Fire up the Mercedes Viano

By Tiny Adams (With apologies to the Audi Quattro, Life on Mars and Ashes to Ashes)

Well it might have been a blagger’s bullet that sent DS Sam Tyler back to 1973 there to eventually meet his nemesis in the form of DCI Gene Hunt but in my case it was a Westclox alarm rattling my brains awake at 0415 hours in the morning which sent me back even further in time. Let me explain.

It’s Monday 1st June and after calming my racing heart from that damned alarm clock I fall out of bed and wash, shave and because I laid out my gear the night before I dress in the no time - old habits die hard don’t they?

05.00hrs (what the hell am I doing up at this naffi ng time?) I fi re up the old Mercedes Viano but not for work this time. Oh no - on this day of days it’s going to be a bit ‘me’ time and I have a train to catch so onwards Germanic steed to Leper (Ypres) and all the battlefi elds of Northern France.

On route at Eastleigh I pick up the fi rst two of my travelling companions Lyndon Harper (a Rifl eman in his previous life) and Ian Mason a copper from the midlands whose knowledge of the battlefi elds is second to none and fi nally onto Basingstoke for Pat Low and Derek Randall both Rifl emen in every sense of the word. From there it’s nonstop to the Channel Tunnel for a full English and a rest before parking up on the train where it’s hand brake on, engine off, and away we go!

Now at Calais and to the squawking strains of a typical French accordion its full speed ahead out of the tunnel whilst avoiding the migrants and trying to remember to keep to the right. Oh yes and driving straight onto roundabouts but giving way to other drivers coming on to them! Talk about daft – but then this is France.C'est la vie!

First stop is the CWGC Military Cemetery at Lijssenthoek. The sight for fi rst time visitors can be a bit of a shock simply because of the numbers involved. So many graves – it is really hard to get your head around it. The fi rst one we saw (1A) was for 2Lt Henriques KRRC aged only 20. Although he was the fi rst we saw from our antecedent regiments he was far from the last. But then Rifl emen love a good scrap don’t they? This was also the fi nal resting place of Staff Nurse Spindler (the only woman in the cemetery).

A short drive away was the town of Poperinge where we visited the Café de Ranke, the Condemned Cells and Execution Post. The post was a bit strange as it had been moved from its original position and was now made of steel. Not sure what’s been going on there but a bit odd to say the least - but then that’s symbolism for you I suppose. Finally on to Talbot House and Museum (Toc H) which all troops used for R&R regardless of their rank. Another short drive away is Poperinge and Brandhoek New Military Cemeteries the latter being the fi nal resting place of Capt Noel Chavasse VC & Bar, MC. Again so many graves but all maintained to perfection.

Day 1 drawing to a close so it’s off to our hotel (The Ariane) in Ypres to settle in and have a few drinks then off to the Het Moment restaurant for some scoff and a chat about old times and the days events. Bed by 21.00? Not!

Day 2 Up early(ish) and RV for breakfast at 08.00 where my companions and I again selected another healthy breakfast option - Anglais Complet! Well we need the fuel we can get as today we are off to Mons.

Our fi rst stop is at a place called Nimy Canal Bridge where the fi rst VC’s of the war were awarded to Lt MJ Dease and Pte SF Godley of the 4th Bn Royal Fusiliers who defended the bridge and town of Mons from the German advance for a while with machine guns. Just a short distance away along the canal was a swing bridge which had been left open by the British to slow the enemies approach but a lone German soldier (Oskar Niemeyer) had swam to the centre of the canal and opened it under a hail of fi re. Sadly he was killed. However it does go toshow that no nation has the monopoly on courage. Although this location was a devil to get to (anything larger than a car would have got stuck) it was well worth the effort to do so.

Onward now to the roadside memorial dedicated to the very fi rst shot fi red in WW1. This was also the location where the 4th Royal Irish Dragoon Guards charged down the hill on horses with swords extended ready to kick seven bells out of the Germans. Foolhardy but it must have been an impressive sight nevertheless. A quick life and death run across the busy road now takes us to the very spot where the 116th Canadian Infantry Battalion stopped upon the fi nal ceasefi re on the 11th November 1918.

Back into the Merc now and off to Obourg Railway Station where the Middlesex Regiment fi red the fi rst shots of the battle of Mons and where an unidentifi ed British soldier paid the supreme sacrifi ce by covering the retreat of his comrades. Can’t help it but it does tend to bring a tear to the eye and make the chest swell with pride. However mustn’t dwell on it too long as another cemetery awaits us.

Eventually we arrive at St Symphorian Cemetery which is the resting place of Pte J Parr who is believed to be the fi rst Commonwealth soldier to be killed by enemy fi re in WW1. Spookily it is also the resting place of Pte G Ellison 5th Lancers who was killed 90 minutes before the armistice came into effect on the 11th Nov 1918 - poor

unlucky devil – RIP. This particular cemetery was built and maintained by the German Army during the 1st WW and contains 284 German and 229 Commonwealth graves. It also has a monument built by the Germans in honour of the ‘The Royal’ Middlesex Regiment - only they weren’t ‘Royal’. However the Germans saw them fi ghting so well they thought they had to be royal troops and added the ‘Royal’ bit themselves.

