Brandhoek Cemetery is the place where Captain Noel Chavasse is buried. Captain Chavasse is one of just three soldiers to have been awarded Britain's highest award for valour, the Victoria Cross. On top of that, he was also accorded the Military Cross. I am at present reading a book entitled "In Foreign Fields" by Dan Collins and it is regarding troopers who have been granted medals in Afghanistan and Iraq. The moment you recognise exactly what a soldier had to achieve in order to be granted an MC, it truly allows you to comprehend what a bold person Captain Chavasse was especially when he was a member of the Royal Medical Corps and never fired a shot in the course of the war.
My next stop was near to the village of Passchendaele at the largest sized British Military Cemetery at Tynecot. Over 12,000 troopers lie buried here. From the cemetery, it's possible to see for some miles in all directions over fields and it seems hard to think about the carnage that was there 90 years ago. The visitors centre gives a profile of the region and the names of some of the dead and missing are broadcast calmly over speakers.
From Tynecot, I started to head back on the way to Ypres stopping at Hill 61 (Sanctuary Wood) on the way back. There's a compact museum and a few conserved trenches . Throughout my trip, the climate wasn't kind and while it had been nothing like as lousy as conditions would have been all through The Great War, the bottom of the trenches still looked quite awful. It cost a few Euros to get in and this was the first place I started to notice the effects of the notorious mud.
My next intended stop was the Hooge Crater. As earlier in the day, I struggled to locate it but I saw a little independent museum known as the Hooge Crater Museum which in fact had a compelling variety of artefacts including a British Ambulance and a Victoria Cross. My sightseeing for the day was not finished as I still wanted to see the popular Cloth Hall that was all but demolished (since fully rebuilt) and the Last Post ceremony and that is carried out at 8pm every evening at the Menin Gate. I always find the Last Post really haunting and moving to hear. After it was finished, two wreaths were laid by young British troops and this was followed by a recital from Laurence Binyon's "For The Fallen"
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
My next stop was near to the village of Passchendaele at the largest sized British Military Cemetery at Tynecot. Over 12,000 troopers lie buried here. From the cemetery, it's possible to see for some miles in all directions over fields and it seems hard to think about the carnage that was there 90 years ago. The visitors centre gives a profile of the region and the names of some of the dead and missing are broadcast calmly over speakers.
From Tynecot, I started to head back on the way to Ypres stopping at Hill 61 (Sanctuary Wood) on the way back. There's a compact museum and a few conserved trenches . Throughout my trip, the climate wasn't kind and while it had been nothing like as lousy as conditions would have been all through The Great War, the bottom of the trenches still looked quite awful. It cost a few Euros to get in and this was the first place I started to notice the effects of the notorious mud.
My next intended stop was the Hooge Crater. As earlier in the day, I struggled to locate it but I saw a little independent museum known as the Hooge Crater Museum which in fact had a compelling variety of artefacts including a British Ambulance and a Victoria Cross. My sightseeing for the day was not finished as I still wanted to see the popular Cloth Hall that was all but demolished (since fully rebuilt) and the Last Post ceremony and that is carried out at 8pm every evening at the Menin Gate. I always find the Last Post really haunting and moving to hear. After it was finished, two wreaths were laid by young British troops and this was followed by a recital from Laurence Binyon's "For The Fallen"
They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old: Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn. At the going down of the sun and in the morning We will remember them.
About the Author:
The key part of most visits to Ypres is the Last Post at the Menin Gate each night at 8pm.. Free reprint available from: One Day In The Area Close to Ypres.
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