WW1 Ypres images, Menen Gate memorial, Tyne Cot Cemetary

[1Cie GevGn]

So, my mate's dad got a new car from his company, and we were to test it. So we decided to visit Ypres, scene of one of the bloodiest battles in World War One.

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So far it was looking good!

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Crap...

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More crap...

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This is where we entered the city, it was raining bad by then. Still hopefull though...

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Church.

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The new car. It inflicts speeding. badly.

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Town square. The big building in front houses the best museum in Belgium; "In Flanders Fields" I think about 85% of every student in Belgium visits that museum during highschool. We didn't go in, because it takes a full day to see everything properly, and you have to pay a fee. But you HAVE to see this if you visit Belgium.

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You betcha! Free samples everywhere!

Menen Gate;

Names of nearly 55000 missing Commonwealth soldiers are engraved here. Every night at 2000 the Firebrigade plays the last post in honor of the missing.

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Menen Gate


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Menen Gate maquette.

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Menen Gate plaque.

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Street leading towards the gate.

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Visitors.

Tyne Cot Cemetary;

Overview;
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Tyne Cot" or "Tyne Cottage" was the name given by the Army to a barn which stood 46 metres West of the level crossing on the Passchendaele-Broodseinde road. The barn, which had become the centre of five or six "pill-boxes", was captured by the 3rd Australian Division on the 4th October, 1917, in the advance on Passchendaele.

It is now the largest Commonwealth War Cemetery in the world.

There are now nearly 12,000 graves, the cemetery covers an area of 34,941 square metres and is enclosed by a low flint wall.

On the overview you see 2 clusters of trees, and a white structure in the middle. These are located near 3 pillboxes, who remain there to this day.

Near the white structure (build with stones from the pillbox) there are a number of graves who are distinctly different from others. They are not neatly arranged row bu row, but random. This is because this pillbox was used as a dressing station, and the soldiers were buried there hastly.

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Tyne Cot Cemetary

My apologies for the bad pics, but it was pouring rain, so we didn't visit everything we planned to. While we were on the cemetary grounds, it was almost a tribute; Walking across the soggy grass, trying to imagine how it would have been to be up to your waist in it, during a war.

I hope to bring you more and better pics of the area, also maybe Normandy later on this year.

LEST WE FORGET.

[jokke]

Thx for the pictures 1Cie GevGn

I visited the Menen Gate this summer and finally had the chance to watch them play 'The last Post'. There were over 300 people there. And that was just an typical Tuesday in the Summer. Off course a lot of tourist visit the memorial site. The better half of the spectators were in fact British.

It's pretty impressive when you think about it. The've been playing 'The Last Post' there every day for over 80 years now. After the start off the war against Iraq there was a lot of criticism from several Americans towards many European countries ( like Belgium). They claimed that we ' had forgetten what they had done for us in WW II '. I hope that this memorial can show that this is definitly NOT the case. I have always had the upmost respect for those men and woman fighting over there. But after seeing these burial-sites and memorials, you can not stop to wonder if any war is worth the lives of thousands of young men and woman.

[Heinzi]

Thanks for the impressive pictures!
I visited German and French cementaries in France.

The German ones I visited are more hidden and kept simple. No statues or buildings just dark gravestones.

[hauptman]

Thanks for the pics.
Sad and impressive.

[1Cie GevGn]

Here's the link to another gravesite I visited, of German soldiers in Belgium.

http://www.militaryphotos.net/forums/viewtopic.php?t=22412&highlight=lommel

Don't reply to it, it's old, just in case you missed it ;)

[Mr.JeburtO]

i've been there and all i can say is everyone should visit. The museum is amasing and the grave yard took my breath away.

i was only there for a breath visit as part of my colledges europe trip but it was my favorite part of the trip.

p.s. that chocolate shop rocks. One of my teachers went the year before, the owner recognised him, and gave us lots of free chocolate :D

i'l try and find some pictures that my friends took, as mine are all polaroid and i have no scanner

[Para]

Different British Branches of ex Servicemen will often make the day trip to parade their standards during the last post. They are always made most welcome.

[1Cie GevGn]

They did get a little bit pissed when they noticed we were Flemish :lol: