Excursion: Ypres
Ypres is a Belgian town that was historically the center of intense and sustained battles between German and Allied forces. This town is surrounded by Ypres Salient battlefields, and there are many cemeteries, memorials and war museums that honor the German-Allied battles that unfolded in this area during World War I.
Because of this historical significance, this excursion to Ypres focuses on the battles and aftermath of World War I. We visited three places: the Trenches of Death, In Flanders Field Museum and Tyne Cot Cemetery.
The Trenches of Death showcase the last remnant of the trench system in WWI, and its history is recalled through interactive applications, pictures, film footage and multiple original objects. Everything is explained in 4 languages (Dutch, English, French and German). It tells you why the "Dodengang" is called the "Trench of Death," how the soldiers lived, fought and survived during the four hard years under constant threat of the Germans on the other side of the river. Take your time to look at the different photos and video fragments. You also have a panoramic view of the trenches and the river. Then, go downstairs outside to visit the trenches. While the original sandbags have been replaced with concrete, it is still possible to walk through and get an idea of the purpose and scale of the structures.
In Flanders Fields Museum was interesting, informative and eye-opening. To enter the museum, each of us got a "Poppy Bracelet" which contains a microchip that activates the chosen language for you. It also activates the personal story of four individuals as you make your way around.
Focus and emphasis are placed on the personal stories of how WWI affected the lives of individuals from many different nationalities. Their stories are told through the many objects on display, interactive installations and lifelike characters within the larger picture of WWI. The displays include medical equipment, gas masks, and a mule and munitions wagon exhibit.
The museum tells the story of the invasion of Belgium, the first months of mobilization, the four years of trench war, the end of the war, and the permanent remembrance ever since. Themes about the consequences of war, how we look into our past, and how and why we remember are heavily explored.
Tyne Cot Cemetery makes you realize the gravity of the situation about those that have died during the war. We have always been aware that WWI claimed numerous lives, but this cemetery puts this number into perspective.
This cemetery contains the final resting place of nearly 12,000 soldiers, with about 8,000 of whom are unidentified. Those buried here died from the earliest fighting in Ypres 1914, but a majority fell during the Third Battle of Ypres in 1917.
The headstones bear the names of thousands of soldiers as well as those who have no known grave: whose bodies could not be recovered; whose graves have been unrecorded, lost or destroyed; or whose remains could not be identified and were buried underneath a headstone with the inscription, "Known Unto God."
There is also a Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing, for soldiers who have died in the Ypres Salient but their identities could not be established at the time of burial or their graves were lost in the subsequent fighting. Specifically, the Tyne Cot Memorial to the Missing bears the inscribed names of over 34,000 soldiers whose remains are still missing in the Ypres Salient.
