Anzac Day in France.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:20 AM

The next day was checkout day and we were booked to stay in Armentiers near the French / Belgian border. On the way up we decided to stop at The Canadian National Memorial at Vimy Ridge and the Cobbers statue at Fromelles.

The memorial at Vimy is stunning. It is built in Vimy Park, extensive areas of which are still fenced off due to the risk from unexploded munitions. The park is planted with indigenous Canadian trees. Each tree represents a lost Canadian life... there are a lot of trees.

The twin pylons of the memorial represent the bond in arms between France and Canada. Also visable are the statues of Peace, Justice, Truth and Knowledge at the top of the pylons.

One of the "Mourning Parents", the male.

What it means...

The names of the missing are inscribed around it's walls. These were originally going to be placed on pavement stones around the memorial but Canadian public outcry at the prospect of the names being walked on, forced the sculptor and architect Walter Seymore Allward to place them on the walls. He used a typeface designed specifically for the monument.

Mother Canada mourning her dead.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:21 AM

Near by is the Memorial to the French Moroccan Division killed during the Second Battle of Artois in May 1915

A last look back before leaving.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:23 AM

After leaving Vimy we headed for Armentieres and Fromelles.

Not sure what these things were although it must be said there were a lot of them. This one was particularly colourful.

We arrived at Fromelles and the Cobber Memorial.

And for those who may not know what it is... Shane and I were at the inauguration ceremony here on 5 July 1998.

Some Background.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:24 AM

We were just about to move across to memorial at VC Corner which is about 250 yards away when who should screech up in their hire car but Wayne and Dingo from Anzac day. Wayne is an aboriginal artist and spiritual healer and Dingo is ex Royal Australian Navy (25 years in). Great blokes.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:25 AM

VC Corner Cemetery was made after the Armistice. It contains the graves of over 400 Australian soldiers who died in the Attack at Fromelles and whose bodies were found on the battlefield, but not a single body could be identified. It was therefore decided not to mark the individual graves, but to record on a wall the names of all the Australian soldiers who were killed in the engagement and whose graves were not known.

Wayne and Dingo.

Lest We Forget...

Despite the solemnity of the occasion there was still much humour flying about. I don't recall what I was laughing at but it was clearly very funny.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:26 AM

After we left Fromelles we headed to check into our Hotel in Armentieres. We planned, after a bite to eat to go up to Ieper for the 8 o'clock bugles so Wayne and Dingo decided to tag along and see if the could get a room in the same place...

After we'd checked in and freshened up, we took a walk into the the Town Square to find some food.

Hotel de Ville (Town Hall)

French War memorial.

Hungry teddies...

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:28 AM

Next stop was Ieper (Ypres) the town in Belgium that during the First World War was at the centre of a salient. There were three major battles fought here. First Ypres was in Oct/Nov 1914. Second Ypres in Apr/May 1915 which saw the first use of poison gas as a weapon and Third Ypres, also known as The Battle of Passchendaele Jul/Nov 1917.

During the four years of conflict, the whole town was reduced completely to rubble and was rebuilt in the 1920's to the original plans.

At 8 o'clock every night, buglers from the local volunteer fire brigade meet at the Menin Gate in the centre of the town and play the last post. This tradition has been carried out daily since it's inception on 1 July 1928 and is a way that the citizens of Ieper express their gratitude to those who gave their lives for Belgium's freedom and independance. During the years of Nazi occupation the ceremony was moved to England and was carried out at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey.

The Menin Gate where the ceremony takes place was completed and unveiled on 24 July 1927. It has inscribed upon it, the names of 54,896 British and Commonwealth soldiers who were lost and have no known grave, in the Ypres area up to 15 August 1917. The remaining missing after that date are recorded on the walls of Tyne Cot Cemetery.

The traffic is stopped. The Buglers approach.

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:30 AM

On completion of the last post, two minutes silence and revellie there is wreath laying for anyone who wishes to. On this occasion there were two Royal British Legion ex servicemen and a party of school children also from Britain.

After the ceremony was over we had a chat to these two blokes who were WW1 re-enactors from Western Australia.

Interior detail

Some of the wreaths from Anzac Day.

Some of the names. Remember, all these blokes just vanished.

Exterior detail of the Menin Gate

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:31 AM

After the bugles we bumped into Laughlan from Villers Bretonneaux previously.

We all went for a beer...

Ieper truly is a lovely place to spend a few hours. Do stop next time you're passing and tip your hat to all the boys who are sleeping there...

**English Bloke** · 30th April 10, 03:32 AM

In due course we made our way back to Armentieres and so to bed. Next day we were up bright and early and off back to Ieper to visit Tyne Cot Cemetery near Zonnerbeke.

Had to stop for the obligatory "Look mummy I'm in Belgium" photo.

Also had to stop and grab a shot of this fantastic piece of public art that stands on a round-about on the Ieper ring road.

And so to Tyne Cot...