@@yorkshiresfinestpair Don’t tempt him lol . It’s been manic and exhausting but well worth it. 😁🥰

@@N2th2n20 we have two

@ ooo very nice

@@shelaghbooth332 makes it all festive 😁

@@timquick1045 Thank you for watching 👍🏼

@@thenoworriesnomad Thank you, glad you liked the video 😊

@@yorkshiresfinestpair Can’t imagine being in a war at age 14, still a child. But so many lied to get accepted, thankfully nowadays this can’t happen. It has been so windy lately, so be careful out there. We’ve reached the end of these episodes now, and we are going to hopefully have a relaxing Christmas. It will probably be in the new year when we can get out again and do some vlogging. Hope you both have a lovely xmas and all the best for the new year. James and Karen 🥰🥰

@@JustForTheWeekendvanlife, well you’ll have a very peaceful and relaxing Christmas without me around! I’m at work 9am to 11pm, then sleep over 💤 Home Boxing Day 11am… Think I’ll be watching our last year’s Christmas Vlogs…

@@shelaghbooth332 We were wondering where it had gone. Lucky I managed to get it edited in a few hours. 🤓

We could have stayed weeks longer! Wish we could have! So much more to see and research. Equally, there was so much more footage Karen didn’t publish! I think her next mission is to do more research on her relatives who died: the only one she researched fully was Dick Thompson ‘ *WW1* ‘ All the others have stories we’d like to know more about. We feel we now know about my father’s cousin, Frank Carter who we’ve covered in several episodes including at the Menin Gate. But we had huge help from Johan, a chief researcher at The Flanders Field’s Museum who filled in all the details we just hadn’t got access to.

@@grahamcook795 thank you, that’s a lovely comment 😊

Hahaha I told him , all I was bothered about was the microphone 😂 He wanted to do that reading really, he loves that sort of thing. It was me that was nervous for him, but yes one heck of a memorable moment. Thanks for your support guys, always appreciated Karen and James 🥰❤️💙

@JustForTheWeekendvanlife we've just invested in the new DJI mini mics they look really good and over half the size of the older model.. can't wait to be trying them out. So we've now all the gear and still no idea 😂😂 ho well it keeps us busy whilst away...

@@yorkshiresfinestpair cool, they’re amazing! You’ll be able to pick Neil’s voice up even when he’s a tiny dot in the distance. 🤓

@@JustForTheWeekendvanlife 🤔🙄🫣 not sure that's such a good idea.. 🤣🤣

@@yorkshiresfinestpair 🤓

@@yorkshiresfinestpair so many young men gave their lives. I couldn’t imagine ever doing what they did for our future. Karen & James ❤️💙

@@shelaghbooth332 Three weeks we were there and it was a journey indeed; a very personal one many times. It’s been a pleasure sharing. However, we have discovered some lost footage that we are currently working on. So the final one hopefully should be ready for next weekend.

Very emotional episode next week. None of our relatives, but John McRae as well as a 15 year old and a 14 year old who made the ultimate sacrifice. X

@@shelaghbooth332 we always find this cemetery overwhelming. The vast number of men lay buried here and the names of the missing on panels is indeed sobering.

It’s always been an emotional place to visit for us, but since Karen did extra research and found William Mowbray, who I think was Karen’s great grandma’s brother, it makes it so much more personal. We’ve been to the WW1 sites many times, but this has not only been the longest trip, but, knowing about all our fallen relatives and visiting their graves or memorials has been so much more personal. We’ve also traveled to so many remote cemeteries to pay our respects to Karen’s relatives. It’s been quite a journey, both geographically and emotionally. X

@@garytracey1690 there were so many brave men, and to receive a VC ….show exceptional bravery. Hope you’re getting all the help you need with the army doctors.

@@garytracey1690 he will never be forgotten

@@grahamcook795 thank you; there were a lot of them to watch. The final one is out tomorrow at 2pm, be sure to watch 👍🏼👍🏼👍🏼

That’s very kind of you. We appreciate you taking your time to watch our videos👍🏼👍🏼

@@gracelight2459 we have visited some relatives that fought and died in this war; some memorials and graves. We have documented them on this channel and while pausing filming for a moment, that’s when the emotions come out.

