WWI memorial day in Iepers, Belgium



This is the town square of Ieper (pronouced Eper with a long E). Ieper was a key city the Germans used to enter France in WWI so it became the location of many battles. The city was leveled and rebuilt after the war. The large building on the left was destroyed druing the war and rebuilt after the war. The reconstruction was completed in 1967.



The old Menin gate to the old city was destroyed during the war. The English built this memorial at the Menin gate location to remember the missing soldiers. There are 55,000 names in this memorial. Hitler was wounded it the Ieper area in WWI and rode in a jeep through this gate in WWII to signal his triumphant return.

Every evening at 8 pm since 1928 the Last Post Ceremony occurs at the gate. The Last Post was a bugle call played in the British Army to mark the end of the day's labours and the onset of the night's rest. In the context of the Last Post ceremony it has come to represent a final farewell to the fallen at the end of their earthly labours and at the onset of their eternal rest. This ceremony has been conducted 28673 times as of 11/21/11.
http://www.lastpost.be/en/index/index/slug/home

We stood on a retaining wall to get a better view of the parade of participants entering the memorial. Our guide was President Willems of the Kortrijk Branch and the Branch Clerk Eric van der Kerkhof.

Each year the memorial features a different aspect of the war. This year they invited all past participants in the Olympics to honor Olympic athletes who died in WWI. Everyone with a white scarf participated in the Olympic Games. The Keynote speaker was the chairman of the IOC who is a Belgian. The annual event is organized by a local committee and paid for with private funds.

England had a large presense of military forces in Ieper. The army was staffed with representatives from all the English colonies. These are Shieks from India.




We also watched the arrival of Princess Mathilde from the Belgium royal family.





Mathilde was the first to place a wreath at the memorial.

This is the USA color guard. Notice the red paper poppy flowers on the ground.



The poppy petals were dropped from the top of the memorial as the wreaths were being placed and music was playing. They were floating like snow outside the memorial where we were standing. The band then played "Abide with Me; 'Tis Eventide". Sister Everton came up to me with tears in her eyes. She reminded me it was Paul Nordin's favorite song. We both stood there with tears in our eyes remembering our dear friend.



Eric and Elder Calkins are being interviewed for TV at the enterance to Tyne Cot cemetary. They were looking for people who had relatives in the Cemetary. Neither did so I don't think they made the nighly news.



There are 11,000 buried and an additional 35,000 names of missing at this cemetary which is one of 163 in the area. The numbers of dead and missing are incredible. I think the total death toll for WWI was around 350,000. Each year a few more bodies are uncovered by farmers. If the body can be identified, the name is removed from the list of missing. The local people have a great respect for the sacrifice of these men and want to keep everything up to date and correct.

This memorial in Tyne Cot encases a bunker

You can also climb on the memorial to get a better view.

The poppy flower has become the symbol of the memorial. From pictures you can see the area was totally stripped of follage and bombed out. The next spring the wild poppy flowers came back. This was the inspiration for the poem by John McCrae titled "In Flanders Fields" written in 1915

In Flanders fields the poppies blow
Between the crosses, row on row,
That mark our place; and in the sky
The larks, still bravely singing, fly
Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago
We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,
Loved and were loved, and now we lie
In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:
To you from failing hands we throw
The torch; be yours to hold it high.
If ye break faith with us who die
We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields.

I never understood the last line "We shall not sleep, though poppies grow
In Flanders fields". Now I do.

The visitors to the cemetary come from all parts of the world. This group from Scotland were so impressive I had to stop them to take a picture. They did not seem to mind.

This is a smaller cemetary in the Polygon Woods. It is a very quite place - perfect for meditation.

This is Hill 62 which was a strategic location for both sides. In the back ground you can see orange roofs. This is the location where on Christmas Eve 1914 the German troops on the front line sang Stille Nacht and the English soldiers responded with an English carol. Thus began the Christmas truce that has been retold many times.