Scouts Visits to Belgium & France 2012
Ypres, Belgium We stayed at a place called Ypres in Belgium. This is a photo of the main square showing the Flanders museum which some of us visited.
World War Two. Dunkerque, France Memorial at Dunkerque where 340,000 soldiers were evacuated from the beach. 850 ships, boats, yachts and any sailing vessel that could get there. During the evacuation 60,000 were either killed, injured or captured.
The beach at Dunkerque
One of the guns outside the museum that was used in the battle at Dunkerque
World War One. Vimy Ridge, Belgium Entering the tunnels at Vimmy Ridge. They went eight metres under ground and were nearly a mile long. They had to be eight metres because when bombs were dropped it left six metre deep craters. This made sure the bombs didn't blow up the tunnels.
When digging the tunnels they had to be quiet or the Germans would hear them so they made the railway line out of wood to transport back the chalk which was then put into bomb craters, covered with grass so the Germans didn't know they were digging the tunnels Although it looks very light in the pictures during the war you could only just see in front of you.
This is where the officers slept in the tunnel. All they had was a bed and a small table and chair. It was very warm in the tunnels so at least they wouldn't get cold. The runners also slept there. These were soldiers who had to dodge the bullets to get information to other people on the front line. It was the most dangerous job there. They were only expected to last a week before being killed.
This is the view from the Canadian trenches. It looks hilly but these are the bomb craters. It was like this all over the battlefield. You can see the white square in the distance. This is where the Germans were, at the closest point it was only 25 metres away. You could throw a grenade into there trenches.
These are the trenches that the soldiers spent many days in. They were made of sandbags. They were made in a zig zag so you couldnt be shot at from one end. Also being zig zagged it stopped any bomb blast.
This was what is was like in the trenches during the war. Very muddy.
Vimy Ridge, Belgium Some areas we couldn t enter because mines and bombs were still lying there.
Vimy Ridge, Belgium This is the memorial we visited where the Canadians fought one of their battles.
World War One, Canadian Newfoundlander Regiment, Beaumont-Hamel On 1 st July 1916 Canadian forces were almost wiped out in their first major battle of the Somme. 780 men started and after 30 minutes only 110 survived The Danger Tree When attacking the Germans no-one got past this tree and a lot of soldiers were killed near it.
World War One. The Christmas day truce 1914 On Christmas day 1914 soldiers from both sides played a football match in no mans land. Both the Germans and British sang Christmas songs together. We went to see the field the football match was played on. After the day ended they went back to fighting each other.
World War Two. The Barn in Wormhaudt, France In May 1940 80 Soldiers from The Royal Warwickshire Regiment were put into a small Barn and the German SS threw in Grenades to kill them. Only a few survived. One of the Explorers laid a wreath in the Barn to remember them.
World War Two. The Barn in Wormhaudt, France One of our Explorers (Spud) reading a letter from one of the survivors telling what happened on the day.
World War Two. Esquelbecq Cemetery, France Near where the soldiers were killed in the barn. One of the Explorers laid a wreath. This is where two soldiers Moore and Jennings are buried. They were in the barn and when the grenades were thrown in, to save there men they jumped on top of them to stop the blast.
World War One. Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium This is the largest Cemetery in the world with 11,956 gravestones. There are also nearly 35,000 men who have no grave. There names on the walls around the cemetery. We laid crosses on all 90 soldiers who served in the Royal Warwickshire Regiment that have a gravestone there.
Tyne Cot Cemetery, Belgium If you look carefully you can see a German Pill Box where they fired there machine guns from.
World War One. Thiepval Memorial, France This memorial has the names of over 72,000 who died during the Battle of the Somme between July 1915- March 1918. None of these men were found so they could not be buried. We had one of our Explorers lay a wreath to the Royal Warwickshire soldiers who are missing.
World War One. Essex Farm Cemetery, near Ypres, Belgium We found here the youngest soldier to die in World War one. His name is Private Valentine Joe Strudwick who died on 14 th January 1916 aged 15 years old. There is also Private T.Barrett who was awarded the Victoria Cross.
Essex Farm Bunkers In this picture it shows you the bunkers injured soldiers were taken to and operated on. They are very dark, cold and damp places.
Menin Gate, Ypres, Belgium We all went to the ceremony at night and marched through the Menin Gate in front of hundreds of people.we followed a contingent from the Warwickshire Fire Brigade.
World war 1. Bernafay Wood Cemetery, Montauban. Gunner A.J.Bicknell Royal Garrison Artillery We made a stop here so I could lay a cross on a contingent leaders wife's grandads brother who was killed in battle on 30 th September 1916. He is laid next to three other gunners who were killed on the same day. There are 945 graves in this cemetery.
Some of the leaders relaxing after a hard days work looking after the Explorers. I was there to keep an eye on them of course.
Next visit to Ypres November 2014 THE END