Remembrance

After a leisurely start to the day, we left the apartment around 11.30 a.m. to wander along the beach front. The coast of Belgium is jut 68 kilometres long and we are about 8 kms from the French border. It was very windy with low cloud so the beach did not look that appealing. Our agenda was to have lunch before meeting up with Stephen for an afternoon of sightseeing. It was soon obvious that the waiter had no English ability whatsoever when Peter asked for a “long black”, and Garey chirped in with “Americano” and Peter got a pint of Stella. He was not disappointed!

We then made our way, using the GPS, to meet with Stephen and his wife Ethel and their daughter Eline, who had stayed with us briefly in Melbourne. Their home is attached to their business office, and was in an industrial area. However, to say it was beautiful was an understatement. We sat out in the garden, overlooking the swimming pool to enjoy coffee before heading off.

The agenda for the afternoon was to visit some of the war museums and cemeteries. Our first stop was a museum where there were a huge number of relics located in the area including guns, batches, hats, uniforms and cannons etc. These were very much in their original condition. Outside under the trees were replicas of the trenches. Dotted around the countryside as we drove we came across small war cemeteries all beautifully maintained.

Stephen has a love for luxury toys. One of these toys is his Ferrari which was in the garage for it’s annual service prior to a trip to Italy in the next few weeks. A short stop at the garage allowed Peter and Garey a little dream time!

Our next stop was known as the trench of death. This trench was built along the Yzer River with the Germans on one side of the River and the Allies on the other. The trench got it’s name from the conditions where it was known that the soldiers that entered the trench would not come out of it alive, and in fact history records a life expectancy of only 24 days. The trenches are in original condition and extended a distance of 18 kilometres with only a short distance restored for viewing. When we arrived at the trenches they were closed for the day, but the benefit of having a local using his best manners resulted in the custodian re-opening for us. We were very appreciative.

From there we went to the Yzertower in Diksmuide. In fact there are two towers, the first much smaller as the top was destroyed in WW II. The second tower is some 22 floors high. We took the lift to the top then walked down the stairs as this tower is a museum of the four years of war (1914-1918). This is one of the best museums that we have been too.

When we came out of the tower the rain had set in however we made our way to Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passendale. Again this cemetery is beautifully maintained. There were plots to unknown soldiers, as well as named plots, and a wall of remembrance to the many soldiers lost but never found. It was raining heavily which was a real shame as we would have liked to have wandered throughout. Sharryn and Garey braved the heavy rain for a few quick photos.

Next stop was the town of Ypres where we sat in a café in the square for drink and relaxation before joining the crowds under the Meningate for the Last Post ceremony. This was very moving, with four buglars marching in and playing, then a young man recited the oath, before a group of young people carried and placed wreaths. After the ceremony we were able to see the list of the names of the Australian soldiers but weren’t able to identify any New Zealanders. We could only assume that this was because at that stage New Zealand soldiers may have been included in the British numbers. In the books listing the names of every soldier we saw each of our names, other than “Hosie”, including Ray, Mountford, Gibbs, Ramsden and Richardson. Perhaps some of these men were our relatives.

Next stop was dinner in an Italian restaurant where we met up with Ethel and Eline and enjoyed a very relaxing evening of good friendship. We finally made our way back to the apartment around 12.30 p.m. It was a great day and we were really appreciative of the opportunity to meet with some local people and enjoy Belgium from a local’s perspective.