Perhaps the most important Flanders war memorial site for Antipodeans is Tyne Cot Military Cemetery. It’s the largest Commonwealth War Cemetery and New Zealand’s largest cemetery beyond its own shores.
This October, to mark the 90th anniversary of the Battle of Passchendaele, a ceremony will be held at the cemetery for all New Zealanders and Australians who want to honour their fallen comrades. Other events, taking place over the course of a weekend, will include indigenous music from Australia and New Zealand, organised walks following in the footsteps of the Anzacs and a rugby game in remembrance of legendary Kiwi player David Gallagher who was killed during the Passchendaele offensive on October 4, 1917.
The Memorial Museum
Visiting The Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 in Zonnebeke is a sensible way to start a World War I tour of Flanders, giving you a crucial introduction to events here 90 years ago. Located in Zonnebeke Chateau, the museum displays equipment used on the frontline as well as images and film. Particularly resonant is the reconstructed dugout that, complete with sound effects, whisks you back to 1917. The Road to Passchendaele, a themed walk from the chateau to the Tyne Cot Military Cemetary has also recently opened.
Menin Gate
This impressive gate in the town of Ypres bears the names of 54,896 soldiers who went missing in action. The monument was built in 1927 and since then, every evening at 8pm The Last Post is played as a tribute to those British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in Flanders.
Talbot House
This ‘Everyman’s Club’ was opened by British chaplain Phillip Clayton in Poperinge in 1915. Away from the frontline, it was a place for soldiers to relax, rest and, for a while at least, forget about the war. Everyone, regardless of class, rank or profession was welcome. Today, the pub has been turned into a museum and its best exhibit is the still-palpable air of camaraderie.
The Old Cheese Dairy
October 12, 1917 is one of the bloodiest dates in New Zealand’s history, marking the day when the New Zealand division lost 850 men in the fields of Passchendaele. To pay homage to this massacre, the exhibition A Descent into Hell is being held in the renovated Old Cheese Dairy located on the former battle ground.
Australian 5th Division Memorial
Standing tall among the trees of Polygon Wood, about four miles east of Ypres, this monument commemorates the part the Australian 5th Division played in the battle. It was here, on September 26, 1917 during the Battle of Menin Road, that the Australian troops pushed back German forces gaining important ground for the Allied effort.
• Marcin Ochonski travelled to Passchendaele with the Coach Tourism Council (www.coachtourismcouncil.co.uk), which represents 150 coach operators throughout the UK, including battlefield specialist Leger Holidays (www.leger.co.uk). The trip was arranged with Tourism Flanders (020-7307 7738; www.visitflanders.co.uk)
