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Belgium

The Memorial Museum of Passchendaele

We went to the Memorial Museum Passchendaele which is in  Zonnebeke (Flanders Fields) in Belgium. On our way to the museum, we could see fields of poppies in Flanders fields. We stopped and took a walk through the field of poppies before heading to the museum.

Shelley and Ray in a field of Poppies in Belgium

The main building is a former château which has been converted to the museum.

The main building of the Memorial Museum Passchendaele

We entered the museum which was devoted to the 1917 Battle of Passchendaele. In 100 days almost 500,000 men were killed for only 8 kilometers gain of ground.

There were numerous displays focused on equipment and weapons of the 1917 Battle.

We walked through the halls looking at the different exhibits and reading about the Battle of Passchendaele. We came to a section of the museum called Trench experience.

The museum created a representation of a dugout and trench system which you can walk through.

Ray in the trenches of the Passchendaele Museum

The dugouts were well done and had multiple rooms on display including a kitchen, living quarters and latrine.

Dugout area in the museum
Officer room in dugout
Latrine in dugout
Medical room in the dugout
Sleeping quarters in dugout

We then walked through to a trench system which was duplicated from the battle of Passchendaele.

Shelley in the trenches of Passchendaele Museum

Shelley in one of the trenches at the museum

We finished the museum tour by stopping at the garden area of the museum and relaxing in the shade. We enjoyed learning about the battle of Passchendaele and the amazing heroes of the first world war that fought here.

“Tot ziens en een goede dag”

Belgium

Essex Farm Cemetery in Belgium

We visited one of the World War One sites that most Canadians can relate to. We went to the Essex Farm Cemetery and Advanced Dressing Station in Belgium. It is also the location where John McCrae wrote his famous poem “In Flanders Fields”.

Ray on the path to the Field Dressing Station
John McCrae Monument

We walked down a path that led to the field dressing station. There were several rooms made in concrete under the ground that was used to treat soldiers. This is where John McCrae served as a medical doctor for a period of time during the war.

The Field Dressing rooms

We went into the rooms which were small, damp and they had low ceilings.

Field Dressing room

In the room, there were Canadian flags, crosses, poppies and other memorials dedicated to the Canadian soldiers who died during World War One.

The  Essex Farm Advanced Dressing Station is where Major John McCrae composed the poem “In Flanders Fields”. There was a plaque explaining the history of the poem and Major John McCrae.

Plaque with history of John McCrae and the poem “In Flanders fields”

The Poem was also inscribed on the plaque.

In Flanders Fields inscribed on plaque at Essex Farm Cemetery

After visiting the dressing station and reading the information on John McCrae we went into the Essex Farm Cemetery.

We walked through the cemetery reading the names of some of the soldiers who died during the first world war.

Gravestones in the Essex Farm Cemetery

We came across the gravestone of a Soldier named Valentine Joe Strudwick who died at the age of only 15.

Gravestone of soldier Valentine Joe Strudwick age 15

It was interesting to see the location where John McCrae wrote the poem “In Flanders Fields” It was also a moving experience to see the cemetery and see the gravestone of a 15-year-old soldier.

“Tot ziens en een goede dag”

France

Fromelles Military Cemetery and Memorial Park

We stopped at the Fromelles Memorial Park to see the Australian monument. The memorial park is situated on the German defensive line which was attacked on 19 July 1916 by the Australian forces at the Battle of Fromelles.

Cobbers Sculpture at the Formelles Memorial monument

The sculpture of two soldiers in the center of the memorial park is dedicated to the men who fought and fell in the Battle of Fromelles on 19 and 20 July 1916.

There were also remains of German machine gun bunkers at the memorial park.

Remains of a German machine gun bunker

After visiting the Australian Memorial Park, we stopped at the Fromelles (Pheasant Wood) Military Cemetery which was only a short distance from the Australian Memorial Park. This cemetery is a significant memorial for Australia.

Fromelles Pheasant Wood Cemetery

We walked through the cemetery looking at the gravestones of both British and Australian soldiers. The history of this cemetery is unique because it was constructed between 2009 and 2010. It is the first new Commonwealth War Graves cemetery for more than 50 years.

Australian Gravestone at the Pheasant Wood Cemetery

We were surprised by the amount of Australians that were involved in the first world war. There were over 416,000 Australians that enlisted for WW I and over 60,000 died over the period of the war.

Pheasant Wood Cemetery

The Pheasant Wood Cemetery contains the graves of 250 British and Australian soldiers who died on 19 July 1916 in the Battle of Fromelles. The cemetery is located on a section of the front line during the battle of Fromelles. Their bodies were discovered following research by a retired teacher,  that also included analysis of aerial photographs. They discovered mass graves on the edge of Pheasant Wood, just outside the village of Fromelles.

