Ieper (Ypres in French) - and our exploration of the Western Front begins!Jul 2, 2007
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Damian locates the grave of his Grandmothers cousin, Leonard Ross Young in...
Taking a break on the Ramparts beside the Menin Gate
a lighter moment in the Dressing Station at Essex Farm - where...
| Hello everyone!!! A moving morning, with visits to Essex Farm and Poperinge, and a walking tour of Ieper. We all marvelled at the Menin Gate and the adults marvelled at the genuine respect and homage paid by our students. Our guide, Raoul, was knowledgeable and funny. He has lived all his life in Ypres, and was able to dot his commentary with many personal anecdotes about this town (a firm favourite for many students, and a great survival story in itself!) We learned that Ypres was too much of a pronunciation challenge for the Allied soldiers during the war, so they called it Wipers. We learned that this beautiful city was very much desired by the Germans, and that the Allies kept it safe, despite many ruthless ad costly approaches. We also learned that it was close by to Ypres that gas was first used as a weapon. We located the names of two of the three Seabrook brothers (Kelly Pellenant's Great Great Uncles) who fought with the Australian 17th Division and were killed here. That their names are inscribed on the Menin Gate - alongside over 55 000 other Commonwealth Allied soldiers - means that their remains have never been found but it is known thatbthey died here. We searched at Lissjenthoek Cemetery at Poperinge for the grave of the third brother killed with them on the same day - and located it within one metre of the grave of Leonard Ross Young - a worthwhile local story, don't you agree? Ypres was awesome. Quiet and peaceful, Ypres contained so many interesting and amazing stories! The chocolates were, I must admit, a great motivation to get out of bed in the morning! But there did come the point when chocolates were no longer that appealing!! (Annabelle) The churches/ cathedrals in Ypres are stunning! (Annabelle) I also enjoyed the many museums we went to. It gave me such an insight into how and what these men and women had to deal with all those years ago. And the amount of loss seen throughout the many memorials we visited also reinforced the courage and bravery of the men who fought. (Annabelle) |
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