Welcome to the second edition of Trench Lincs for March. I hope that you find something of interest in this edition and please see the outings planned for both March and April. New faces are always welcome.
Did you see the news from the Imperial War Museum last week?
As of 1st June 2025, the IWM, without informing Lord Ashcroft apparently, announced that they will close the Ashcroft Gallery of Victoria Crosses. This large collection of Victoria Crosses was loaned to the IWM in 2010 for a period of fifteen years and in my view is a highlight of any visit to the IWM.
The IWM statement reads; ‘Announcement by Imperial War Museum on 25 February 2025.
Like all museums, we regularly update our galleries to ensure we can share as much of the 33 million items in our collection as possible with the public.
We are very proud to have displayed the Lord Ashcroft Medal Collection at IWM London since 2010, made possible thanks to a generous 15-year loan by Lord Ashcroft.
IWM London has proudly displayed Victoria Crosses and George Crosses since 1968, and we remain committed to sharing these stories of the greatest acts of bravery and sacrifice in defence of our nation with the public. We plan for VC and GC medals from IWM’s collection to continue to be displayed across our UK branches, integrated within galleries that tell the full story of the conflicts in which these acts of bravery occurred.
Over the past 10 years at IWM London, we have opened new galleries exploring the First and Second World Wars, The Holocaust, and our art, film and photography collection. Our displays exploring the past 80 years of post-Second World War conflict, including the Cold War, Falklands War and the wars in Afghanistan and Iraq, are less well represented. Our aim is to address this by creating new gallery spaces on upper floors at IWM London, which will allow us to share more stories of conflicts that are within many of our visitors’ living memory.
To prepare for the development of these new spaces, The Lord Ashcroft Gallery at IWM London will close permanently from 1 June 2025. We are enormously grateful to Lord Ashcroft and the other private lenders who have enabled us to display these important medals since the gallery opened.’
I can understand the desire to better reflect all of the post 1945 conflicts, but closing the Ashcroft Gallery is not a good step for the IWM, in my opinion. Please let me know your thoughts.
FORTHCOMING EVENTS.
Please find details for the next meeting of the Lincoln and North Lincs WFA Branch to be held at 7.30pm on Monday March 31st.
The speaker, Andrew Moody, will present - “The Great War on the Silent Screen”.
The venue as ever will be the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG.
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The East Midlands (Nottingham) WFA Branch meets again on Friday 14th March when Simon Keable Elliott will speak about ‘Robert Keable and the South African Native Labour Corps.’
The talk will be held in St. Peter’s Church Rooms, Church Street, Ruddington, Nottingham, NG11 6HA with a start time of 7.30pm. Everyone welcome.
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The Spalding and South Lincolnshire WFA Branch will next meet on Thursday 28th March.
The venue is Spalding Baptist Church, Swan Street, Spalding, PE11 1BT with a start time of 7.30pm.
The speaker, Steve Warburton will present - “First In, Last Out: Brig-Gen C H T Lucas (87th Brigade, 29th Division) at Gallipoli”.
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The Leadenham Military History Group’s next meeting will be on Tuesday 25th March, at Leadenham Village Hall with a start time of 7.30pm.
This evening will be a Navy night with two speakers.
Presentation: Herbert Cheffings, leading seaman – based on the memoirs of this local man who took part in the Battle of Jutland and operations in Somaliland - by Alison Gibson.
Presentation: HMS Hermes and her role in the Fleet Air Arm 1959-1984, by Simon Hudson.
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March sees the 2025 series of lectures at the Friends of the Lincoln tank Group start once again.
All meetings on a Thursday night at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, with a 7.30pm start time.
March 13th - Alwyn Killingsworth will speak about "Lt. Bond and tank 743."