Our next port of call is Dud Corner Cemetery and the excellent viewing platform of the Loos battlefi eld. Yet again so many white headstones of Commonwealth soldiers killed at the Battle of Loos. In fact out of the 1,800 buried there only 684 were ever identifi ed. The other 1,116 are simply missing presumed dead.

We don’t linger too long here as the ground is so fl at and exposed and with the wind whipping up and freezing us to death we decide to visit (Wait for it!) Guards Cemetery Windy Corner. This cemetery was started by the Guards in Guinchy with 2,700 graves. But even here we didn’t let the Guards have it all their own way because one of the fi rst graves you see is of a Rifl eman. Le Touret Memorial and Military Cemetery is our next port of call with so many more graves it beggars belief that anyone won this war at all.

Our last stop of the day is at Hyde Park Corner. No not the one in London but the one at Ploegsteert (Plug Street Wood). This was yet again another cemetery started by an individual regiment. In this case it was the Royal Berkshire Regiment and even here we found the fi nal resting place of another Rifl eman - Rfn Albert Edward French KRRC who was killed on the 15th June 1916 who was only 16 years old and clearly under age but still someone who wanted to do ‘his bit’ for his country. RIP.

Having covered some 200 miles throughout the day and seen so many graves to last us a lifetime we decide enough is enough and head our back to our hotel. After a quick refresh we head out for a meal at Captain Cooks (no idea) in Ypres and then hit the sack for some well earned rest.

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Day 3 The sun is out and the sky is blue and not a cloud to spoil the view!Its 08.00 hours and we muster in the cookhouse (well the hotel restaurant actually) where this morning our scoff looks like to scrapings from the bottom of a birdcage and the only drink is a cup of dandelion tea! We believe it’s called a ‘continental’ breakfast. Anyway being ex Rifl eman we give that the big elbow and hunt out a local café which surprisingly does a far healthier Anglais Complet which together with a few cups of coffee really sets us up for the day ahead.

Today we stay local. First stop Ypres Town Cemetery which is the fi nal resting place of Prince Maurice of Battenberg. No not the square coloured cake bakery magnate but the youngest grandson of Queen Victoria! And – here’s the cruncher – he was KRRC no less! As I said before we seem to fi nd Rifl emen everywhere – does this mean that somewhere down my ancestral line there is the possibility I could be royalty too? I DON’T THINK! Anyway whilst there we have a chat with a guy restoring one of the gravestones who was clearly very happy in his work. Thank God for him and all the others who keep the gardens up to scratch and looking so good.

Onward to Essex Farm Cemetery now where 5,750 Commonwealth soldiers

Rfn WM Brellisford KRRC.

are buried including Rfn VJ Studwick RB (aged 15). Clearly there was really a strong sense of duty in those days. Much has already been said about this particular cemetery and it is also full of grockles (tourists) so we don’t stay too long. Didn’t they know Rifl emen were visiting?

A short drive away is the excavated site of the Yorkshire Trench and Dug Out in Boezinge. This is positioned close to a modern industrial site. Perhaps I should say that the other way around because the trench was there long before anything else.During the excavations of these trenches and dug out, the remains of 155 British, French and Germans were only recently found.All were reburied with full military honours in adjacent cemeteries.On a beautiful day such as this it is hard to imagine the fi lth and death these guys must have suffered. Goodness knows what still lies in all the other undiscovered trenches which abound the region.

Next we stop at yet another ‘new 2014’ roadside memorial. This is the Welsh Memorial on Pilkem Ridgein memory of over 40,000 soldiers, sailors and airmen who died in the Great War. Just staggering!

No time to dwell as we now move off to Cement House Cemetery where we are confronted with a sight that brings home the contribution our antecedent regiments gave to the war effort. Three headstones all in a line; On the left is a Capt Brooks OBLI, in the centre Rfn Connell KRRC and on the right WO2 Cheeseman RB. United in death but still sharing a regimental bond of togetherness. Sadly however they also share the site with 3,589 others of which 2,425 are unidentifi ed (22 from WW2). RIP all of you.

On route to our next destination we drive down a small pot holed track and stop for a while at a small memorial stone on the bank of the Steenbeck (brook) in the Melkweg (Street) in Langermark. The memorial was gifted and laid by Harry Patch the last of WW1’s ‘Tommies’ to his fallen comrades. Harry died in 2009 aged 109.

Just a short distance away in Langemark we stop again at another cemetery. This time however it is a German grave site which in truth doesn’t look as well cared for as others we had visited although some renovation work was underway. Of course it contained numerous individual graves including a ‘Comrades Grave or Pit’ containing over 24,000 souls. In all the cemetery is said to hold 44,296 dead including 1 British Soldier. Let’s hope they do a good job in sorting that place out - it’s the least they deserve regardless of nationality.

