In Flanders Fields |
I met my guide at the Ypres (Belgians spell it Ieper and pronounce it "ee-per") Tourist Office. Raoul, a history teacher who guides on weekends, is an expert on the First World War. He showed me the Canadian battle sites, explained the positions of the troops and the cost in terms of human life, facts incomprehensible for the mind to grasp.
Well equipped with a lined Gortex jacket, heavy walking boots, woolen gloves and umbrella, I thought I was ready for the day. But it was a damp cold and after each stop we hurried back to the warmth of the car. We tried to walk in some of the few remaining trenches at Sanctuary Wood, but that was next to impossible. How the soldiers must have suffered as they trudged through that heavy, wet, red Flanders clay.
The ink on the Armistice was scarcely dry before voices in all countries demanded that those who had died so senselessly should by commemorated in a fitting manner. The little town of Ypres is surrounded by 160 cemeteries, all marked by green signposts. In each of these cemeteries are row upon row of neatly arranged white markers sometimes stretching as far as the eye can see. In the fog, the concrete German pill boxes and grave markers, faded into the horizon. Yet each marker represents the human suffering of those who "loved and were loved" but now lie in Flanders fields.
The Canadian monuments are prestigious and in good taste. The grounds that surround them are nicely landscaped and well groomed. A Canadian flag flies proudly overhead and at each entrance there is a logbook for visitors to record their name, address and comment about their visit.
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A Young Soldier’s Diary |
Other notations are worse. "Wrigler wounded above knee...Heavy bombardment all day....All leaves cancelled...Heard Christie was killed...Russ Gardner killed....McCormack hit in stomach and leg". Day after day the only notation was "tunneling." After visiting the war sites, the craters that still remain explain the purpose of all that digging. The huge explosions that resulted took the Germans by surprise.
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Ypres - a Medieval Centre |
The Menin Gate |
The Gate is incised with the names of those who died and have no known graves. Standing beneath the arches where 55,000 names are recorded by regiment, is a very moving experience. I noticed others, men and women alike, who couldn’t hold back the tears. England, Ireland, Scotland, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, India and South Africa are all represented. When the Menin Gate was completed, it was too small to record all the names of the missing so another 35,000 are remembered on the carved panels at the back of the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest cemetery in the world with 12,000 graves, on the slopes below Passchendaele.
Every night at 8:00 p.m. this busy road is cut off. The people of Ypres stop to pay tribute to those who died. The Last Post is sounded on silver bugles by members of the Fire Brigade and a piper escorts the dignitaries to the center of the Gate. A short but moving ceremony follows, a tradition that began in 1929 when the Gate was completed. The only interruption came during WWII when Ypres was occupied by the Germans.
I wondered how many would attend the Remembrance Ceremony. To my surprise there were about 300 people there, some old, some young and speaking many different languages.
Dr. John McCrae - Guelph, Ontario |
The poem , in his handwriting, is displayed on a large plastic board beside the bunker. Dr. McRae died of meningitis at the age of 46 on January 28, 1918. and is buried nearby in a war cemetery in Wimereux, France. School children from neighboring towns recently raised money to restore the cement bunker as a lasting tribute to his memory.
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The First Gas Attack |
The Brooding Soldier is a statue of a Canadian soldier, head bowed, rifle pointed down, the position of respect for a dead comrade. The Canadian Government bought the land to commemorate the spot where 18,000 Canadians withstood the first gas attacks in April 1915. It is a fitting memorial to the 2,000 men who are buried here at St. Julien Memorial.
The Cement Cemetery |
At Langemark Cemetery, the only German cemetery in the area, 6,000 soldiers are named on the entrance gate and 44,061 Germans are buried here, many in a mass grave. It is beautifully landscaped and well maintained, a fitting memorial to those who died for their country.
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All Is Not Quiet On the Western Front. |
All is not quiet along the Western Front. The First World War is having a revival. New and better museums are replacing the old and battle sites are being preserved with an account of what took place.
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Interactive Museum - Ypres |
The central section of the museum represents no man’s land. Here an attempt is made to take the visitor into the life of the soldier going "over the top". The feelings of desperation, shock, uncertainty and fear give a deeper emotional insight into the true meaning of war.
At present, 100,000 visitors visit the museum annually. Information is provided in Dutch, English, French and German. Large video screens display images taken from hours of film and hundreds of photographs. Interactive CD-Roms provide background material . Visitors choose a personal route through the exhibition and learn whether they escape with their life or die in the Ypres Salient, a sobering experience.
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For further information contact: |
The Belgian Tourist Office |
The Tourist Office, Cloth Hall |
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When You Go |
KLM to Schiphol Airport
By Rail:
Buy a Eurail Flexipass before leaving Canada. It provides 15 days of first class rail travel in 17 countries. For Netherlands, Belgium and Luxembourg buy a Benelux pass. Direct rail links to all of Europe from Schipol Airport.
Call: (800) 361 RAIL
Climate:
Mid April to Mid October for best weather. July and August are peak tourist times.
Electricity:
220 volt
Guides:
$60.00 Cdn /two hours
Ypres is a small town. The Hotel-Restaurant Regina, across from the Cloth Hall and Tourist Centre, is clean, friendly and centrally located.