In Flanders Fields
In Flanders Fields Follow the Path of Remembrance
By Toby Saltzman
Crowds lining the inner arch
of Menin Gate in Ypres bowed their heads in reverence as buglers played The Last Post at the ceremony that
commemorates soldiers who perished in the Great War. Silence saturated the air as
the master read a verse from For the
Fallen, ending with: “At the going down of the sun and in the morning we
will remember them.” Waiting for his cue to walk forward to lay a wreath in
remembrance of fallen Canadians, my mind swirled with images of innocents at
war the voices of my dead parents describing horrid scenes. Though the walk
across the archway and up the steps to the monument where I laid the circle of
poppies and whispered a personal prayer took mere minutes, it felt like breathless
ages. In my lifetime of experiences around the globe, this moment of tribute to
those who sacrificed themselves for a better world will linger forever in my
heart.
The world’s only continuing nightly
ceremony to honour the fallen, the Last Post ceremony has run continually at
Menin Gate since 1928, stopping only when Germany occupied Belgium from 1940 to
1944. Menin Gate stands splendidly at the river-side entrance to Ypres, marking
the place where some five million British and Canadian soldiers once entered
the medieval city en route to the fields of Flanders, eager to show their fighting
mettle, never imagining that some 250,000 would never leave.
Almost a century has passed
since World War I sparked after a Serbian nationalist assassinated Archduke Franz-Ferdinand
– heir to the Austria-Hungary throne – in Sarajevo. Four years of bitter
battles pitted the Central Powers (Germany, Austria-Hungary, Turkey and
Bulgaria) against the Allies, which included the British Empire, France, Russia
and Belgium, who were later joined by Italy (1915) and the US (1917).
On August 4, 1914, the
Germans invaded Belgium, demanding access through the country to attack
France. The details of ensuing battles
and military tactics gone awry are the stuff of painful history: of Belgians
flooding the Ijzer Plain to block German offensives; of disastrous battles in Ypres,
Langemark and Passchendaele; of Germans employing poison gas (and Canadians
trying to neutralize it by covering their mouths with urine-soaked rags); and of
the Allied breakthrough in Flanders. Legends abound of the brave dedication of
Canadian soldiers.
By the time Armistice was
signed at 11 o’clock on the 11th day of November 1918, more than half
a million soldiers were dead or missing; more than half of these from the
British Commonwealth, including British, Canadians, Australians, and New
Zealanders, as well as soldiers from colonies including Moroccans, Algerians
and Indians.
By then, the Flanders region
was devastated. Ypres was decimated to ashes. Now known by its Flemish name as
Ieper, it symbolized the meaningless slaughter of youth. Local who had fled
returned to rebuilt as an identical copy of its former medieval city. Its massive
Gothic Cloth Hall capped by a towering belfry reflected Ypres prosperous past
as a centre for the international cloth trade.
Today the Cloth Hall houses
the In Flanders Field Museum. It tells the story of the consequences of Great
War in Flanders with an ingenious combination of dioramas, poignant displays
and interactive technology that is activated by a microchip embedded in a poppy
bracelet that is given to each visitor. Visitors can follow their country’s
soldiers through various battles or delve into the WWI Research Centre to
research family members. Hardy types can climb the belfry tower for panoramic
views of the Ypres Salient area.
Flanders is sprinkled with
hundreds of cemeteries, monuments, trenches and relics that have historical and
personal significance for people who gravitate here from around the world to
visit ancestral grave sites or where their forefathers fought.
Among the most popular sites
is the Essex Farm Cemetery and the Advanced Dressing Station dugout shelter where
Canadian military doctor John McCrae tended to wounded soldiers. Here the 1st
Canadian Artillery Brigade stood in April 1915 before suffering heavy losses
after the German chlorine gas attack. Here is where – on the dark night of May
3, with no candlelight to alert the enemy – McCrae penned the poem, In Flanders
Fields. The red poppy – which thrives in crusty turf – eventually became a
symbol of the sacrifice of war.
Lest visiting cemeteries
sounds morbid, their aura is quite the contrary: they are serene and welcoming
places to stroll and reflect on the sacrifice of young lives lost in a tragic
times, not to mention those fighting in current wars.
Given a couple of days,
certain sites should not be missed.
The Flanders Field American
Cemetery and Memorial occupies a battlefield near Waregem where the US 91st
Division fought during the Ypres-Lys offensive in 1918. It is bordered with
four rectangular patches of grass where marble crosses neatly stand row on row:
in the corners of each patch, a marble Star of David signifies an unknown soldier
of Jewish faith. Visitors may pause in a non-denominational chapel to meditate
beneath a mosaic ceiling that depicts doves of peace flying toward a light in
heaven. Try to visit the house inside the gate: erected during World War II,
this is where mothers would come to learn of their sons’ fate before retrieving
their bodies. On the wall is a picture of Charles Lindberg flying over the
cemetery in 1927, just 9 days after his solo trans-Atlantic flight, to salute
his countrymen by dropping poppies from his plane during a Memorial Day
ceremony.
Among the most somber in
Flanders is the German cemetery in Langemark. It was here that the Massacre of
the Innocents (the student battalions of 1914) took place. Some 44,000 are
buried here, most in mass graves.
A short drive away, Saint
Julian is the site of the Canadian Forces Memorial called The Brooding Soldier.
A towering statue, his head bows in sorrowful remembrance of 2,000 solders of
the First Canadian Division who died in fighting after the Germans spewed gas
in April 1915.
The costs of war sear the
heart at the Tyne Cot Cemetery in Passchendaele. Britain’s largest war cemetery
in mainland Europe, its visitors centre showcases dreaded wartime conditions. It
offers vast views of the peaceful, almost idyllic countryside. Looking out,
imagining the battlefields, you can’t help thinking: Never again.
If you go:
The Last Post Ceremony under
the Menin Gate in Ypres occurs every evening at 8:00 p.m.
Flanders Fields Country –
also known as Westhoek – is easy to explore.
Although the native tongue is Flemish (Dutch) almost everyone speaks
English.
For information and maps that
outline the routes of battles (such as routes that trace the advance of Allied
forces to the battle of Passchendaele) visit www.visitflanders.us
The landscape is fairly flat,
a breeze to drive, or navigate by Solex (motorized bicycles) or scooters that
are available at most areas.
Where to stay in Ypres:
The contemporary Novotel
Ieper is located just outside the city’s main square, easily accessible from
the train station. Casual meals are available in its lobby restaurant.
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