November 11th. Anyone going to Ypres?

[gunwharfman]

On November 8th 2014 I caught a ferry to Calais and made my way to Ypres via the GR128 with the downloaded book 'They Called it Passchendaele' by Lyn McDonald (a BBC researcher I believe) and was lucky with the weather. I arrived at Lissenthoek Cementary, near Poperinge (my great uncle is commemorated there, killed Nov 3rd 1917) on the morning of the 10th November and then walked onto Ypres and camped on a site just down the road from the Menin Gate that night. I was in the narrow street leading to this monument (with thousands of others) for the 11.00am silence. Very moving!

Is anyone from the Forum going over there for November 11th, or to one of the French sites perhaps? I might make a return visit, just havn't decided yet.

I've always been surprised that for so many people I've met, they have no idea if any of there relatives died in this war. I found my relative years ago by going to www.cwgc.org. I put in a couple of bits of information about him on screen and suddenly, there he was!

[Whitby Mick]

I have been to Ypres on a number of occasions, including the same time as you were there and have always found it to be a very moving experience. As far as I can ascertain my family were very fortunate in the 1914/18 war years, the only casualty being a great uncle who lost his life when his ship was sunk. The first time that we went over to Ypres we visited a cemetery at Hooge Crater on the Meenseweg Road. My wife spotted a grave with four young soldiers (known only to God) and she immediately adopted them. Every time we visit the area we now have to visit her lads with a floral tribute. 

[Innominate Man]

I have a memory of visiting that area many years ago (I'll give you the timescale shortly):- we camped close by and went into the town in the evening and distinctly remember how sombre and eerie the place was.
Next day we got on the road and listening to the radio it was announced that Elvis Presley had died. No link between these two events but something that always makes it stand out in my memory.


For a number of years I've been tracing my family line and one evening my wife asked if I'd take a look at hers as she recalled that her Grandmother had always said that her brother was killed in WWI.


It didn't take too long to come up with his details ........ then the awful significance of his being killed dawned on me. It was recorded as the day before the Armistice. Not that his untimely passing was any worse than any other soldiers, but just such a shame that only a few hours later it would have all come to an end and like the others - so pointless.

[dav]

No, Ive never been. We have just been to the Imperial War Museum North in Manchester, that was very moving especially during the dramatic poem with film of the trench warfare of WW1.My grandad survived, Gallipolli, The Somme and Pachendeale during WW1 only be killed by a German bomb in Manchester during WW2 aged 46 years.He had gone to check on his mother, my great grandmother when the bomb actually hit him and pushed him into the road before exploding, which demolished the terraced houses either side. He was missing for 4 days, before his remains were found after digging out the bottom of the bomb crater. His mother lost an arm and a leg but survived. His name in on the memorial to the civilian dead of Manchester in Piccadilly Gardens.

[videoman]

Going for four nights over the weekend of the 11th but on a coach trip though.

[harland]

On a slightly different topic I remember well that in the early 1950s my father was driving us through France on holiday.  The French on seeing our British number plate would smile and wave to us giving the "V for Victory" sign so pleased that we had helped them in their hour of need - how things have changed!