Formelles Pheasant Wood Cemetery

There were Australians on our tour and they were able to locate a relative which was buried at the cemetery. It was a moving experience for them and reminded everyone just how far-reaching the impact of the war was.

“Au revoir et passez une bonne journée”

France

The Trenches and Tunnels of Vimy Ridge

We went to see the trenches and tunnels at the Vimy Memorial Park. Each year the Canadian Government hires Canadian university students as guides for the Memorial Park.

Canadian University Student providing a tour of the tunnels at Vimy Ridge.

We had a very informative Canadian University student from Waterloo. Our guide explained the tunnels and how they were used to move troops and supplies to the front lines during the battles. We went down a set of stairs that led into an area of the tunnels which have been opened to the public.

Stairs leading to the tunnels of Vimy Ridge

The tunnels which were built to move troops and supplies was built with the help of British Tunneling companies. The Canadian military used these tunnels before the Battle of Vimy Ridge as a way to protect soldiers as they moved to the front line.

Tunnel used during the battle of Vimy Ridge by Canadian Soldiers

The tunnels were crucial for the movement of Canadian Soldiers because the Germans were able to see any above ground movements for several miles.

We walked through the tunnel imagining what it must have been like. The soldiers stayed underground and literally lived underground for days at a time.

Tunnels at Vimy Ridge

Some of the tunnels were over a kilometer long. We walked through the tunnels and could see different things carved into the walls.

Carving in the stone in Vimy Ridge Tunnel

We came across a section of the tunnel that was enlarged where troops would gather. There was also remnants of equipment that was left in the tunnels.

Old hand pump that was used to pump water out of the trenches

The tunnels were damp with low ceilings and a dirt floor. The conditions during the war must have been horrific for the Canadian soldiers. After viewing the tunnels we headed to see the trenches.

Trenches of Vimy Ridge

There is a short section of the German and Allied trenches that have been preserved and open to the public. This was the position of the two front lines on this part of Vimy Ridge at the time of the launch of the Allied offensive in April and May 1917. We walked into the trenches and tried to imagine how it must have been.

Trenches at Vimy Ridge in France

The trenches had different lookouts and corners every so often.

In the Trenches of Vimy Ridge

The trenches were not all straight and there were many corners. This was because if an enemy managed to get into the trenches you could hide around a corner and defend yourself.

One of the many corners in the trenches.

We walked through the trenches and looked through the lookouts. The enemy line was very close approximately three meters away. The distance between the German and Allied trenches was known as no-mans land.

Lookout in one of the trenches at Vimy Ridge

On the other side of the trenches were remnants of shell craters from the battle of Vimy Ridge.

Shell craters from the battle of Vimy Ridge

There were areas off-limits, with electric fences, because there still are active landmines and explosives buried in the ground.

The trenches and tunnels were quite interesting and a moving experience for us. Walking through this site was a surreal experience that will stay with us for ever.

“Au revoir et passez une bonne journée”

France

Vimy Ridge

We went to see the Vimy Ridge Canadian Memorial, in France. As we approached the memorial we could see the outline and the massive size of the memorial.

Canadian Memorial Vimy Ridge

We arrived at the parking lot and could see the monument in the distance. We walked slowly along the path towards the monument and imagined what it was like at the battle of Vimy.

The view of Vimy Ridge Monument from the parking lot

Along the path towards the Monument, we saw a metal line which ran across the pathway and divided the landscape. It signified the Canadian front line during the battle of Vimy Ridge.

Line showing the front line of the battle of Vimy Ridge

The monument itself was very large and impressive with a beautiful white stone. It is made with limestone from an ancient Roman quarry located near Seget, Croatia.

Path leading to the Vimy Ridge Memorial

When we reached the base of the monument we could see the details in the statues carved in the limestone. The monument was carved from a single block of stone weighing 30-tonne. The massive height of the monument which is approximately 110 meters makes it an impressive sight. The two pillars of 27 meters ( 88.5 Feet ) looms high above the Douai Plain to the east.

Base of the two pillars of the Vimy Ridge monument

We walked around the monument looking at the carvings and statues. The colour of the limestone was a beautiful white and almost looked like marble. The statues were also carved in the white limestone which was beautiful. There were wreaths and flowers laid at different points of the monument.

Wreaths and flowers at the base of the Vimy Ridge Monument
Canadian flags and photos of soldiers of WW I on base of Vimy Ridge Monument
Statue on the Vimy Ridge monument

It was a humbling feeling to be able to physically touch the monument.

Ray, Shelley, Anne, and Jim at the base of the Vimy Ridge Monument

The feelings and emotions we felt while walking around the monument was a mix of pride and of sadness. It was a surreal experience for us to be at the Vimy Ridge Monument and a memory that will stay with us forever.

“Au revoir et bonne journée”