SOMME MORE

Up and off on another day of visiting the war sites. We must admit the first few were stunning, the number of graves and the graphic descriptions on the story boards shocked us, but the sheer number of large and smaller cemeteries that dot the landscape was quite challenging. Even talking to the owners where we are staying they told us that war relics, even unexploded bombs, are still being found. Fabienne works at a local sugar beet processing factory and they occasionally get a shell in amongst the beet that has been dug up and it can explode in the crusher! He has a small collection of shell heads and hand grenades that he has collected from his fields over the years!


We headed north through Lille, Fromelles, Vimy Ridge ending up in Ypres for the Last Post at the Menen Gate. This is a very large Gate, built to replace the one bombed out  in WW1, part of the ancient wall of the city. Every night, even if there is no-one there to watch, at 8pm, the mayor and the buglers appear, stand under the gate which has the names of all the soldiers whose bodies could not be found/identified inscribed all over it - amazing in number. The buglers play The Last Post, the Mayor says the Ode, a moments silence and then Reveille. It's very moving. Last night it was pretty full, with lots of school children and old soldiers who marched up and placed wreaths.

 The buglers

 Official party

The Menen Gate,Ypres

Quite a day for us but nothing compared to the conditions the soldiers must have faced. It took us seconds to travel metres in the car, it took them years sometimes to win a few metres of bloody ground.

Vimy Ridge, shell craters and old trenches

Vimy Ridge, a National tribute to Canadian soldiers

Hill 60

Lille, not all cemeteries!

Fromelles, the first action for Australians on the Western Front, 

5,553 Aussie men killed or wounded!

To wrap up our time in the Somme, these words say it all 

and will have such a lasting impression on us.

Today was Bethy's 8th birthday, and we were sorry not to be able to talk to her. We had had violent weather overnight, and the owner of our gite had unplugged the wifi connection. Won't mention the dramas with the phone, something to do with us no parlez le francaise. So, to hopefully send a message in Lille, we went to Macca's which those of you who know us will realise is an extremely unusual event. BUT, here in La Belle France, we had the most amazing burger, lovely bun, square, large patty of real beef with Bernaise Sauce!!!! We could be tempted again?

Some wifi for Bethy's birthday at Maccas!!!!