A Moving Experience

The above phrase is flippantly used by Relocation Agents but in exploring Belgium and coming to terms with its sometimes traumatic and eventful history, the words can never be more true than in a visit to the Flanders Fields areas of the First World War. Bolster yourself for an experience that can not fail to touch the emotions but is none the less vital to understand European History and the nature of mankind.

Surrounding the town of Ypres (Ieper in Dutch), there are many Commonwealth cemeteries, the largest of which is Tyne Cot in the village of Passendale (formerly spelled as : Paschendaele". The most important German war cemetery is in the village of Vladslo, north of Ypres.

The loss of life in this area in 1914–1915 was so great that numerous families will have at least one relative who may be buried in one of the cemeteries. It is possible to identify specific locations with the assistance of the various commissions. All of the cemeteries are beautifully maintained.

The American Military Cemetery is on a six-acre site, about one and a half miles southeast of the town of Waregem and about 25 miles from Ypres. It is the smallest American cemetery on the European continent and it is also the only American Cemetery in Belgium from the First World War.

The Menin Gate, the former city gate of Ypres, was rebuilt between 1923 and 1927 as a British War Memorial. It looks like a large triumphal arch in neoclassicist style and against the walls of the monument are the names of 54.896 British and Commonwealth soldiers that were reported missing in the Great War. To this day at 8.00 p.m. every evening, the traffic stops and the buglers from the local Fire Brigade play “The Last Post” as a moving tribute to the fallen soldiers, a deeply moving ceremony under the vast arch of the Menin Gate.

As a day out, this may seem quite a sombre activity but nonetheless, the reverence and reality makes it an experience that should not be missed. The significance of small white crosses or headstones for literally as far as the eye can see, will not be wasted on the most active and playful of minds.