It was a very personal journey for us both. I have one relative, and Karen has 12 relatives who died in the First World War. We visited every single one of them or their memorial. We felt it was our duty to pay our respects to every single one of them as well as other soldiers that people may be aware of. If you check out the rest of the series, you’ll see we also pay our respects to many unknown soldiers as we feel they need to be remembered. At times it was tough. We had time for us off camera and didn’t present everything we filmed when we felt it wasn’t right. It was a very, very personal journey that we have documented for us, for family and friends. We have shared it to the channel as we feel it’s important that history is recorded. At the setting of the sun And in the morning We will remember them

@@gracelight2459 thank you for watching, and your comment. Thank you for your appreciation 👍🏼👍🏼

@@markobrien2228 just go watch something else

What interests you then Nark? I couldn’t work that out from trawling through all the vlogs you’ve painstakingly created? You must really hate all the shitty comments people have posted on your vlogs after you’ve worked so hard to create them. What a bunch of a*seholes eh?

@@gracelight2459 thank you for taking your time to watch and for your comment. Very much appreciated 👍🏼

@@Kierenstanden-qz7eu thank you for your lovely comment, very much appreciated 👍🏼

@@steeeeve8676 There as a reminder.

@@TunnelTrek so much battle scarred land.

@@thenoworriesnomad absolutely. It certainly knocks you back-a cemetery this size. So many graves, so many men missing. They will alway be remembered.

@@lisa01ism, thank you for your kind comments. We have been to France and Belgium several times normally focusing on just WW1. But this trip (which was quite a personal journey) we wanted to see the Bayeux Tapestry (we watched a reenactment in October and Karen is a direct descendant of William The Conquerer!) we also took the opportunity to see WW2 stuff, Pegasus Bridge and the Normandy landing beaches as well as Oradour Sur Glane which is a shocking story (see earlier vlogs) We then visited many of Karen’s relatives cemeteries and memorials as she found many who made the ultimate sacrifice in her family tree. As you’ll see, some of the cemeteries are very remote. If you get the opportunity to visit we are happy to give advice… X

@ oh my goodness that’s amazing and I’ve only seen some of the cemeteries in France whilst on my way to Paris but never got the chance to visit. I found out today though that Cannock Chase also has a war cemetery (mixed nationalities) from both the first and second. I was shocked because I lived in Cannock for 10 years and never knew. I live just under an hour away now in South Staffordshire so the next time I’m over that way and the weather is better I am definitely paying a visit. I know the one at Alrewas but not in Cannock itself. I am 46 and still learn something new every day, but yes I will definitely check out your other vlogs etc :). Have a wonderful evening :)

@@lisa01ism seeing all the cemeteries and the memorials are simply mind blowing. Thank you for your appreciation,😊

@@lisa01ism, James here, Karen’s other half. It’s surprising how many UK cemeteries have Commonwealth War Graves Commission graves within them. There’s a large section in Harrogate at Stonefall Cemetery which I’ve noticed but not yet visited. Where we live in Ripon, there’s a cemetery with quite a few CWGC burials. We noticed that there were many burials after the end of the War, even into 1919. While Ripon is a garrison town it seemed like a lot of had ‘died of their wounds’. Then we realised: ‘Spanish Flu’. Ironically, troop movements increased the death toll from Spanish Flu, as if the war hadn’t been devastating enough! There are many more WW2 deaths in UK cemeteries who are usually air crew for obvious reasons. Something that would be of interest to you when you visit Cannock Chase would be to look out for those two details. X

@@yorkshiresfinestpair so very true and we’ve not visited everything yet; that will be for another year or two. They’re always digging stuff up. It’s called the Iron Harvest. That bloody sheep as well , just as I was looking at a bomb 🤓. Karen and James ❤️💙

@@shelaghbooth332 There’s probably a lot more still underground.

@@thenoworriesnomad we appreciate your support 👍🏼👍🏼🙂

Not as frightening as it was in 1915!

@@yorkshiresfinestpair we later found out that the current owners father decided to keep the land as it was. Wouldn’t like to have been there back in the First World War. Karen & James ❤️💙

@@Millionaire-Paul it is very moving visiting these now peaceful places 👍🏼👍🏼

tears ?????nobody ask the germand to come to France Belguim in the first and the second W War

@@yorkshiresfinestpair hard to imagine isn’t it. Shell shock, now known as PTSD . 😔 James and Karen 💙💙💙

@@yorkshiresfinestpair it does seem shocking to us but over there, it’s the norm. People of our age when they were kids even used to play with them! That chap , Jan , he was playing with these WW1 bombs that were dug up while we would be making mud pies in England 😳😳 scary!!! We try to pay respects to some of the unknown graves, can’t possibly do them all, far too many. But important to remember those that are lost forever. Thank you for watching always appreciated James and Karen 💙💙❤️

@@yorkshiresfinestpair by now you’ll have realised that we are geeky on this subject, but only a few more videos to come. Seems like ages ago now , been back home for over two months now . They do keep these war cemeteries immaculate. The gardeners work so hard . James and Karen 🥰💙❤️