"The 15th September 1916, the date on which tanks were first ever used in modern warfare. This is the story of one of the tank commanders who fought on that day. Leonard Charles Bond was the commander of tank 743 at the battle of Flers. Although born in Gravesend Kent, there is a very strong Lincolnshire connection to his story as, indeed, there is to the battle of Flers itself. The presentation will show what the contribution Leonard, and tank 743, had to the battle and how he went on to have a full military career. Oh and yes he had two brothers who also had distinguished WW1 service and whose stories will be touched on."
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Andy Blow has been in touch, and I am delighted to let you all have details of his and Richard Pullen’s dates for Tank Tour Two when Richard Pullen and Andy deliver the story of the Lincoln tanks with old film and images.
On Friday night, March 14, we will be at Nettleham Village Hall for an event we are promoting with kind help from the Hall committee. Tickets £10. In each case ticketing is via Eventbrite.
Click here for Nettleham tickets. Thank you.’
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Another group who meet at the Royal Naval Club, Coulson Road, Lincoln, LN6 7BG are the Lincs Aviation Society, ably led by our friends, Chas Parker and John Lintin.
Therefore, I now have great pleasure in advertising their forthcoming events, which take place on the third Thursday of each month - entry is £2 for members and £3 for visitors.
The next speaker event is on Thursday 20th March at 7.30pm when the speaker will be none other than Mike Credland, whose talk is entitled 'RAF Connections in Lincolnshire in World War II.'
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Please click on this link to read the latest edition of the Sleaford and District Aviation Society newsletter courtesy of Peter Garland.
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The next outing for those in the Lincoln area, although everyone is welcome who wants to make the journey, will be to the Newark Air Museum, Drove Lane, Newark, NG24 2NY. Home Click the link to see the museum website.
The date is Wednesday 26th March at 10.30am. The cost of entry is £11.50 or £10.50 for the over 65’s. There is a café, shop and toilet facilities on site, and for the nimble visitor, there will be the chance to climb inside some of the planes including the Vulcan and Shackleton.
As it is a booked group visit, I have to confirm the numbers prior to the date, so please let me know if you will be attending. Thank you.
I look forward to hearing from you.
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As I mentioned last week, my recent trip to York has elicited a lot of interest for a return visit. Therefore, a date has now been set for Wednesday 30th April. I shall be on the 09.46 train out of Newark Northgate station and returning at 17.33.
If you would like to join the party (already 5 strong) please just book your train ticket and let me know.
We shall visit the Army Museum (The Kohima museum is only open on a Thursday but we are attempting to organise a private visit) and other attractions as takes our fancy.
I look forward to hearing from you as to enter the Kohima museum, which is on MOD property, I will need to give your details in advance and you will need to bring photographic ID with you on the day.
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David Williams, The Secretary of the Tank Memorial Ypres Salient Group has been in touch with a notice for all of the planned TMYS events for 2025. Should you find yourself in Belgium on any of these dates, you will be made most welcome.
Please click on the link for full details.
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Ray Sellers noted my reference to RAF Dunholme Lodge last week and has kindly tipped us all off about the forthcoming open days at Dunholme. Ray writes; ‘Amongst the many items therein, you mentioned Dunholme Lodge. The readership may be interested to know that the Gardens there, have two open days a year. This also gives visitors the chance to visit the museum on site, about the RAF Station and the post war racing events that took place there. The dates this year are Sundays, 4th May, and 29th June. Admission is £5.50, and its open from 11am-5pm. The postcode is LN2 3QA.Keep up the good work!’
Thank you Ray.
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Tony Nutkins was one of the TL readers who recognised George Patton in the photo recently and Tony continues; ‘Thanks for another absorbing edition of Trench Lincs, as usual plenty to read and learn from with the contributions from yourself and the other members.
A story, possibly apocryphal about General George Patton. When Eisenhower was appointed Supreme Commander in WW2, Patton was asked what he thought of him.
Eisenhower had been one of Patton's Junior Staff Officers in WW1 and Patton's reply, allegedly, was, "One of the best clerks I ever had!"
