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Not Gone From Memory Or From Love — The Western Front Revisited

Not Gone From Memory Or From Love — The Western Front Revisited

Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 01:12 PM
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Not Gone From Memory Or From Love — The Western Front Revisited

Squeezed between a busy highway and a canal, Essex Farm Cemetery lies on a narrow strip of land just north of Ypres. There are 1,200 war dead buried here, but it is one grave in particular that draws busloads of British schoolchildren to the site. Rifleman V. J. Strudwick was only 15 years old when he was killed in January 1915. Many of the students who visit are about the same age; they leave wreaths, poppies, and handwritten notes. The inscription on his grave says, “Not Gone From Memory Or From Love.”

We had stopped at Essex Farm to look at the dugouts that lie right behind the cemetery. Deep concrete shelters running into the canal embankment, they were used as a dressing station during the early years of the Great War. Lieutenant Colonel John McCrae served here during the Second Battle of Ypres, and this is where it is thought that he wrote In Flanders Fields.

We moved on the short distance from the dugouts to the memorial plaque. A small party of German visitors came and stood beside us. Their guide gestured towards the display, and spoke to them for a moment or two. Then he started to recite — in English — the poem. His recitation was flawless, profoundly expressive, and, ironically, with a German accent.

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

He finished the poem. We turned away, blinking tears, and walked to the edge of the canal.

This was on our second day of touring Great War battlefields in Belgium and northern France. Travelling with my wife, my brother, and my sister-in-law, we had rented a car in Lille, and driven north to Ypres. Two days later, we drove south to the Somme, where we spent three nights in Couin, a village just north of Albert. Our touring complete, we returned the car to Lille and went on our separate ways.

I hope this report will help others who are interested in the Great War. I’ll write about the sites we visited, link to a few photos, and add some practical information at the end.

Ploegsteert and Hill 60

On our first leg, from Lille to Ypres, we stopped at the Ploegsteert Memorial to the Missing. Situated just below the Ypres Salient, the “Plugstreet” area remained a relatively quiet sector throughout the war. Nonetheless, this memorial commemorates more than 11,000 Commonwealth servicemen who fell in the surrounding area and for whom there is no known grave.

We next stopped a couple of kilometres north at the Prowse Point Military Cemetery and looked at a small memorial that marks the Christmas truce of December 1914.

Our last stop of the day was at Hill 60, in Zillebeke. Although only a slight elevation, this knoll was particularly valuable because it overlooked the flat plain south of Ypres. In June 1917, Hill 60 was in German hands. On the morning of the 7th, the British set off huge mines under it and the adjacent hill, known as the Caterpillar. These were just two of the 19 explosions let off under the German defences along the Messines Ridge, detonations that signalled the start of the successful assault to push them off the high ground.

Today, what remains of Hill 60 is preserved as a park. A duckboard walkway leads visitors over ground still pockmarked from shelling. A short distance away, there is also a trail leading to the deep mine crater on Caterpillar.

Passchendaele, Tyne Cot and Langemark

The battle known as Third Ypres has passed into mind as simply Passchendaele, a word that stirs memories of questionable tactics, unusually wet weather, atrocious fighting conditions, and hundreds of thousands of casualties. On our second day, we drove out of Ypres to the Passchendaele museum in Zonabeeke. I thought it provided a very good overview of the battle, and the exhibits — mostly battlefield artifacts — were informative.

We moved on to nearby Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth War Cemetery in the world. As you approach the visitors’ centre, you hear a young voice softy speaking the names and ages of the missing. As there are almost 35,000 missing servicemen commemorated on the long, curving wall behind the Cross of Sacrifice, it is an endless iteration.

There are also 11,961 servicemen buried in Tyne Cot. As it was during my first visit in 2008, the cemetery was shrouded in fog. The classic architecture, the ordered rows of graves, and the long curving wall of remembrance create a space that is almost ethereal in mist. And, like so many of the war memorials we visited, it is a place of silence.

