Today both A & B companies visited the scene of several tragic battles the 2nd Ypres where poison gas was used for the first time. We heard how the Canadians bravely plugged the gap in the lines when the gas was released, their bravery is commemorated at Vancouver Corner.
Both companies visited Essex Farm cemetery and advanced dressing station, we heard the John McCrae wrote the famous in Flanders Fields poem there after hearing that his best friend had been killed. We also saw the grave of Private Valentine “Joe” Strudwick who was 15 when he was killed and is probably the youngest British soldier to die.
Poelcapelle Cemetery was next where we heard that there were some 9 thousand graves most of which are unknown, we stuck a poppy to a grave each and tried to imagine what our soldier had been like.
Our nex port of call was passchendaele we died in hell they called it passchendaele we heard that it took the British forces 99 days to conquer the ridge and some half a million men died, only for the Germans to retake it less than a year later.
The batallion marched to Tyne Cott with the company piper L/Cpl Deakin S/12345 playing a selection of tunes. Our merry mood was not to last long though when we saw the size of Tyne Cott, there are some 11 thousand graves and 35 thousand names inscribed on a memorial to the missing. We had a chance to lay crosses at family members and also to a resident of Dunblane.
Langemarck German cemetery was our final call of the day where we laid School crosses together with a German forget me not cross.
Tonight it’s the Menin Gate ceremony.