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So I have some pictures of my travels.

I wanted to focus a bit on the First World War a bit, as we are nearing
the 100th anniversary of it, and since all the vets from that time
are now gone, only the memorials are left.


This will be a very long thread, I will ask your patience, because
it will take time to get everything loaded up.




I will start with the poem by Lt-Col. John McCrae:








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.

   

Why did I select the poem ?

Because I went to see him.

This is Wimereux Cemetery, near Boulougne sur Mer, France.






There are Canadians here, as everywhere.










But the real reason for going was to visit the grave of Lt.-Col John McCrae,

the man who wrote " In Flanders Fields ".

   

Sidebar, I said I would focus on World War I, but as I was driving by Calais Cemetery,
I thought a couple of quick shots of the Cemetery wrapped in fog would look cool.
And I was right.













Another place I shall have to go back to.

   

This is Lijsssenthoek Cemetery, the second biggest Commonwealth Cemetery behind Tyne Cot.

This place takes your breath away, almost 10,000 men buried here:




I could not take photos of individual Canadian graves;

I had to take pictures of rows of Canadians..











There are 1100 Canadians buried here, from the fighting around Ypres.

   

Very nice, as always.

   

This is the Canadian Memorial at Hill 62.

This is made of Quebec granite, there are 4 of these around the WWI battlefields.






A view of the fields behind the Monument, it is interesting that in many of the
Memorials and Cemeteries in the Ypres Salient area, you can usually see the church in Ypres.

   

Down the hill from the Memorial, there is a private museum.

The museum itself isn't that good, lots of relics, but none of it organized,
so visitors often have no idea of what they are looking at.

Except the clock, which is kind of cool.



However, in the back, they have original trenches from the War:






A reminder that in Flanders, the water is never far away..







These trenches are listed as British, but I have no doubt since the Hill 62
stone is up the hill, that Canadian boots have walked through here.

Trees, all that was left from the War, with many British crosses and a
fresh Canadian poppy..






The only thing interesting in the museum was.. of course, the bike.

   

Throw another stone, and you arrive at Sanctuary Wood Cemetery:

   

Simply put, they made the Cemetery way too close to the front lines.

If you look at this row of Canadians...






You can see the words " Known to be buried in this Cemetery. "

This is because these bodies were buried, and during the Battle of Mount Sorrel
the cemetery was obliterated by shellfire, and the interred bodies were completely destroyed.
It was not possible to find the bodies nor the markers again.


We will see a lot of this in the cemeteries of WWI..




Almost 2000 men buried here, but 1353 of them are unidentified by name,
perhaps by regiment or battalion, and 'Known to God'.

   

This is Maple Copse Cemetery.






I quite like this place, it is very quiet and peaceful, and in the middle of nowhere.

If you ever come to Flanders, this is the prefect spot for a quiet break,
not even the farmers pass by.

A small cemetery, only 308 men, 154 Canadians, but again many of them
are memorials because the cemetery was destroyed by shellfire..

   

A memorial to the 15th Battalion ( 48th Highlanders of Canada )

There are literally hundreds of memorial stones to the different units
that fought in the First World War.

This is a newer one, I think unveiled in 2011.

   

Moving on, a few pictures from a couple of other cemeteries.




The WWI cemeteries I find are interesting because they are different and
many of them unique in their design.

They have a flow and sway to the earth whereas WWII cemeteries are usually
more regular and boxy.


First, Woods Cemetery, a very nice entrance to it.

   

However, I soon discovered that there are so many WWI casualties in such a limited
space, that taking pictures of individual graves would be way too time-consuming.

So I have switched over to pictures of groups.

   

This is Hedge Row Cemetery, an interesting design, with the Cross of Sacrifice
in the middle, with the gravestones in a circle around it.

There are 2 Canadians in here, and sadly, all too quickly, it becomes
apparent that these are memorial stones, as this cemetery was also completely
destroyed at least once, and everyone in here is in name only.

Still, nice place, a 20 minute walk from the road...

wouldn't recommend walking through the trees though.

   

This is a beautiful thread Marty.
Thank you.


“We cherish too, the poppy red
That grows on fields where valor led,
It seems to signal to the skies,
That blood of heroes never dies”
- Moina Michael (1915)

   

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