may

More WWI

Ypres, West Flanders, Belgium
Monday, May 14, 2012

As Ieper was one of the most fought over areas, there is a large concentration of memorials and cemeteries dotted throughout the countryside.

The numbers of men lost are too large to comprehend. As well as the 55,000 with no known graves at Menin Gate, there are a further 39,000 listed at Tyne Cot. I watched the school children wandering around the gravestones and although it was quite nice hearing their chirpy laughter, I wonder if the sea of white has any real meaning to them. How can you portray such loss and devastation when the flowers are blooming, the grass is green, the sun is shining and the birds are singing. Quite rightly, these youngsters were happy and carefree.

After spending the whole day diving into history, it was nice to meet up with Guy for a lovely walk around the Ieper ramparts and chat with the fishermen and enjoy a glorious evening.
Guy is a local who has been a penfriend of my mate in Oz for over 10 years. They have never met but each have been promising the other to visit the respective countries... yeah one day.
Guy was a fount of all knowledge about the history and the current social situation in Belgium. We had a great long chat over dinner comparing customs and politics.

Hill 60 memorial

Yes they are real bullet holes - from WWII

Mine crater

Hill 60 pillbox

Trees in bloom

Messines Ridge memorial

New Zealand soldiersThe New Zealand families were not given the option to put inscriptions on the graves of their young men.

Island of Ireland Peace Park

A Tap - don't ask me?

Tyne Cot

Tyne Cot built around a pillbox

The cross was built over the top of this pillbox

The Wall

Before

After

this is the young man who is performing the task

Statue in Passendaele

Interesting way to control parking

Canadian memorial

Albertina Marker

Another Albertina marker

The Brooding Soldier

The Brooding Soldiercheck out that blue sky !!!

Essex Farm memorial

The Advanced Dressing station

In Flanders Fields

Rifleman Strudwick - aged 15 years!

Ramparts walk

Canal

Looking up the ramparts

Rampart tunnel

Lille Gate

Old Cemetery signsThese are from the days when it was called the Imperial Wargraves Commission - now it is the Commonwealth WGC. I think I like these old signs much better than the new ones.

Ramparts Cemetery resting in Peace

The canal with cemetery in distance

Sculpture

Comments:

I must say that reading your blog and watching picture after picture of the silent graves is very thought provoking. I just sense the ghosts of all of the young men lured to the battlefields with promises of patriotism and adventure just to be slaughtered as cannon fodder in the mud and soil of France and Belgium. What a senseless waste of of a generation. From Pete Gailey, on May 15, 2012 at 09:35PM

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