Take Me Back to Dear Old Blighty

Saturday 4th May 2013

Today would see our first full day in Belgium. Much was planned.

The battlefields, memorials and museums we intended to visit formed a circle from Ieper around which we would be travelling anti-clockwise.

A hearty breakfast and a couple of mugs of tea and we were set.

Hill 62 – Sanctuary Wood

Hill 62 is one of the hills around Ieper sitting next to Sanctuary Wood. As a hill it is not that impressive but it seems if you mount some artillery and a force of soldiers on it then it is another story. The elevation provides a clear view over the land towards Ieper.

This is one of the hills held by the Germans and from which Ieper and the allied forces were bombarded by artillery. In the picture below you can see in the distance the clock towers in Ieper.



The hill is now the home of the Hill 62 Memorial. A memorial to the Canadian forces that took the hill from the Germans.

We had evidence that this is one of the places my grandfather had been, and standing on the top of the hill looking around at the countryside, which before the war probably looked much the same as it does now, it is difficult to imagine the scenes witnessed by him looking out over the same view nearly one hundred years ago.

After a slow walk around the memorial, with thoughts of what had been, we headed back down the hill to the Sanctuary Wood Museum.




An interesting place with many artefacts and lots of photographs (some not for the faint hearted). Around the back they also had trenches which were unintentionally authentically presented with a thick lining of mud and water on the floor. A very impressive sight.




The cost of €10 each was a little high relative to other places but there were a lot of things to see as well as a café, although we did not stop.

In one area they had some of the well known posters from the UK aimed to help motivate people to join up, along with many examples of posters used from some of the other countries involved in the conflict.




It of course goes without saying that the Sanctuary Wood Museum/Café sported both flags and artillery.



Our next destination was thankfully one of the POIs we had downloaded to the SatNav before we came.

Punching it in we were off.

Passchendaele Memorial Museum

The journey was thankfully uneventful and with the museum having its own parking we arrived relaxed, with an air of confidence, although slightly hungry.

The Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 is a relatively new museum and very well situated with a park and water close by. Also a separate café building where hungry people can stop for a bite to eat (also perfect if you are simply a bit peckish) .



The museum is very impressive. Lots of information about the war in general and detailed information about what happened in the infamous battles around Passchendaele.

Particularly impressive is a reconstruction of an allied deep dugout. Very realistic, especially when you can’t workout how to get out!

All in all a great experience and more than worth the €5 entrance fee.

We stopped for a relaxed spot of lunch, no one was chasing us, and then on to Tyne Cot…

Ch-ch-ch-ch-changes

Some parts of the area have remained the same and others have changed.

In Langemark there is a memorial to the 20^th Light Division, the division in which my grandfather had served.

This was of course going to be on our list of places to visit.





Once the memorial stood in open fields but now resides in the middle of an area of housing.

Yorkshire Trench and Dugouts

This was supposed to be one of the trickier places to find but again with our POIs in the SatNav we left Langemark and arrived at the Yorkshire Trench site, situated on an industrial site, with no difficulty at all.

A small site but nevertheless impressive. Only the main trench itself is accessible but information boards explain about the dugout also situated on the site.







The day was drawing to a close and with weariness borne of emotion and thought, we headed back to Ieper to once again attend the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin gate.

To be continued….

We Will Remember Them

To quote Wikipedia:

“The Menin Gate Memorial to the Missing is a war memorial in Ypres, Belgium dedicated to the British and Commonwealth soldiers who were killed in the Ypres Salient of World War I and whose graves are unknown.”

It seems they ran out of room to inscribe all the names on the gate so some of the remaining names (about 34000) are on the walls at the Tyne Cot Memorial.

The ceremony itself has been performed every day since 1928 (except during the occupation in the Second World War).

We stayed in Ieper for two nights and attended the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate both nights.

Friday 3rd May 2013

After enjoying a relaxing and satisfying meal on the first night we made our way to the Menin Gate.

It was about 19:30 when we arrived and people had already started to gather for the ceremony. It seems if you want a front row view you need to get there early.


The crowds continued to gather on all four sides of the memorial. Ceremony officials were also milling around making sure everything was going to plan.


A little before 20:00 the buglers began to appear.




They then prepared to get into position.




Silence descends over the memorial and the ceremony begins.



When they had finished, the extract from Laurence Binyon’s poem “For the Fallen”, often used in acts of remembrance,  was recited by someone (a visitor or guest of some kind):

“They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:

Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.

At the going down of the sun and in the morning,

We will remember them.”

After which a silence was observed.

Now the people who had come to lay wreaths marched across the gate one group at a time until finally the ceremony was over and the crowds dispersed.

Finally the buglers play out.

It was difficult not to be moved by the whole ceremony and as we returned back through the city to our hotel the thought of the thousands of lives lost remained at the forefront of my mind.