In sharp contrast to Tyne Cot’s expansive manicured lawns and neat rows of white headstones, the nearby German Military Cemetery at Langemark lies under a dark canopy of oak. Black stone plaques mark individual graves. Near the entrance is a small grassy square, beneath which lie the remains of nearly 25,000 German servicemen. This Kameraden Grab, as it is known, is overlooked by a statue of four soldiers standing vigil over their comrades. (When I was here in 2008, this statue stood on the far side of the cemetery. Silhouetted against the sky, it seemed almost menacing, but now, in its new place overlooking the mass grave, it somehow feels comforting.)

St. Julien

Wilfred Owen, perhaps the most graphic of the Great War poets, wrote about a gas attack in Dulce et Decorum est. Exhausted soldiers were marching back to rest:

“… Drunk with fatigue; deaf even to the hoots
Of gas-shells dropping softly behind.

“Gas! GAS! Quick boys! – An ecstasy of fumbling
Fitting the clumsy helmets just in time,
But someone still was yelling out and stumbling

And flound’ring like a man in fire or lime. –
Dim through the misty panes and thick green light,
As under a green sea, I saw him drowning.”

An ecstasy of fumbling and death by gas. It is haunting image of the Great War. When Owen wrote that, soldiers at least had some protection against gas. When first used on the Western Front, there were no masks. On 22 April 1915, the Germans released clouds of chlorine on positions held by French colonial troops northeast of Ypres. The French pulled back, leaving a hole in the line. The First Canadian Division, who were in trenches to their right, spread out left to fill the gap, and, despite further gas attacks over the next two days, prevented a German breakthrough. Their sacrifice — some 2,000 killed — is commemorated by a statue in St. Julien. “The Brooding Soldier,” as it came to be called, is an image of a Canadian soldier mourning the loss of his comrades. Head bowed, rifle reversed, he stands overlooking what was once known as Vancouver Corner.

The Last Post

Every night of the year, at precisely eight o’clock, volunteer buglers from the Ypres fire department march the under the Menin Gate and sound the Last Post. It is a fitting place for the ceremony; the walls are engraved with the names of more than 54,000 servicemen who fought in the Ypres Salient and for whom there is no known grave.

There are occasionally extended ceremonies, which is what happened the evening we were there. The Last Post echoed under the arch, and after a moment of silence, someone from the Last Post Association stepped forward and recited a verse from Binyan’s poem:

“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.”

This was followed by a presentation of wreaths, mostly by students from English schools. The buglers played Reveille and marched away. The crowd dispersed, almost in silence.

This might be a good place to put in a link to some photos from our first two days. I can’t claim credit for most of these, as my brother was our photographer.

http://anselmadorne.zenfolio.com/p234524702 (These are best viewed as a slideshow.)
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 01:21 PM
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Thanks as ever for posting these accounts, AA. they are very valuable. Personally I have never had an interest in visiting WWI [or indeed WW2] sights; I heard enough about them when I was growing up in post war Coventry, but I know that many are interested and you write about these places quite beautifully.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 01:39 PM
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Thank you, on our list of places to visit.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 04:59 PM
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Thanks, annhig and Macross.

I'll post some more tomorrow.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 05:22 PM
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Thank you very much AnselmAdorne for this beautifully written report. I've visited, in memory of a family member, so many of the places you write about. The contrast and feelings I had at Langemark I found unsettling. It was a dark, miserable wet afternoon when we visited and the statue of the four soldiers, like your earlier visit, was at the far side. I found it disturbing and it's interesting to read your comments now it's been moved.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 05:58 PM
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My enduring thanks for the series of haunting and moving posts you have shared with us on this subject. I have saved links to most of them, but have you given thought to publishing them, along with additional historic background material? I for one would love to have such a tome in my library, hopefully to take with me to do my own touring of the sites.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 07:27 PM
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This report is beautifully written, haunting and compassionate. Thank you, Anselm.
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 10:54 PM
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For those of you who find this post moving I strongly recommend you read two of Anselm's earlier posts which lay the groundwork for this touching report:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...ern-france.cfm