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Here is another date for your diary courtesy of Peter Garland, but you will need to make a visit to Nottingham and sorry that you only have 48 hours notice.
‘My name is Michael Hughes and I'm performing my play, 'The Last Bantam' in the Nottingham Irish Centre on March 11th.
As you doubtless know, the British army recruited 30,000 men between 5'-5'3'', formed them into bantam battalions and sent them off to fight. Notts & Derby had its own bantam battalion, the 15th service battalion, Sherwood Foresters.
My play tells the story of Britain's bantam soldiers through the eyes of Patrick Michael Wolfe, a teacher from Dublin. He joins the 15th Bantam battalion to help secure Home Rule for Ireland and his story describes the experiences of many soldiers at the front.
The Last Bantam is well-researched and has had two very successful runs in the Edinburgh Fringe.
Here are the details:
DATE: Tuesday 11th March. TIME: 19:30 - 20:30 hrs - show, followed by 20-30 minute Q&A.
LOCATION: Members Bar, Golden Shamrock Club
Nottingham Irish Centre
2-4 Wilford Street
Nottingham
NG2 1 AA
TICKETS: £10 / £5 concessions.’
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Charles Anderson kindly sent in the following photos from Greetwell and Branston churches, which you may recall, were locked when I visited last week.
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My good friend Wayne Evans at the Old Abbey Hotel at Lo Reninge in Belgium has been in touch and is looking for some help from the TL readers.
Wayne notes; ‘I'm looking for a little assistance in putting a face to a name.
I'm looking into the exploits of the 11th (Northern) Division from their taking over the line in August 1917 and leaving the Salient in October 1917 after the Battle of Poelcappelle. this obviously includes the Tank Corps support to XVIII Corps during that period.
The gent in question is Captain Douglas Llewelyn Jones, 'B' Company, 6th Lincolnshire, Age 22 from Lincoln. Born on 28 March 1895 in Tallington Vicarage, Stamford, the son of the Rev. John David and Ethel Lina Maud Mary (Carroll) Jones of 6 Queensway, Lincoln. Douglas was educated at Haileybury College and Hatfield Hall, Durham where he was studying to take his holy orders. Douglas was gazetted second lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment in January 1915, promoted to lieutenant then acting captain by 20 July 1917. He had served at Gallipoli, Egypt and then by mid-July moved to France where the battalion took part in the Battle of the Somme. During the Third Battle of Ypres he was wounded by a shell fragment and then killed by a sniper in action at Langemarck on 22 August 1917. He has no known grave and is commemorated on the TYNE COT Memorial Panel 35.
If anyone has an image of this man, I would be very grateful to add it to the full story as I went to the site of his post earlier this week between the downpours.’
I am pleased to tell you that I had a ‘Eureka’ moment last Tuesday night and after scouring the newspaper archives with no success, I came by chance on this image of Douglas Llewelyn Jones which was on the findagrave.com website – I immediately sent a copy off to Wayne in Belgium together with this link to Douglas Llewelyn Jones which I found on the universitiesatwar.org.uk web site;
‘Douglas Llewellyn Jones was born on 28 March 1895 at Tallington Vicarage, Stamford, Lincolnshire. He was the second of three sons of the Rev. John David Jones and his wife Ethel née Carroll. He was educated at Clevedon House School, Ben Rhydding, in Yorkshire and then at Haileybury and Imperial Service College, near Hertford.
He matriculated at Durham University in Michaelmas term 1913 as an Arts student, intending to take Holy Orders. He was admitted as a member of Hatfield Hall, and attended lectures through to the Easter term of 1914 when his academic record ends, curtailed by the war.
He joined the Universities and Public Schools Brigade in October 1914, and was gazetted second lieutenant in the Lincolnshire Regiment on 14 January 1915. He was later promoted to lieutenant and then captain on 20 July 1917. He served in the Dardanelles, Egypt, and finally in 1917 in France.
