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Wipers Times


RichardB

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From Andrew Marrs programmes. Any ideas/information ? Eypes - mispronounced.

My understanding is Wipers was the British soldiers' mispronounciation of Ypres, It is what my grandfather (wounded in WW1) called it.

Wikipedia to the rescue again (perhaps)

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Regarding the pronounciation of Ypres, there was a story that when the B.E.F.went to France and Belgium the C in C was Field Marshall Sir John French whose knowledge of the French language was to say the least rudimentary, and the story goes that during a conference on what to do and how to do it he was looking at the map and saw, Ypres, and being a man who did not let trifles bother him, he put his finger on the map and said "This place Wipers", and the name went down the line and it became Wipers to the Tommies, you can believe that if you want to.Incidentally it is now known by its Flemish name "Ieper"

During WW1 the Tommies very soon adapted the strange Flemish names to suit themslves, Witjschate became"Whitesheet" Ploegsteert became "Plugstreet" Dikkebus became "Dicky Bush" and Dixmuide "Dixiemud"

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Regarding the pronounciation of Ypres, there was a story that when the B.E.F.went to France and Belgium the C in C was Field Marshall Sir John French whose knowledge of the French language was to say the least rudimentary, and the story goes that during a conference on what to do and how to do it he was looking at the map and saw, Ypres, and being a man who did not let trifles bother him, he put his finger on the map and said "This place Wipers", and the name went down the line and it became Wipers to the Tommies, you can believe that if you want to.Incidentally it is now known by its Flemish name "Ieper"

During WW1 the Tommies very soon adapted the strange Flemish names to suit themslves, Witjschate became"Whitesheet" Ploegsteert became "Plugstreet" Dikkebus became "Dicky Bush" and Dixmuide "Dixiemud"

Interesting stuff hougomont - one of my favourite WW1 stories (have you come across this before?) apparently a miner's social in Burnley is noted as the largest consumer of the licquer Benadictine (o/s France) which the local lads got a taste for when stationed in Normandy during WW1 and drink with hot water.

http://www.aftermathww1.com/benedictine.asp

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and not forgetting Deolali where my Grandfather was, April to November awaiting the first ship of the season. Doolally-tap.

Interesting comment"RichardB" Deolali a very famous Army base in India, and of course now pronounced as Doollaly to mean a bit mad, and the original usage of Deolali-Tap was to the time served pre 1914 soldiers awaiting return to England who were,after a long period in India showing signs of strange behaviour, "Oh he' Doolally-Tap", a very excellent account of the British Army in India early 20th century read "Old Soldier Sahib"by Frank Richards DCM MM, a classic

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