And this one:

http://www.fodors.com/community/euro...nd-picardy.cfm

You have a treat in store!
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Old Feb 22nd, 2017, 11:07 PM
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Gracefully written, and touching report. Thank you AnselmAdorne. War memories always get to me.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 12:48 AM
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Your report brought back many memories of a trip in Belgium around Ieper etc when I was living there. I wrote a report about our trip to northern France especially to see Villers Bretonneux, Fromelles and the new Pheasant Woods cemetery especially dear to Australians.
Our guide took us to Beaumont Hamel which we found incredibly moving - it's staffed by young Canadian guides and is the actual battle field of the Newfoundlanders and their graves as well. It has never been disturbed because of that. I hadn't realized that Newfoundland was not part of Canada at that time but a dominion. The sacrifice of their Men was out of all proportion to their population - very moving stores told by the young guides.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 02:50 AM
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northie and billbarr, I am glad that this brings back memories for you. These sites make a powerful impression on those who are fortunate enough to be able to visit them.

billbarr, here is a photo of the statue when it was on the far side of the Langemark cemetery. The black and white rendering certainly make them look severe, but it was also how they were positioned:

http://anselmadorne.zenfolio.com/p25...c1a4#h2f02c1a4

northie, we will get to Fromelles and the new Pheasant Wood Cemetery later today.

nukesafe, it is always a pleasure to "see" you, and thanks for posting the links to the earlier chapters of the journey. (I had planned to link to them later, so you just saved me that chore.) I'm flattered that you feel these reports could ever be made into something more, but I find that though a bit overwhelming.

Thanks, Leely and FuryFluffy.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 03:11 AM
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Last month, I finally got to a WW1 site in the Somme that I had been wanting to see for a long time -- the Chinese cemetery in Nolette: http://tinyurl.com/nolette2017

Meanwhile, anyone going to the Verdun area should not miss the renovated memorial museum near Douaumont, which was (re)inaugurated by Hollande and Merkel last year.

Your battlefield reports are always outstanding, AA.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 04:04 AM
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What a delight to see your fine report Anselme. I was very much taken with your past writings from the Western Front (and indeed your other trip reports) and I very much look forward to the next chapters. The photographs are outstanding. The reports and photos bring back memories of my trips there and I'm inspired to revisit.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 04:08 AM
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'His recitation was flawless, profoundly expressive, and, ironically, with a German accent.'

He most probably had a Flemish accent that you mistook for German.

Great report however and yes we have a lot of these cemeteries reminding us of the courage of our allies and friends and of our enemies who became friends too.

There are 4 war graves in my family cemetery where I often go - 3 guys from a ATK unit killed in may 40 and an airman.

Close to my mother's grave there are about 25-30 airmen also buried, killed betwwen 41 and 44 for most of them.

Always impressive and a good reminder of nice people giving their life for us.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 05:01 AM
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A beautifully written and moving account of your continuing exploration of the Western Front.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 07:10 AM
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Lovely, just lovely. It's been decades since I've been to this part of France, and DH has never been, so on the list it goes!
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 07:30 AM
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And so we continue ...

On our third day, we started our journey south. We stopped first on Kemmelburg, a small, strategically valuable mountain overlooking Ypres. It was in Allied hands for most of the war, but in April 1918, during the German’s final big push, the single French division holding the hill was overwhelmed by a ferocious German assault. There is a French ossuary on the site, a mass grave containing the remains of almost 5,300 French soldiers. Only 57 of the bodies were identified before being interred. Today a pyramidal monument marks the mass burial site.

Pheasant Wood Cemetery

Crossing the border into France, we stopped at Fromelles, a site of great significance to Australians. On July 19, 1916, the Australian 5th Division, newly arrived in France, was ordered to fight alongside the inexperienced British 61st Division in an attack on an almost impregnable section of the German lines at Fromelles. This action was a diversion, designed to prevent the Germans from sending reinforcements south to the battle raging on the Somme.

While the attack did discourage the Germans from moving troops south, it came at an extremely high cost; the Germans suffered 2,000 casualties, the Commonwealth forces 7,000. Of those, the Australians had 5,500 dead or wounded, making it the blackest day in Australian military history.

The story didn’t end there. In the 1980s, an Australian schoolteacher noticed some discrepancy in the accounting of the dead, the missing, and the survivors. He became convinced that a significant number of Australian “Diggers” may have been buried but forgotten behind German lines. He eventually stirred up enough interest to cause a closer examination; German archival records and present-day aerial photographs pointed to a possible mass-burial site. The French, Australian, and British governments became involved, leading to exploratory excavations that ultimately discovered the bodies of 250 British and Australian servicemen. The bodies were exhumed, and some were even identified through DNA testing. In 2010, the Commonwealth War Graves Commission created a brand new interment site; Pheasant Wood Cemetery became the final resting place of the newly discovered bodies.