It was as acting captain, with D Company, 6th (Service) Battalion, that Jones was killed in action at Langemarck near Ypres on 22 August 1917. The Battle of Langemarck, part of the larger Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele), had concluded on 18 August, and the succeeding days saw more restricted attacks, consolidating gains of the previous days. The circumstances of the day’s action are well described by Colonel F.G. Spring in a history of the battalion, (compiled in the 1920s from contemporaneous accounts but published only in 2008). [Edited by our good friend, Jonathan Capek – Ed]
"The next day the Battalion moved up in support and two days later relieved the 7th South Stafford’s in the line between Langemarck and Saint Julien. The enemy resistance was centred in concrete pill-boxes, which could hold anything up to a dozen men, were loop-holed on each side for machine guns, and were immune from anything but a direct hit from a very heavy shell. Many of them had been hit several times by 18-pdrs., 4.5", even 6" shells, but except for huge lumps of concrete being knocked off, they remained secure. To take these pillboxes was a problem. Their machine guns would fire right through an ordinary shrapnel barrage at our advancing infantry, and special tactics had to be devised to overcome them. A plan was eventually evolved by which small parties attacked the pillboxes from either flank, if possible getting in their 'blind spots', while a Lewis Gun engaged the front loopholes.
This method was successfully employed on August 22nd, when two Companies, 'B' and 'D', were ordered to attack and capture Bulow Farm, a large and strongly held pill box, situated among a group of smaller ones near the Pheasant Line. Captain Foster had been killed two nights before whilst on patrol, and 'D' Company was commanded by Captain Jones. 'B' Company was still commanded by Captain Sutherland M.C. The attack was successful and Bulow Farm was taken with several prisoners. Captain Jones was killed during the attack and troops on the right failing; our right flank had to be slightly withdrawn. … Casualties numbered about fifty."
The History of the 6th (Service) Battalion Lincolnshire Regiment 1914-1919, by Colonel F.G. Spring (2008), pp.51-52.
His commanding officer wrote: “He was one of the most popular officers in the battalion, both with his fellow officers and with the men; I personally shall feel the loss terribly, as he was one of my most promising officers.”
Captain Douglas Jones was buried between Langemarck and St Julien, but the location of his grave having been lost, he is today commemorated on the Tyne Cot Memorial. His sacrifice is also recorded on memorials at Haileybury College, the church of St Mary le Wigford in Lincoln, St Benedict’s Square in Lincoln, Lincoln Cathedral, and at Hatfield College chapel.
Both Douglas Jones’ brothers served during the war, and survived. His younger brother Lieutenant D.A. Jones won a D.S.O. and a M.C., and served as an aide-de-camp to General Robertson in France. His elder brother, Second Lieutenant F.L. Jones served with him in the Lincolnshire Regiment.’
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My featured colourised photo last week from CJS was an interesting character named Captain Francis Leopold Mond. On 15th May 1918, Mond and his Observer, Edgar Martyn, were shot down and killed. Today, they lie together in Doullens Cemetery.
As might be expected from Trench Lincs readers, further information came my way this week in the shape of these two photographs of Mond’s memorial, the broken column signifying a life cut short, and the headstones for Mond and Martyn at Doullens. We have Arthur Wood to thank for this additional information.
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I chose to feature an ordinary ‘Tommy’ this week, courtesy of Colour by CJS.
Private Alfred Priestley
Alfred was born in the village of Marsden near Huddersfield, Yorkshire in 1896, and was educated at St. Paul's School, Shepley.
He was a student at Huddersfield Technical College when war was declared, but enlisted with a group of friends in January 1915.
He was deployed to France early in December 1915 as part of ‘B’ company, 16th Battalion, Royal Welch Fusiliers.
His first 6 months in France was spent rotating in and out of the front line, in working parties and training, but his first big test would be the Battle of the Somme. Alfred missed the slaughter of 1st July 1916 as his unit was held in reserve.