@JustForTheWeekendvanlife I would say your geeky at all. We feel ashamed of ourselves for not knowing anything about our past families 🥺 we've heard lots of stories in the past from our parents & past grandparents years ago about the war. But it's never been something we've ever looked into. We've always looked towards the future and never into our past.. 😔 🥰 big respect for you doing this. ❤️

@@yorkshiresfinestpair to be fair, years and years ago we didn’t really know much about it. It wasn’t until at least one of my relatives was discovered. But even then we didn’t really get in to it until around 2016 when it was the 100th anniversary of the first day of the battle of the Somme. And we started watching docs on KZbin about it. Generations ago kind of didn’t really talk about stuff like this. If my great grandparents were still alive ( they’d be bloody old!! ) I would have been asking them loads about the past. It’s weird because when my great gran passed away I was only 13 and when you’re that age you aren’t really interested in that sort of thing. We keep saying if only our grandparents and great grandparents were still here….could spend ages talking to them now. Karen & James 🥰❤️💙

@@thenoworriesnomad thank you, and thank you for your support, always appreciated 🙂

Indeed, we find it very interesting and humbling 🙂

Very moving to see where Frank Carter was mortally wounded. A very emotional journey for you both which really comes across. I've learned loads from your trip vlogs.

@@thenoworriesnomad Frank Carter was James’s 1st cousin once removed. Thank you for watching, glad you’re enjoying it 👍🏼🙂

@ Thank you, yes I am enjoying it, it’s a great little World War I series, I’ve been to some of the cemeteries you’ve been to but many I haven’t so I think a trip needs to be planned LOL

@@thenoworriesnomad my fathers cousin.

Until last year, I thought that I only had the one that was buried at Pigeon Ravine cemetery. The rest I found was by doing my family history. None are direct ancestors but to me I felt that it was important to remember them regardless of that fact because as far as I know no one in the family has known of their final resting place.

@@stevescott245 thank you for your lovely comment and your support. Glad we have inspired you to go again. 🙂👍🏼

@@thenoworriesnomad so many cemeteries and so many memorials, so many missing still. Lest we forget. I think he said alleged because we have watched documentaries that say either a football match or just a kick about, same thing really I suppose, I know nothing about football anyway. It’s been a tough one, but important to us. Thank you for your support and for watching 🙂

@ oh ok,

I’ll let James reply …lol

Diesel heater was £144. It’s a Chinese one. Our mechanic charged us £250 to fit it, but I gave him £300 because it was a lot of work! He had to cut through a structural bit underneath but it’s been through 2 MOTs since, no problem. I would recommend not using the 10 litre fuel tank (supplied) to keep smelly diesel out of your living space. Instead tap it into the car diesel tank. Make sure it’s nearly empty first as they will need to drop it. We had an issue with an error code, which turned out to be a blocked exhaust. (North Yorkshire mud) Having just returned from Scotland, we have another issue. Spoke to my mechanic today and he will look at it… so it may be a blocked pipe again, though the error code shows fuel blockage, which could be because of the (very) sub zero temperatures we encountered. It turns a 6 month a year microcamper into an all year round camper. Just make sure you get a carbon monoxide alarm, just in case. James 👍🏼👍🏼

Just add, our diesel heater fits under the front passenger seat, so I assume yours should too. We put a cargo net above the cab area attached with zip ties which is a wasted space. We use it for our window blinds when travelling, then put our clothes up there at night.

Also our mechanic fitted a button on the tail gate to open it from inside which is incredibly handy! And a bungy through the boot strap hooked onto the boot catch allows you to open the boot to a 45 degree angle, ideal for cooking inside without getting rained on!

Mmm…dear husband left his normal glasses in the van , so he was stuck with the sunglasses because he can’t see long distance without ( the sunglasses are prescription ones) 🤓😂 I did tell him as we were going down the tunnel

It was my Blues Brothers tribute! As Karen pointed out, they are prescription sunglasses which worked great in the bright sunshine above, less so underground.

@@shelaghbooth332 around 23,000 around the world but we’ve only visited a few. It’s something you have to see to realise how many lives lost 💙

Do you recall the cemetery in Morocco we visited? It had allied pilots in it among others obviously. Must have been a Commonwealth War Graves section though I don’t recall?

@@yorkshiresfinestpair It’s an interesting thought. Originally for years, I thought I only had the one, but after doing my family tree, I’ve discovered there are quite a few. It’s quite a humbling feeling when you find out just how brave they were and how they gave their lives for our future. Thank you for watching and commenting guys, always appreciated 💙❤️ Karen and James ❤️💙

Karen has the most amazing family tree! From Kings to Wild West Gunslingers! 1066 anyone?