Flanders Fields 1 - Langemark, Tyne Cot Cemetery and Passchendaele

We based ourselves in Bruges so we could easily do a World War I tour of Flanders Fields. Our tour guide Nathan picked us up around 8.30am and during the drive provided heaps of information about the events leading up to the outbreak of the war.

Our first stop was the German War Cemetery at Langemark. Although cemeteries are sombre places, there was a great feeling of desolation about this place. There were no individual headstones, and most markers were inscribed with several names. A mass grave near the entrance to the cemetery contains nearly 25,000 soldiers, of whom almost 8,000 remain unknown. Oak panels in the entrance vestibule record the names of those known to be buried in the cemetery but are in unidentified graves.

These four bronze figures stand watch over the cemetery. They were inspired by a photograph taken in 1918 of a group of German soldiers standing at the grave of a comrade. There are just four German war cemeteries in all of Flanders and they are located away from the major roads - apparently, a condition of the Armistice.

After Langemark we travelled about 2 kms to the site of the Brooding Soldier, a memorial to the 18,000 Canadian soldiers who suffered in a gas attack in 1915. The memorial is about 11 metres high and is quite breathtaking.

Our next stop was Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest of the British war cemeteries near Passchendaele. There are almost 12,000 burials in the cemetery of which just over 8,000 are unnamed and almost1500 are Australian. Most of these soldiers fell during the 1917 Battles for Passchendaele and Ypres. On 9 July this year three South African soldiers were buried at Tyne Cot after their remains were found near Zonnebeke a few kilometres away.

As you can see from the photos the contrast between Langemark and Tyne Cot cemeteries couldn't be more stark. Although Tyne Cot was a very sad place, it was also very peaceful and serene.

At the cemetery we found the grave of Private Frederick James Albert from 36 Battalion who died at Passchendaele on 12 October 1917. Information about his death was provided by Grandfie Dwyer after he went missing. The day of our tour we left a couple of Australian mementoes on his grave. When we went back a few days later we found some school kids had also left poppies and a card. The Commonwealth War Cemetries are meticulously maintained. The original white concrete headstones are in the process of being replaced so that they better withstand the weather. The new marble headstones are quite beautiful.

Tyne Cot cemetery actually sits on Passchendaele Ridge. It is the only piece of high ground for miles which is why the Germans and Australians were so keen to control it. There is a museum attached to the cemetery which provides information about the Battle for Passchendaele and the capture by an Australian Division of a German blockhouse that stood on the site. Grandfie Dwyer was part of that Division.

As you approach the museum a recording of the names and ages of all the soldiers memorialised at Tyne Cot is broadcast. Once inside the museum, photos matched to those names can be viewed on a video screen.  What is striking about the photos is how young all the faces are.

This photo illustrates the intensity of the fighting on Passchendaele Ridge.  In the left of the photo is the corner of the German blockhouse which the Australians captured.  The Cross of Rememberance in Tyne Cot cemetery is mounted on that blockhouse.