Days 2 & 3 - The Battlefields of France and Belgium

After our departure from Paris we drove the two hours to Villers-Bretonneux to meet our tour guide Jackie Bedford. Jackie is an ex-army and ex-police officer who defected to France from the UK and knows the intricacies of the wars and every battle with such detail that every undulated piece of land over the next couple of days took totally new meaning. She was a brilliant and essential element to out tour.

We began at the Australian school and museum - after WW1 every school child in Victoria donated a penny to build this school for the children of the small and utterly destroyed villages in the region. Here, Jackie gave the touring group an explanation of the politics of WW1 and how the Somme was geographically broken into various battles and front lines.

We then went to the nearby Australian War Memorial with a spectacular view over the countryside. The memorial was in pristine condition and is obviously very well maintained. In another serendipitous moment, as we were departing, the Rugby boys from Ignatius Park College were arriving. Lots of excited handshakes, photos and quick catch ups between the kids before we were off to explore more of the countryside. Into our accommodation and dinner in Peronne, a walk of the small village and a tour meeting, before either turning in or watching the World Cup in the common room

The next morning started in a more light hearted manner with the inaugural presentation of our punishment and reward system. Each day two students are selected to spend the day wearing the very embarrassing and over the top French chefs hats we bought in Paris. The day before, these students may have been late, held the group up for some reason, or said or did something foolish. We also have the desired immunity pin (TGS badge) for acts of selflessness or initiative. The immunity pin protects the wearer from any act that may have resulted in the fool's hat the following day. Finn and Amy chose a great day to earn their hats, as with the obviously respectful and serious nature of our touring day they did not have to wear it in public as much as they otherwise may have.

Then, down to business and we began to meander through the countryside of the Somme and into Belgium, visiting the memorials of the 5 divisions on the Australian Army, walking through trenches, visiting the sites of some of the more significantly sized craters from bombings (most notable the explosions of Hill 60) and hearing detailed expansions of the tunneling and political movements and strategies that led the allies to eventually push back the Germans. It was devastating to read the stories of the brave men who fought, to walk on soil which is "more densely sown with Australian sacrifice than any other place on earth", and to pass seemingly meaningless dirt roads and woods with alarming names like 'Casualty Corner' and 'Dead Man's Road', and listening to the associated events and meanings

In what turned out to be a wonderful lunch break, we stopped in the small French town of Arras. This is one of the largest medieval squares in France and its cathedral has been voted one of France's most beautiful monuments. As we walked the cobblestone streets, we were treated a very loud travelling drumming group which brought the energy levels of the town up tremendously. A lovely and much needed break!

Crossing into Belgium was somewhat anti-climatic - no Mexican-style custom control with soldiers and guns as some hoped for; in fact not even a sign .... As Jackie pointed out, the only difference was that as the road we were driving on turned right to follow the invisible border line, the cars parked in the driveways of the houses on the left suddenly had Belgium license plates while the cars several meters across the road on the right had French plates. Here we visited Tyne Cot, the world's biggest Commonwealth war cemetery.

Belgium proved to be an absolutely stunning country and the day's touring culminated in the closing ceremony at Menin Gate in Belgium. Ypres is a stunning, Flemish speaking town and the night time ceremony was everything you would expect. The Menin Gate ceremony pays respect to the soldiers who died in battle in Belgium but whose bodies were never recovered. This ceremony can attract up to 1000 people and each night they read the story of one of the thousands of men on the honor roll. That evening the story was of a young Victorian man who committed many brave acts and was injured by the Germans, only to be devastatingly killed by his own side. The sounds of the three trumpeters playing the Last Post which reverberated around the gate, and the choir singing as wreaths were laid was incredibly sobering. Tahryn Kellie and Ben Thompson, as respective Netball and Rugby Captains, crossed the bridge to lay a wreath on behalf of our school. We received and overheard so many comments about how smart the group looked in their uniforms and how excellent their conduct was, which of course made us very proud.

Ypres, Belgium

This big day of touring finished up with a late dinner in a local restaurant, followed by ice cream in the square under one of the most impressive cathedrals we have ever seen. A brilliant couple of days which set a wonderful tone for the beginning of the UK component of our tour.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Posted by K Kybus