Saturday 4th May 2013

The day had been spent around the local area seeing places including Tyne Cot and Passchendaele. We got back to the city in good time and walked to the Ramparts Museum and then a gentle walk back to the Menin Gate for the Last Post Ceremony.

We arrived earlier this night intent on getting a clearer view and did so without trouble although the area quickly filled up around us.

This night was a little different. There were more people taking part including The Liverpool Clan Wallace Pipe Band and the Rochdale Festival Choir.

Approaching 20:00 things started with the Pipe band approaching finally taking up position at one end of the gate.




The buglers entered as normal taking up position at the opposite end of the gate and joined by a solo piper.




The laying of the wreaths was accompanied by the Rochdale Festival Choir.

After the ceremony itself was complete the pipe band again fired up, marching up and down the length of the gate.

Liverpool Clan Wallace Pipe Band.

Finally they marched back towards the main square in the city where they performed some more.






As for us? We went back to the hotel to marshal our resources for the following day. We would be leaving Flanders and heading into France to explore the Somme.

To be continued...

A Perfect Day

We could not have picked a better weekend if we had tried. The sun was shining and the forecast was for more of the same.

Leaving from Birmingham Airport we would be flying into Brussels and from there hiring a car beginning our journey to Flanders Fields.

The Road to Wipers

Ok, the place is actually called Ieper but the British troops nicknamed the city Wipers and it was also referred to by the French name Ypres.

We had fine weather and our initial journey was marred only by a navigational dispute resulting in a road-work barrier jumping out at us, surgically removing one of our wing mirrors. We laughed about this later.

In a state of shock we fell back on the itinerary which had us visiting the Hooge Crater Museum for a cup of tea and a snack.

Back on the road and taking the correct exit on the Hellfire Corner roundabout we parked up easily and were soon sitting down to a toasted ham and cheese sandwich and a refreshing cup of tea.

A recurring theme at many of the café/museums would be artillery and flags, Hooge was no different.

Onwards

We were a little behind schedule, as if that really mattered. The sun was shining and fully refreshed we set off into the city of Ieper to find our hotel and check-in.

This was the first time I had driven on the wrong side of the road. The motorway from Brussels had been easy enough but now we were navigating the normal roads. My kerb-on-the-right hat was firmly in place. The only real problem I found was changing gear with my right hand. Perhaps paying that little bit extra for an automatic might have been more prudent.

But I digress.

The address successfully entered into the satnav we set off. Unfortunately the route “she” wanted to take us on was blocked, but as is the beauty of satnavs we set off in another direction and after the initial protests of “turn around when possible” we were directed to our hotel.

The road was lined with parked cars but we spotted a small space and spent a good few minutes reversing in (I expect an embarrassing YouTube video to be posted by an amused observer).

The next question of course. Could we park there? As luck would have it we had parked right outside our hotel. We nipped in with our bags and asked the lady on reception about the parking. She came out and suggested reversing a little more away from an opening, even standing there to guide me back.

Did we have to pay? Guided again, yes, there was a machine further up the street. Of course everything was in Flemish (I can only read Flemish menus) so I threw in what seemed to the maximum amount and got a ticket. Valid until 09:30 the next morning. Perfect!

Into the hotel, check-in, throw our bags into the room and set off into the city to dive back into our itinerary.

The Cloth Hall

The original Cloth Hall was destroyed by artillery fire during World War One, it lay in ruins. That it was reconstructed after the war to its pre-war condition I find remarkable.




Today it houses the In Flanders Fields Museum, the next destination on our itinerary.




We got there just in time slipping in before the last entry.

€9 each and our wrist bands were handed over (€1 upon return). These provided access into the museum and also activated various displays to give you a more personal experience.



There were lots of interesting displays with information, artefacts and reconstructions. The setting added to the experience, notice the arches in the background of the picture below.




One of the displays I found most interesting was the cross-section of tree showing the period of war.



We exit the museum into the sunny evening, quietly absorbing what we have just seen.

Steak and chips (not quite phrased like that) follow before heading over to the Menin Gate for the Last Post ceremony.

Our first day draws to a most satisfactory conclusion.

To be continued…

Pack Up Your Troubles…

My grandfather fought in World War One and came home.

I did not fully appreciate what this meant until I went to Belgium and France and saw the thousands upon thousands of graves.

We were not just visiting towns, villages, monuments, cemeteries and beautiful countryside. We were viewing history through the unique perspective of our family.

Nearly one hundred years on we were standing in his footsteps.

A Solider Goes to War

My grandfather was 19 years old when he enlisted and did not see action until the August of 1915. By this time it was clear the war was not going to be “over by Christmas”.

