I have recently been on a day-long trip with my school to see Ypres as we are studying the 1st World War. I found it fascinating.
Ypres is a small medieval town in Belgium. It used to be a small and sleepy town with only 20,000 inhabitants. It was taken by the German army in 1914 and after four years of war it was left in ruins. It was so flat and empty that you could see around you for miles. It was one of the best cloth towns in Belgium so the money from that paid for the town to be completely rebuilt.
We excitedly boarded our coaches at five o'clock in the morning on 11 March. We crossed the channel in the Euro tunnel and drove through France and into Belgium. We arrived in a very cold Belgium at 11am, unprepared for the day that lay ahead.
We stopped off at a few Commonwealth War Grave Cemeteries, including the one that is the biggest in Europe. I was shocked as I stepped into the first cemetery. There must have been at least 10,000 headstones and there were all very close to each other. There was literally an inch or two between each gravestone, which I wound very surprising. The headstones are all very similar and from a distance, look exactly the same. It was decided that there shouldn't be any distinction afforded on the headstones to a rank in death. For example, a Field Marshall would not have a grander headstone than a basic private. I think this is a very nice idea. Also for every cemetery that has over a hundred graves in it, there is a stone of Remembrance. This is an altar-like stone with the words: "THEIR NAME LIVETH FOR EVERMORE", ensribed on it.
The atmosphere was very sombre and I started to really think how every one of the headstones represented a man who gave his life to save his country. It then dawned on me how young these men were, some of them only a year or two older than me. Yet they were still so brave and died for their country. They would also have had parents, children, relatives and wives/partners. For each man that died, there were probably at least 10 people who were affected. Some of them would have had very young children who would never remember them. The wives would then have been left struggling to bring their children up by themselves as well as struggling with the grief of losing their husbands. Others would have been newly married and had never got to spend much of their lives with their new wives.
We then drove a short distance to the town of Poperinge. Poperinge is 12km from Ypres and was an important town during the Great War. We visited the 'Flanders Field Museum' which is actually in the Cloth Hall Building, opposite the town hall of Poperinge. They are situated in the ancient Grote Market which has a nice atmosphere. They were both completely destroyed but rebuilt again, the Cloth Hall being finished in the 1960's. It is very authentic and really looks like it has been there for 800 years. The museum is excellent and great value for 3.50 euros per ticket, as there is just so much to see. It is very interactive and at the start you are given a swipe card to use. The swipe card contains the details of a soldier who fought in the war. You swipe it through on the computer and up comes the person's details. Some of the details are really fascinating. There are lots of displays: from miniature recreations in clay of battle scenes, to portraits of soldiers who fought. There is also a good bookshop where you can stock up on books about the war that you couldn't get elsewhere. I really enjoyed the museum and the actual Cloth Hall building was fascinating too.
After a brief lunch break, we headed for the trenches at Sanctuary Wood. These looked quite authentic but they did look as if some work had been done to them. I was surprised about how shallow they were but I'm sure that the trenches that we saw weren't the only ones. It was interesting to walk around in the trenches but I really did need my boots and waterproof trousers! There are some live grenades and naval shells lying about which are very dangerous and should be never touched.
After cleaning ourselves up a bit, we headed into the town centre for some dinner. We ate at Den Anker's restaurant which served some really nice food and was a relief from the cold outdoors! The meal was chicken and chips and it cost 8.50 euros a head, with drinks and dessert which wasn't bad. The building looked quite old and may have had some history to it. We then hit the shops and bought lots of lovely, but overpriced Belgium chocolates. I got two large bars(400g) of top notch Belgium chocolate and two boxes of 20 finest Belgium Chocolates for 10 euros, £6.50.
From there it was a short walk to Menin Gate in town. Here the Last Post Ceremony takes place at 8pm, every day of every year. On the walls around the place are thousands of names of soldiers, carved into stone. The names extend so far up that it is almost impossible to read all of them. The trumpet sounds and everyone bows their head in respect for the men that died. There is then a brief reading and people lay down wreaths of remembrance. Again there was a wonderful atmosphere and it was a unique experience. I don't think there is a similar tradition where a ceremony takes place every night, anywhere in the world.
After that it was back on the coaches, through France, then back on the Euro Tunnel, before arriving back at school at 12:30am, completely exhausted.
Although it was very tiring, I really enjoyed my day in Belgium and I would have liked to have stayed for longer. It was a truly humbling and memorable experience, especially seeing the cemeteries and I will never forget it.
This is a place that everyone should visit at least once in their lives. It is moving but it's worth it. Take your kids aswell, they will appreciate it.
Thanks for reading, Paul
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