Another stirring day. Breakfast at 8.30 and on the road around by 10.00. Off to trace the route the Seaforth's took in October 1917 to capture Crest Farm, which was hight spot of ground that protected the route Passchendaele. It was an important strategic spot to hold and was considered a great victory. It seems so crazy now that hundreds perhaps thousands of men lost their lives or were crippled over a kilometre or so of farmland.
After we traced the route to Crest Farm we did actually walk the last kilometre or so to enter, albeit in a rather scruffy looking lot into the town that is now a Battle Honour of the Regimental Colours.
Next we spent an hour and a half at Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest in the world for Commonwealth troops. There they commemorate the 47,000 dead.
We next came back to Ypres for a quick but neat group dinner before making it down the road 500 meters for the Last Post Ceremony at the Menin Gate. The Seaforths were in full No.1 dress and were piped in. It was very sombre ceremony hampered only by the very large crowd and so many petty dignitaries and their hangers-on. But who would complain of too many people at a memorial to those that gave their all?
Ordinance found in the farmer's field this week. A few times a year they call the police who come and take them away and detonate any unexploded ones.
The Regiment's C.S.M. preparing us to walk the route the Seaforth's took in 1917 with a map of the actual battle plan. This we did and it took us about 1 1/2 hours. When the Seaforth's did it in October 1917 it took about eight hours and over 200 were casualties, out of about 500.
Part of the wall of names at Tyne Cot of those missing 33,783. There are about 12,000 with known graves, but more than half without names.
The camera can't capture the enormity of it all.
The Cross of Sacrifice in the centre of the cemetery, built on the exact spot of a German Machine Gun that took the lives of many of the men in this cemetery.
One of the Mounties accompanying the visiting Canadian VIP Delegation
Canadian Minister of Veterans Affairs The Hon. Kent Hehr rolling up for a chat with Craig! He did actually pull up to Craig and started to talk to him.
A lone piper at Tyne Cot cemetery, the largest in the world for British and Commonwealth.
The grave of a Canadian Victoria Cross recipient.
The Names of The 'Missing' in Tyne Cot Cemetery.
What was left of The Cloth Hall in Ypres by 1917
As it is today, from Craig's window. Rebuilt from scratch.
The Menin Gate, one hour before the ceremony. Busy, busy, busy time in there. That is Fellette in red in front.
A good shot of the Seaforths that paraded at the Menin Gate Ceremony.
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