Around Ypres

I’d like to say that I woke bright and early this morning but actually I still felt quite tired after our long day yesterday! A refreshing shower soon perked me up though. We had all contributed to a list of places that we wanted to visit around Ypres and at breakfast we got the maps out and planned our route. We revisited some memorials and also went to a few that we haven’t been to before such as the Harry Patch memorial and the Canadian gas attack statue of a sorrowful soldier. In addition to these, for future reference, here is where we went: Essex Farm Cemetery, Yorkshire Trenches, Langemark Cemetery, Flanders Fields memorial park (in Zonnebeke beside the delightful Koklikoo café), Tynecot memorial, Sanctuary Wood and Hill 62 memorial. The wee museum at Sanctuary Wood became very busy with about a hundred “Blue Angel” motorcyclists - Flanders branch - just as we were leaving. They were very pleasant but we were glad that we had already been able to wander around the trenches in peace before they arrived. Today was colder than yesterday and we were startled by a heavy shower of hailstones when we were at Tynecot; we had to rush for cover underneath one of the archways. Luckily the sun came back out quickly although the day continued to be showery.
We went to the Menin Gate ceremony in the evening and Ally and Cat laid a wreath. They both looked very smart, and there was also a pipe band playing. The whole day was very intense and made us think again of all the young soldiers who died in World War 1, but the thing that I found most moving was a very small note that had been left at the foot of one of the curved memorial walls at Tynecot. These are where the names are inscribed of the soldiers whose bodies could not be found or identified (including Heather’s great uncle Neil Chisholm whose name we found again today), and there are thousands of them. The note read, “To our great-grandfather William James Tosh. We never met you but we still love you dearly.” and it was followed by a short list of names. I looked up at the wall and saw “W. Tosh” inscribed high up. For some reason, out of all the many names on memorials and gravestones that we saw today, this was what brought tears to my eyes.