Poelcapelle British Cemetery is our next stop but even here we are again knocked back by fi nding the grave of Pte J Condon Royal Irish Regiment who died on the 14th May 1915 aged 14! However there is some ongoing dispute about both his age and whether it is actually him who is buried there. The cemetery was constructed after the Armistice when the dead were brought in from the surrounding battlefi elds and smaller graveyards.

Tyne Cot is our next stop with 11,956 Commonwealth graves of which 8,369 are unidentifi ed (4 German). Its memorial contains over 35,000 names of the dead yet to be found. In the Visitor Centre there is a touching epitaph from a soldier’s fi ancé. It reads ‘The thought that Jack died for his country is no comfort to me – his memory is all I have to love’.

Once back on the battle-bus we head off round Polygon Wood to Nonne Bosschen to hear of the outstanding counter attack made by 2nd OBLI on the 11th Nov 1914. We now travel via Gheluvelt to the north side of the Menin Road, east of Hooge (Bellewaerde) and stop at a lone memorial to the offi cers and men of the KRRC. Pity however that it is just at the entrance of a theme park. In a typical soldier like way it is comforting and amusing to think that the souls of our fellow Rifl emen go over to the theme park at night and enjoy some of the fun their shortened lives had missed.

Leaving this memorial we now head for the Hooge Crater Cemetery where we hear a vivid description of a fl ame thrower attack by the Germans on 8th RB on the night of 30th July 1915. As the name of the cemetery suggests it is on the site of a huge crater 120’ wide and 20’ deep made by the 175th Tunnelling Company which has now been

& Bar a distinguished and accomplished combat commander who was both an original thinker and popular with his men. Look him up the internet – an interesting man who was way ahead of his brother commanders at that time. Sadly brought short by a German sniper.

Three headstones all in a line. On the leŌ is a Capt Brooks OBLI, in the centre Rfn Connell KRRC and on the right WO2 Cheeseman RB.

fi lled in but symbolically represented by a stone faced circular depression at the entrance of the cemetery. The cemetery itself contains the remains of 5,923 soldiers of which 3,579 are unknown.

Finally and at the end of a long and tiring day we now make our way to the peaceful and tranquil setting of Sanctuary Wood Cemetery which is situated in a private estate. In Plot 1 we fi nd the grave of Lt GWL Talbot in whose memory Talbot House in Poperinge was established in 1915 (R&R House).

Back on the road again we head for Voormezeele Enclosure and hear the fascinating story linking Peter Pan and the KRRC (look up George Llewyn Davies on the internet and see for yourselves).It’s been a long day what with stopping and starting but without doubt it has been worth it. Sobering but worth it. So now we go back to the hotel and don our best regimental regalia to attend the Menin Gate ceremony and pay our respects to the fallen with hundreds of others and a small detachment ofthe Royal Anglian Regiment. After which it is back to the hotel for a most welcome drink and to toast the regiment. Goodnight day 3. Finally with a little time left before we begin to head for home we make a quick visit to St George’s Memorial Church (The British Church) which was built to commemorate the 500,000 British and Commonwealth troops who died in the three battles for the Ypres salient. Everything in the church including the stained glass windows, banners, plaques, furniture and even kneeling cushions are dedicated to the memory of someone who gave his or her life for freedomand oppression from tyranny. A good and peaceful place to sit and contemplate the ultimate sacrifi ce they all had made.

No time to waste now so it’s a case of buying that last box of Belgium chocolates and a coffee before returning to our chariot of Teutonic steel and fi re it up for a fast run back to Calais to catch the train. On arrival in Calais we decide that as it was lunch time and we still had a bit time we would go for a quick meal. Everything was going so well until the fi re alarms went off - but in true regimental style we did nothing until we were politely asked to leave. They should have known Green Jackets are always the last to retreat.

As we drive on the train we all now feel a little guilty of doing what millions of holiday makers now take for granted – taking a short hop under the channel back home. A simple thing in this day and age but something so many poor souls from both wars never had the chance to do. However we are going home much wiser and more understanding of the great sacrifi ce so many made on our behalf. Thank you my travelling companions, the staff at the Ariane Hotel, and the Belgium people - but most of all thank you to all those Commonwealth heroes who lie at rest in a foreign fi eld.

Day 4 Can’t sleep unfortunately so the fi nal day for me starts early at 06.30 with a bit of a clean-up of the old Mercedes whilst the others continue dozing until breakfast. That done and everything packed away we then take a short walk to visit our last cemetery Ypres Reservoir. Again like all the others the numbers are absolutely staggering with 2,613 dead of which 1,034 are unidentifi ed. The highest rank buried in this cemetery is that of Brig Gen Francis Aylmer Maxwell VC, CSI, DSO