Henry's Hill

A July afternoon.  Very warm, sunny with occasional cloud cover for relief.  We decide to visit Cote de Chaumont or, as we call it, Henry’s Hill.  At the top there is a private memorial to Henry Gunther - the last American killed in World War One.

He and fellow soldiers came across a German gun placement at the top of the hill just before the Armistice came into effect at 11.00. a.m. on November 11th 1918.  His fellow American soldiers and also the German soldiers urged him to stop, but he would not listen and advanced. When the Germans came under fire from him, they had to retaliate.  He was shot and died at 10.59. a.m.

Nobody will ever know what was going through his mind at that moment but he now has a memorial to mark the place where he fell and will not be forgotten.

 The views from the hill are magnificent, stretching to the north and south of the Woevre Plain, edged by the Hautes des Meuse; towards Belgium and Luxembourg. 

While we were there, and just across the track from where we sat on a bench, the farmer decided to send in the John Deere harvester to cut the dried rapeseed and machines on distant hills were doing the same, each echoing the rising clouds of dust.  Luckily the wind was not blowing in our direction, although our car came away somewhat dustier than we started.

 
At least with the cut we had better nearer views and zoomed in on a little chateau and the fields beyond the one with the rapeseed.

It’s a lovely spot, about 4 miles from our town, and a favourite place which is not usually as busy!