lest We Forget

[boodie]

No, I haven't died, more on that later.

Watching the various services on the TV this morning, I've decided that my pilgrimage will not include Gallipoli, but instead I will make my journey to Ypres and see the Menin Gate, the Belgians have what I consider to be the most moving of all services, and they do this daily, most of Australia may have forgotten that more people died at Ypres and surrounding areas, but I haven't.

.

This picture is one of the most haunting I have ever seen, it's painted in shades of blue, and in the foreground you can see the ghostly figures of the dead soldiers streaming through the Menin Gate, painted in 1927.



They shall grow not old, as we that are left grow old:
Age shall not weary them, nor the years condemn.
At the going down of the sun and in the morning
We will remember them.

Comments

[dewhitton.livejournal.com]

I think the Menin Gate, and Somme are where I will be heading in the future. Gallipoli is the famous place, but Belgium is where we lost more men.

[funnelwebkitten.livejournal.com]

Indeed, i totally agree, theres something about those areas.

[discordia-eris.livejournal.com]

Lest we forget...

[smof.livejournal.com]

I went to the Menin Gate and heard the Last Post on a history trip in college. It is very moving and eerie. A little surreal also because it is totally surrounded by city. And it seemed like even though they do the same thing every day the gate is filled with people every time. I have a feeling in this country people would be bored of it.

[funnelwebkitten.livejournal.com]

quite possibly the same here, I guess the difference to them is that the war and the fighting actually came through their villages, in their towns, in WW1 the war was somewhat removed from people living in the UK in terms of actual real life in your face bombs, guns and all the associated horrors.