A group from 2nd Ahoghill Company Section flew to Brussels last week, to begin a five day camping tour around the WW1 battlefields of Belgium and France.
The boys met at the church hall in full uniform, where their luggage was waiting for them in the minibus. After a few photos and goodbye hugs, they boarded the bus and we set off for Dublin airport. We were joined by former 2nd Ahoghill officer Ian Young, and his son Steven, who had shown a keen interest after hearing about our plans for the trip.
Travelling
The two hour drive allowed some of the boys, and adults, to catch up on their sleep ahead of a busy day. We were dropped off outside Terminal 1, and checked in the hold luggage containing our tents and camping gear. After eating our packed lunches, we passed through security and made the long walk to our boarding gate. and joined the queue to eventually board the plane. After an hour and 10 minutes in the air, we touched down in a warm and sunny Brussels.
After collecting our two nine-seater hire vans, we began the 130km drive to our first campsite, outside the town of Ypres. One van headed straight to the campsite to set up the tents, while the other stopped at the Kortrijk branch of Decathlon along the route. To reduce our hold luggage we had ordered sleeping bags and roll mats in advance, which we picked up in store before heading to the campsite.
Menin Gate Memorial
Unfortunately the journey to the campsite had taken longer than expected, causing us to fall behind schedule. We had planned to be in place for the remembrance ceremony held each night in Ypres, under the arch of Menin Gate. As we made the short walk to Menin Gate we heard the faint bugle call of Last Post, marking the 8pm start time. Not wanting to disturb the ceremony, we stood at a distance and observed as members of various organisations laid wreaths accompanied by the sound of a lone piper. The ceremony ended with the bugle call of Réveille, played by members of the Ypres Voluntary Fire Brigade.
As the crowds dispersed we were able to explore the vast stone panels of the memorial, inscribed with the names of over 54,000 British and Commonwealth soldiers who died in the area with no known grave. Seeing the sheer number of names covering the walls of the gate really brought home the sacrifices made.
Ypres Town Centre
With a few stomachs beginning to rumble, we made our way into Ypres in search of somewhere to eat. Walking along the cobbled streets gave a good view of the town’s architecture, most of which had been rebuilt after the war.
We eventually found a little restaurant which was still open, and ordered our food. The quiet market square offered the perfect backdrop to eat our dinner, as the sun slowly started to set. We walked back to the campsite and into our tents, to recharge the batteries ahead of the busy schedule we had planned in the morning.
