No . 124
The Trusty Servant
Wykehamists in Belgium – Ypres 2017
David Anderson records this year ’ s WW1 pilgrimage :
36 OWs , spouses and sons , together with the Win Coll team of Michael Wallis , James Webster , Alex Roe and Suzanne Foster ( Archivist ), met at the Hotel Ariane in Ypres on Monday 11 th September for our tour of those battlefields particularly relevant to 3 rd Ypres . This tour is part of the Great War Centenary Commemoration , which will finish with the final 1918 Push next September . that the Peace Park provoked differing reactions from the group : indeed a modern trend to suggest that the War was nobody ’ s fault and that the suffering was futile found little sympathy amongst our group . The highlight after lunch was Hill 60 and its craters : it is hard for us to comprehend many things about WW1 , but the tunnels under this ridge and the miners who created them seem particularly incredible .
The rain that appropriately greeted us on arrival had eased by 4 pm when we walked into Ypres to go round the Cloth Hall ’ s In Flanders ’ Fields museum and St George ’ s Church . These visits prepared us well for the next three days .
On Tuesday we started at the Southern end of the battlefield and , after the Berkshire Cemeteries , headed for the Island of Ireland Peace Park on the Messines Ridge . It would be fair to say
Hill 60- Pool of Peace
Irish Peace Park
Later we walked to the Menin Gate and Dr John Verity laid a wreath to honour Lieutenant Denis Hewitt VC , the youngest OW to be so honoured , and whose battle we were to learn more about on Wednesday morning . Hugh Priestley read the words that are inscribed around the top of War Cloister . On our return to the hotel Lt Col Richard Pawson gave us a lecture on the Royal Artillery in the WW1 , reminding us that the conflict was not just about infantry .
Berkshire Cemetery Extension
On Wednesday we started with Essex Farm cemetery and the advanced dressing station where Dr John McCrae wrote In Flanders Fields . I continue to be haunted by the last and famous verse :
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