His first experience of an attack would be on 10th July 1916 in an assault on Mametz Wood.
The fighting that day cost the battalion 247 casualties of which 56 were killed or missing. Alfred was killed on 11th July as the last unconquered areas of the wood fell into British hands.
A friend wrote to his family explaining how he died. A shrapnel shell had exploded in the air above him and he had been killed instantly. Three others were killed and eight wounded by the same shell.
Alfred, who was 20 years old, has no known grave and is commemorated on the Thiepval Memorial.
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I attended the latest Newark Arms and Militaria Fair last Sunday and what a delight it was. If I had a private museum, I think that I could have spent a pretty penny on WWI equipment and uniform items. As it was, I had to content myself with buying a North and South Staffordshire Regiment cap badge for my new 46th Divisional display that I am putting together for Woodhall Spa show on 18th May.
I also spotted a couple of postcards that interested me, especially this one below which depicts the winning of the Victoria Cross by Battery Sergeant Major George Dorrell and Sergeant David Nelson of L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery on 1st September 1914.
On this day, British 1st Cavalry Brigade, during the retreat from Mons, was surprised in an early morning fog by an attack led by the German 4th Cavalry Division. Although sustaining heavy losses, the British turned the tables on the Germans by capturing twelve of their guns and winning three VC’s. Dorrell and Nelson were both commissioned in the field at the end of this action, as all five officers of the battery had been killed. Dorrell survived the war and lived until 1971, and sadly, Nelson was killed on 8th April 1918.
The action of L Battery RHA at Nery has gone down in the annals of British military history as one of the most gallant and self-sacrificing actions in the entire war. You can read a full account of the battle of Nery by clicking on this link.
Battle of Néry
A third member of the battery, Captain Edward Bradbury also received the Victoria Cross, but posthumously as he was killed in action on this day.
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Citations.
BRADBURY, Edward Kinder – Captain, L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. – 1st September 1914 – Within two minutes of enemy shells starting to fall at Nery, most of the members of L Battery were dead or wounded. He managed to bring one gun into action before a shell severed his leg. Mortally wounded, he directed the fire of the gun until he died. The gun did not cease firing until all ammunition was expended, by which time it had knocked out four German guns.
DORRELL, George Thomas – Battery Sergeant Major, L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. – 1st September 1914 – Whilst in action with L Battery at Nery, he helped Captain BRADBURY to bring a gun into action under tremendous fire. After the captain had been killed, he took over command and with the assistance of Sergeant NELSON, continued to fire the gun until all ammunition was expended.
NELSON, David – Sergeant, L Battery, Royal Horse Artillery. – 1st September 1914 – Whilst in action with L Battery at Nery, he helped Captain BRADBURY to bring a gun into action under tremendous fire. He then assisted Sergeant Major DORRELL to fire the gun until all ammunition was expended, although he was by then severely wounded.
FOOTNOTE – All three of these Victoria Crosses are currently on display at the Ashcroft Gallery at the Imperial War Museum. Sight of them will be lost when the IWM closes the gallery on 1st June.
I can only hope that Lord Ashcroft can find a new home for his collection in the very near future.
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You may recall back in January that I walked up onto Kinder, the highest point of the Peak District with my daughter, Elizabeth and granddaughter, Erin.
It is Elizabeth’s New Year resolution to do one of the peak walks each month, and we only just managed to complete our task in February, when on the last day of the month, we walked the Grindleford – Curbar – Curbar Edge – Grindleford 8 ½ mile circular walk, accompanied this time by Elizabeth’s husband, Steve.
Parking at Grindleford station (£3 all day) we set off in a frost but with a bright blue sky and lots of sunshine. The first four miles were gentle, following the banks of the river Calver until we arrived at the village of Curbar.
