2018 marks 100 years since the end of the Great War…the war to end all wars. So, we thought it fitting to tour the Battlefields of World War I – In Flanders Fields. There is so much history, so many sites! I must admit I found the whole experience both very moving and confronting knowing we were so close to where so many lost their lives.
I can’t cover everything, so, I will just share my personal highlights and a few facts you may find interesting.
All in all there are 153 Commonwealth war cemeteries in the Ieper or Ypres Salient Battlefields. They are maintained by the Commonwealth War Graves Commission comprising the six member countries: Australia, Canada, India, New Zealand, South Africa and United Kingdom.
There are stark contrasts between the German and Commonwealth war cemeteries. There are only four German cemeteries in the area, all of which are mass graves. There were 25,000 people buried in the one we visited. It seems the philosophy is that the soldiers fought shoulder to shoulder and therefore are buried in the same way.
It was interesting to hear the Belgian perspective and the role of the Belgian army which were, in this case, mainly Flemish.
To clarify, a Salient in military terms is a battlefield feature that projects into the opponent’s territory. The salient is surrounded on three sides making the troops on the salient vulnerable. The Ieper Salient was formed by British, French, Canadian and Belgian defensive efforts against the German incursion during the 1914 ‘Race to the Sea’ leading to the 1st Battle for Ieper.
Tyne Cot is the largest British war cemetery near Ieper. There are almost 12,000 buried there with about 70 per cent (8,500) unidentified. Their graves are marked ‘known only to God’. So very sad.
The Essex Farm war cemetery has 1200 WWI serviceman buried or commemorated there of which 190 are unidentified. It is located near one of the dressing stations which has been recreated by local technical school students. It was there that Canadian Lt Col John McCrae MD worked as a surgeon making decisions on the lives of those who arrived at the station. He saw the horrors of war first hand. John McCrae was also a poet and wrote the famous WWI poem, “On Flanders Fields”. McCrae survived the war but died of pneumonia near the end of the war.
Keeping the theme In Flanders Fields, we visited the museum of that name located in the city of Ieper. It is located in the fully rebuilt old Cloth Market. The building was completely destroyed during the war along with most of the town. Some, including Winston Churchill wanted the bombed town to be left as a Memorial to the war. However, the citizens wanted to move on with their lives. So a compromise was reached and the Menin Gate became a lasting Memorial to the fallen of World War I. The museum is well worth a visit. It sympathetically and realistically represents the war and its horrors. It is interactive with the use of your wrist scanner. It has many artefacts that help to paint pictures of the lives of those involved in this painful part of our history.
As Australians, it was very special for us to visit Polygon Wood Memorial and war cemetery. Evidently not many tour buses make the trip there as it tricky to manoeuvre in and out of the parking area. Polygon Wood Memorial pays tribute to the Australian Fifth Division and its service at Polygon Wood.
The Canadian War Memorial located at St Julien, a village near Ieper is magnificent and must be seen.
All these (and many more not mentioned) highlights culminate in being present for the Menin or Menen Gate Last Post Cermony which is held every evening at 8pm. There are 65,000 names inscribed on the Menin Gate – British and Commonwealth soldiers killed in the Ieper Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown. My husband’s great uncle, Henry George Bateman was one of those men. He was 26 years old when he was killed. His family mourned him their whole lives. He was never forgotten. My husband found the location of his name inscribed on the Menin Gate. It was both a solemn and joyous occasion.
I leave you with the poem…
In Flanders Fields
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Saturday Arvo Thoughts... 