A carpenter by trade he served as a wheeler in the Royal Field Artillery 20^th Light Division Ammunition Column (responsible for the supply of ammunition to gun batteries).

His records were lucky enough to be amongst the Burnt Documents surviving the fire and flooding during World War Two.

Through what my grandfather had spoken about over the years and the ever increasing access to historical information, we were able to piece together where he was during his time in Belgium and France.

No Time Like the Present

My father has for a number of years now been researching our family history. Along the way the subject of my grandfather’s experiences during the war were touched on and it was during a conversation about this, and a comment by my father about wanting to see first hand the areas in Belgium and France, that the idea for this trip was born.

A quick check of diaries, the necessary spousal approval granted and a date was set. Not long after, a rough itinerary created (to be much expanded in the following weeks), flights and hotels booked.

We were good to go.

We had of course Major & Mrs Holt’s battle maps of the Ypres Salient and the Somme. Western Europe maps were loaded on the satnav (yes, I would be driving!) and some POIs for the satnav covering most of the locations we intended to visit downloaded.

My father provided plenty of background information to get me up to speed.

 

…Smile Smile Smile

We had packed our bags and our troubles. We were on our way to Belgium.


To be continued…

Row Row Row Your Boat

We headed down to the south coast with a bunch of friends for the weekend, staying in a guest house. There were seven rooms and we were occupying five of them so basically had the place to ourselves.

The guest house was situated just back from a stretch of beach about 1.5km in length, terminating in rocky outcrops that at one end you could cut through to another stretch of beach where the sea was a little calmer, ideal for swimming...or body surfing.

On the first morning we saw the fishing boats go out.

From the parked position here.




The boat gets moved to the waters edge and the fishermen wait patiently for the right moment to start pushing the boat into the sea.





The moment arrives and the boat gets pushed into the sea, the fishermen aboard start pushing and paddling with the oars to force the boat through the on coming waves.




Finally over the waves.




And they’re through.




Ready to cast the nets into the water.

Sometime later…

The net was placed by the boats out in the sea along the length of the beach. The net was then pulled into shore by two teams of fishermen (and anyone else standing around).




It seems one man was in charge calling out orders, that’s him at the front. You can see the line of floats of the net on the sea.




Finally the two teams converge and the net is pulled ashore.




There are a crowd of people waiting to see what is the catch of the day…




…but alas the pickings this time are pretty meagre.

Welcome To The Jungle

Set in the rock and jungle strewn landscape near Dambulla sits a beautiful hotel cleverly hidden from casual scrutiny.



A few kilometres away in the jungle sits an ancient rock fortress.



Around both of these live many creatures….

Monkeys

There are many monkeys. Big ones, small ones, adults and babies. Different types, alone and in groups.

We were warned that the monkeys had learned not only to push open slightly open sliding doors into the rooms, but also slide open the closed but not locked doors too. They crafty little tykes had discovered the tea, coffee and sugar too, so knew exactly what they were doing if they managed to gain access.

They looked cute but we were warned they could be dangerous.

As if on cue, after being in our rooms for a couple of minutes the welcoming committee appeared at the windows.


The monkeys did not confine their activities to the rooms, they also appeared in other locations around the hotel.



Sigiriya was home to many monkeys too.

These little fellas were sitting on the rock above the lion’s paws.



Many of the monkeys were trying it on with tourists to get something to eat or even stealing when they could.

Again, we were warned about the dangers these cute little things presented. I think this example says it all – if looks could kill…

Birds

There were more birds around the hotel than would could see, either that or one or two made an awful lot of noise.

The first bird to come into our cross-hairs was the Red-vented Bulbul. These little birds were waiting eagerly to catch any small morsel dropped from our plates.


Something caught my eye off to one side and when I looked I saw this beautiful Sunbird. I found the colour of its head quite stunning.



Looking out from our room we spotted a yellow blob darting around in a distant tree. Looking more closely we saw that it was a bird – a Black-headed Oriole. A spritely fellow who darted around so much it took ages to get any half decent snaps.


The drive from the hotel to Sigiriya should have been easy, a quick 30 minutes at the most. What we had not taken into account was the effect of the monsoon rain. The road was in a terrible state and at one point we had to turn back and take a detour because road ahead was flooded. In the end the journey took us about 1.5 hours.

As part of this detour we happened upon this Kingfisher flitting on the high wires.


On the road out of Dambulla heading towards Colombo we spotted some cattle spilling out onto the road. Atop one of the cows was a Cattle Egret known as a paddy bird. Notice the cow seems completely unperturbed by this. The bird picks the undesirable insects from the cow’s back so it does not mind.

Other

Clearly this is a lizard. Caught lounging around on the foothills of Sigiriya. We have no idea what type but here it is.



I am sure this is not the end of our wildlife sightings but this should give a flavour of what we have seen so far.