Page 25 - Walking Back Through Time

into a hotel for the night. Roscoff seems a lovely place and I have ar- rived here at the end of season when it is pleasantly quiet. The young maid at the hotel makes me welcome and helps with important informa- tion about the port and its ferry times.
THE NEXT DAY
After enjoying a sound sleep and sunny morning by the harbour I make my way to the terminal where I board the ferry to Plymouth around 1600 hours.
The whole effort was something of an epic, starting at the Menin Gate in the shadow of World War 1 and finishing along the Loire in Northern France. The poignant beginning takes one back a century ago to an hon- ourable age of gallantry and duty to King and Country. At the time no- body could envisage the catastrophe that lay in wait nor at the end of the conflict could any one comprehend the huge loss of life inflicted by four years of pointless battles. The endless miles of cemeteries staggered across Belgium and France are a constant reminder of the futility of war and the reason why we must never forget those who died here. It is in- comprehensible that these brave people had left the comfort of their homes to forfeit their lives on the battlefield in the name of peace. Right to the very end of my walk along the Loire I found cenotaphs and me- morials to those who fought in this bloody conflict - I hope one day some good may come of this and those young men did not die in vain!