We stopped first at the Australian War Memorial, on the site of the battle itself, and looked at the poignant statue known as Cobbers. Then we drove the short distance into the village of Fromelles to visit the new Pheasant Wood Cemetery.

(The Australian government has an excellent web site that explains what happened at Fromelles, including the remarkable discovery of the missing soldiers: http://www.ww1westernfront.gov.au/fromelles )

“Without the dead we were helpless ... and we will forever owe them.”

The Vimy Memorial sits on a ridge overlooking the Douai plain, a strategic elevation that was seized by Canadian forces on April 12, 1917, after four days of intense fighting. There cannot be many Canadians who have not heard of Vimy; many of us regard it as a symbol of nationhood. Unveiled in 1936, it honours the sacrifice of the more than 60,000 Canadian servicemen who were killed in the Great War. It is a powerful monument: its towers soar into the sky; its intricate and beautiful statues express our mourning. It serves, too, as a memorial to the missing, with the names of more than 11,000 Canadians inscribed around the base. Walter Allward, the sculptor who designed it, recognized the necessity of loss, but he wanted to create a place where Canadians can grieve: “Without the dead we were helpless. So I have tried to show this in this monument to Canada's fallen, what we owed them and we will forever owe them.”

We descended from Vimy Ridge and drove a couple of kilometres to the village of Ablain-St-Nazaire. On a hill above the village stands the French National Memorial and Cemetery of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette. This is the resting place of the more than 40,000 French servicemen who were killed during 1914 and 1915. In addition to the 20,000 headstones, there are eight ossuaries containing unidentified remains. A basilica and a lantern tower stand over the site.

Neuville Saint-Vaast

Nothing can prepare one for the impact of the German War Cemetery in Neuville-Saint-Vaast. Just a few kilometres south of Notre-Dame-de-Lorette, it is completely hidden behind an embankment and a wall of trees. But when you walk through the gates you see endless rows of black iron crosses stretching to what seems to be the horizon. The only thing that breaks the pattern of black is the handful of grey stone markers, each with a Star of David, each with a small collection of pebbles lying on top of the stone. The hallmark canopy of trees shelters the 45,000 servicemen buried on the site. It is bleak, solitary, and overwhelmingly vast; it left a searing memory in the minds of all of us.

We pushed on south, ending our day at our accommodation in Couin.

Here are the photos from day three:

http://anselmadorne.zenfolio.com/p557657967
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 09:37 AM
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Some of you may know that for the last few years, the BBC have been broadcasting a series of dramas which are set in real time i.e. based on whatever happened on that day between 1914 and 1918. Anyone who has an interest in WWI may find it interesting:

http://www.bbc.co.uk/mediacentre/mediapacks/ww1/drama
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 12:15 PM
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Hello Anselm. Well do I remember reading your 2007 report, the same year as we made our own brief pilgrimage to the area.

To offset Anselm's profoundly moving report, I have recently seen evidence of - incredibly - , a humourous side to the carnage of the Great War.

For we recently saw, courtesy Netflix, the 2013 production "The Wipers Times" [Wipers, for anyone not familiar, was how the British infantry man - for whatever reason - decided to pronounce Ypres]. This, as no doubt you and Laverendrye and other wwI enthusiasts know, was a soldier-written and produced satirical newspaper printed (on a 'found' printing press) and sold to their comrades on the front lines. (Canadian connection is that one of the founders, Captain Fred Roberts, eventually settled in Toronto.)

http://www.bbc.co.uk/programmes/p01d0zrj

As always I am enjoying your report.
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Old Feb 23rd, 2017, 12:51 PM
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Thank you for this evocative report. A couple of years ago when I spent a week visiting WWI battlefields, I used your earlier reports to help me plan. I've always meant to say thank you. you are not only extremely knowledgeable but sensitive to the meaning and spirit of the sites. I, too, would like to see you incorporate your reports and other thoughts into a book. It's certainly the best that has ever been on Fodors
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