When
I was in school, history was always my weakest
subject. I could never remember the dates
or the significance of wars and battles, and
the reason for a nation going to war against
another nation didn’t hold much interest for
me. An uncle of mine joined the army in 1917,
after his mother’s death, and he was killed
in France in 1918 at age 21. I knew very little
about him, mainly I suppose because I didn’t
ask. I have seen a photograph of him in uniform,
good looking, vulnerable with perhaps a trace
of fear in those young eyes. But like thousands
of others who enlisted at the time, I am sure
he was adventurous and probably wanted to
go with his friends and contemporaries who
would be joining up as well.
Earlier this year I read about the Bandon
War Memorial Committee’s proposed tour to
Flanders and the Somme in September. Immediately
I was consumed with a passion to go and see
these places, and see where this uncle is
commemorated and lay a wreath on behalf of
the family who had never been there. And here
I must record my thanks to Bandon War Memorial
Committee for locating the cemetery and facilitating
my visit there in their itinerary. The trip
was very well organised and much appreciated
by all the participants. We were based in
Ypres for the five night duration and with
the exception of one long day trip in France
towards the Somme, the other days were spent
in Flanders and Ypres itself. The Belgian
countryside in the south-west is level and
intensively farmed. Potatoes are a plentiful
crop, so is maize which was ready for silage
making. We saw quite a lot of sugar beet and
fields of leeks and cabbages of all kinds.
We saw a field of pumpkins too and what a
gloriously rich harvest that was. Fewer cattle
or dairy herds than at home, but villages
and clusters of houses would be more plentiful.
But what really caught your eye and your heart
were the number of war cemeteries scattered
about the countryside, some of them less than
a mile apart, with their rows and rows of
white Portland Stone Memorials. All without
exception were beautifully maintained.
The Commonwealth war graves commission founded
in 1917 is responsible for the maintenance
of graves and memorials in 150 countries to
commemorate some 1,700,000 members of the
Commonwealth Forces who died in the two World
Wars. There is a great sense of peace and
quiet in these places and someone remarked
that even the birds don’t sing there, and
there is absolutely no vandalism even in the
more remote areas. At the entrance to every
cemetery there is an unlocked safe in the
wall for the registers containing names and
references of all the identified soldiers,
and their stones bear their names and the
emblem of their regiment. Stones erected to
unidentified soldiers simply carry the inscription
“Known to God”. The names of all the soldiers
who haven’t been found are listed in alphabetical
order under the name of their regiment on
the walls of the cemetery nearest to their
fatal battle. Tyne Cot is the largest Commonwealth
war cemetery in the world containing almost
12,000 graves and nearly 35,000 names are
recorded on the walls. Many of these were
victims of the gruelling battle of nearly
Passerdale. We visited a German cemetery at
Langemark, where over 44,000 German soldiers
graves are marked by black square stones,
laid flat into the ground. At the back of
the cemetery stand four life size sculpted
figures with heads bowed. Rows of large oak
trees add an eerie gloom to this place. Another
interesting afternoon was spent in and around
Mesen, a small quiet town close to the French
border. Arriving at lunchtime we went to a
pub displaying a “Cead Mile Failte” sign.
Some Irish music was put on and we were quickly
served tea and toasted sandwiches. For the
afternoon we had a guide with a great passion
for the history of both world wars. He showed
us over the museum there. Then off to the
Irish Peace School, which came about through
the efforts of FAS and its Northern Ireland
equivalent to provide “Away for it all” breaks
for young people from different traditions
in Northern Ireland for study, recreation
and reconciliation. Teenagers who once used
their artistic talent to paint graffiti on
the walls of Belfast and other towns have
painted some beautiful murals on the walls
of this centre. We visited “St. Nicholas”
Church which has an underground crypt and
a Peace Carillion in its tower. Outside the
town we went to the Island of Ireland Peace
Park, set in beautifully maintained grounds,
the monument is an obelisk in memory of all
Irish soldiers who fought and died in the
Great War and particularly of those lost in
the mine battle at the local Messines Ridge
.
The lovely town of Poperinge has been described
both as a haven and as a hell. A haven for
those fortunate enough to return for respite
from the trenches, and a hell for those who
were deserters or were traumatised from their
experiences, many of them were underage. They
would be tried by Court Martial and sentenced
to punishment or death and the death cells
and shooting post preserved here in the basement
of the Town Hall are very grim evidence of
what “shot at dawn” means.
In France we visited Thiepval, where the 45
metre high Franco British Memorial dominates
the countryside. Its huge columns bear the
carved names of 73,000 soldiers who died in
the Battle of the Somme and have no known
graves. Nearby in the Ulster Memorial Tower,
commemorating the soldiers of Ulster who fought
and died at the Somme.
Ypres to-day is a charming medieval town with
cobbled streets and a spacious square. Traffic
is quiet, as bicycles are a popular mode of
transport. Children cycle to school and the
little ones are brought on bicycles by their
mothers, who then cycle off to their shopping.
Bicycles are parked between supports in designated
places, but are not locked. There is no evidence
of crime or vandalism and one instinctively
feels safe. This town had a troubled history
and was the scene of many sieges and battles,
and was completely destroyed in World War
1. The Belgian people, however, had the plans
of the principal buildings and set about restoring
their town to its former glory. St. Martin’s
Cathedral is a magnificent gothic structure
with some glorious stained glass windows.
Behind the Cathedral stands the memorial to
the soldiers of Munster, in the form of a
Celtic Cross on a plinth, supplied and erected
by a Cork sculptor. The largest building in
Ypres is “the Cloth Hall” built originally
in the 13th century, overlooking the cobbled
square, as a warehouse for the wool trade,
its 400 feet facade has been splendidly rebuilt,
though we are told it took 34 years to complete
and it has a 200 ft. high belfry tower. Today
it houses the “In Flanders Fields” Museum,
where audio visual exhibits tell the story
of the wars. There are scale models, battlefield
artefacts and so on. Other buildings of architectural
interest are the Town Hall and Courthouse.
The Anglican Memorial Chapel of St. George
was built in the late twenties. Everything
in this beautiful little church is donated
in memory of a soldier; even the individual
kneelers have hand made tapestry covers with
British Regimental colours. Outside the town
agricultural activity still throws up shells
and grenades, some still live, and on freshly
cultivated ground you can see the zigzag chalk
lines indicating the existence of trenches.
We had the privilege and very humbling experience
of attending the Christian burial of the remains
of an unidentified soldier from World War
1, which were uncovered during recent excavations.
Ypres most poignant memorial at the eastern
entrance to the town is the Menin Gate. This
is a huge monumental colonnade with almost
55,000 names inscribed on its walls. Here
every night at 8 o’clock since July 1927,
with the exception of the Nazi occupation
in World War 2, the last post ceremony takes
place. Traffic is halted as a couple of hundred
people gather quietly under the massive arches,
prayers are recited and five volunteer buglers
from the fire brigade sound the last post,
that short but unforgettable solemn musical
tribute. Some people lay wreaths or search
for familiar names on the columns, but the
majority disperse as quickly as they gathered
and normal life is resumed. Seeing these places
made me feel humble, sad, grateful and proud
all at once, but aware overall of the overwhelming
debt of gratitude we owe to all those men
who sacrificed their young lives for the peace
and freedom we enjoy today. B. Phipps
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