history. Formed in 1918 it was disbanded just two years later in 1920. It was replaced in 1939 as the Women's Auxiliary Airforce (WAAF) at the start of the Second World War. The WRAF was reinstated in 1949 and women were enlisted as regulars into their own branch of the RAF. 

In 1982 women were trained to be fully combatant and carried on the same duties as the men. They served in various conflicts including Cyprus, the Falklands and the Gulf War.

The Women's Royal Air Force ceased in 1994 with terms and conditions equal for both men and women and they were absorbed into the RAF.

The memorial features two WRAF personnel either side of their badge and underneath are the dates they were active... 1918-1920 and 1949-1994.

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The railways have played a major and important role in wars over the years and this is remembered with The Railway Industry Memorial which celebrates the achievements of those who worked on the railways and also gave their lives during times of conflict and peace.

The memorial features a Class 8F locomotive made of black granite sitting on top of a plinth. The reverse features a number of depictions of various activities carried out by the railway workers and companies. This is etched onto the black granite.

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The 36th (Ulster) Division Memorial is dedicated to the Officers and Men of the 36th (Ulster) Division and the Nursing and Medical Corps who served behind them during the First World War.

The black granite stone is inscribed with gold lettering and at the top is the heraldic red hand, the insignia badge of the Division. At the centre of the stone is a painting, by J. P. Beadle, of the Attack of the Ulster Division, showing the fighting on the first day of The Battle of The Somme.

Under the painting is the poem 'Lest We Forget' and either side are listed the battlefields in which they fought... Ypres, Messines, Cambrai, Passchendaele, Fricourt and others.

Scattered around the memorial is soil from Ulster's nine counties and also the Somme, Messines, Passchendaele Wytschaete and Polcapelle.

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The Burma Railway Memorial is a tribute to the more than 250,000 Allied prisoners of war and civilians who were forced to build the 258 mile 'Death Railway' which ran between Bangkok, Thailand and Rangoon, Burma.

Work commenced in October 1942 but the pace increased the following year when the Japanese demanded faster progress. The railway was completed in October 1943 but at a terrible loss.

Over 15,000 Allied POWs and 100,000 labourers died during the construction and are remembered in this memorial.

The memorial is constructed from 30-metres of original track and sleepers from the railway which were brought back to Britain in 2001 on HMS Northumberland.

A FEPOW (Far East Prisoners Of War) plaque explains more about the memorial while another at the other end of the track shows the route of the railway. 

The Bridge Over The River Kwai, as it has become known and depicted in the film of the same name, was just a small part of the railway and crossed the Mae Klong River in Kanchanaburi. Following the success of the film people began visiting the bridge and to avoid any confusion that part of the river was renamed Khwae Yai (River Kwai).

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One of the recent additions to the site is the memorial to the 97 soldiers who were killed in the massacre at Le Paradis, France. This was one memorial that had a special significance to me as, back in 2023, I actually visited the site of the massacre during my Leger Battlefield Tour, Dunkirk and Fortress Europe, which was very interesting and emotional.

On 27 May 1940, during the Battle of France, the British Expeditionary Force were trying to retreat back to Dunkirk and then evacuation back to England.

Troops from the 2nd Battalion, the Royal Norfolk Regiment, had become separated from the rest of their unit and occupied, and defended, a farmhouse in the small hamlet of Le Paradis. Running out of ammunition they surrendered. 

Soldiers from the SS Division Totenkopf, commanded by Haupsturmfuhrer Fritz Knochlein, led the prisoners across the road where they were stood against a wall and gunned down. Two, despite their injuries, managed to escape but were captured a few days later.

After the war, Knochlein was convicted and sentenced to death. He was executed in 1949. The two survivors acted as witnesses.

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Having just mentioned one memorial that relates to the events of May 1940, The Battle of France and Dunkirk, it brings me to the final one I will cover in this article.

The Dunkirk Memorial was one of the last I visited during my trip and my own personal favourite due to its simplicity and the fact that it said all that was needed to remember what happened during those few weeks in May when more than 338,000 troops were evacuated from the beaches in Dunkirk. The rifle and helmet sit on pebbles and sand that came from the beaches.

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This article has only covered a few of the memorials I visited and there are many, many more  to be seen.

The National Memorial Arboretum is a beautiful and peaceful place and a great tribute to the many regiments, organisations and events that are remembered here.

As mentioned earlier, the staff are exceptional and very helpful not only in the reception and the restaurant but also out and about. They were always happy to give directions and information.

If you haven't been to the National Memorial Arboretum I can highly recommend it and am already planning to visit again one day.

Note: There are plans to rename The National Memorial Arboretum and from the end of September it will be known as The Royal British Legion National Remembrance Garden. There has been a lot of controversy with this decision and a petition to stop the change has been signed by thousands of people. My own feelings is that it should stay as The National Memorial Arboretum.