Here we decided it was time for a coffee and to give Erin a leg stretch from the ‘papoose’, and a substantial bench in the village churchyard was an excellent stopping point. It gave me time to look at the war memorial, a granite cross with Celtic iconography, which also remembers the men of the neighbouring villages of Calver and Froggatt. A CWGC sign at the churchyard entrance told me that there was one CWGC headstone in the churchyard, and I quickly found this whilst Erin had lunch and a little walk.
The headstone is for George Victor Bradwell who served with the 12th (Service) Battalion of the Sherwood Foresters. The 12th Battalion of the Foresters was the divisional Pioneer battalion for 24th Division (New Army).
This was one of the first Kitchener New Army divisions to see action on the Western Front when it arrived in August 1915 to take part in the Battle of Loos the following month. The 24th Division was part of 1st Army Reserve on 25th September 1915 at the opening of battle. The first day of the battle of Loos, saw 9th (Scottish) and 47th (London) divisions make progress but when the 1st Army commander, Sir Douglas Haig, needed his reserve, it was held too far in the rear by the C-in-C, Sir John French.
The 24th Division was rushed to the front and thrown into battle, the green and totally inexperienced troops walked into a maelstrom of ferocious German resistance, and on the 26th September, George Bradwell was wounded. He was evacuated back to the UK, where he died of his wounds on 18th October 1915. His body was returned to his parents, Thomas and Elizabeth, in his home village of Curbar where he was buried and lies to this day.
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Following lunch, the next mile of the walk was gruelling to say the least. The climb from Curbar village to Curbar Edge is of a one-mile increase in elevation over one mile of distance, in essence a 45-degree climb – it soon saw me peeling off a couple of layers of clothing and stick my hat in my pocket.
However, the effort was well worth it as the views from the Curbar Edge are spectacular, although Erin fell asleep and missed the best bit! We then walked along the Edge for about two miles before the descent back to Grindleford.
A quick pint in the nearby pub, well-earned and deserved, rounded off a really wonderful walk and day out, one which I can definitely recommend, and if you fancy it, you can do the circular walk the other way round and then the really steep mile will be downhill, not uphill!
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Our March walk is pencilled in for Friday 28th.
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I found this photograph this week whilst carrying out research. I assume it was staged managed by the photographer with post-war battlefield detritus and captioned with the French word ‘Paix’ which translates as Peace. I would suggest that it was printed as a money making postcard, probably in 1919 as society came to terms with the end of fighting in France and Belgium.
Does anyone know any more about the card’s origin?
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IN MEMORIAM - The Lincolnshire Regiment 9th March.
1915
7756 Private Thomas Henry McDonald, 2nd Battalion, aged 30. Buried in Wimereux Cemetery, France
1916
10973 Corporal Arthur Frost, 7th Battalion. Buried in Wimereux Cemetery, France.
1917
202866 Private Walter Blair, 2nd/4th Battalion, aged 19. Remembered on the Thiepval Memorial, France.
G/14963 Lance Sergeant W Green, 7th Battalion. Buried in St. Sever Cemetery, Rouen, France.
1918
241254 Private J Robinson, 1st/5th Battalion. Buried in Chocques Military Cemetery, France.
42720 Private E E Morris, 8th Battalion, aged 19. Buried in Hooge Crater Cemetery, Belgium.
201364 Lance Corporal W J Bonsell, 7th Battalion, aged 24. Buried in Rocquigny Equacourt Road, British Cemetery, France.
400044 Private A C Sharp, 8th Battalion, aged 20. Buried in Bedford House Cemetery, Belgium.
1919
2261 Private Uriah Collitt, 5th Battalion, aged 31. Buried in Gainsborough General Cemetery, UK.
WE WILL REMEMBER THEM.
I look forward to hearing from you with any stories, news or snippets of interest – please don’t be shy, all contributions are eagerly awaited.
Until next week
All best wishes
Jonathan
© Jonathan D’Hooghe
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