Page 9 - Walking Back Through Time

I have penned 3 books about my walks around Europe's WW1 battle- fields: this one is a war pilgrimage with the added endurance of march- ing between Flanders and Normandy Region near to embarkation points first used by allied forces and later to transport artillery by rail which helped end the war. The walk is simply a reminder to the world of the great sacrifice made by soldiers of the British Empire who at the time were deemed as protectors of the weak. It inevitably takes in some of the battlefields from Ypres to Amiens, historic routes through Norman- dy and eventually finishes at Nantes. The section from Amiens to Nantes, completed at speed, forms an important leg of my travels around the Continent, linking with Northern France, Spain, Portugal and the Mediterranean.
CHAPTER 1
TRAVERSING THE BATTLE FIELDS OF FLANDERS AND NORTHERN FRANCE
Day 2 Ypres to Lille - 35km
Beginning my pilgrimage from the Menin Gate, thoughts quickly drift to those less fortunate to have frequented this region a century ago. My aim on this trek is to photograph and document my experiences on the road noting in particular the battlefields which were significant during that tumultuous period.
5km beyond the town I reach my first landmark at Bedford House Cem- etery where the strongest words of war are found on the epitaphs of the dead buried in a formation of white tombstones that spread for acres each side of a nearby stream. A touring party gather close by as I peruse a few rows looking for long lost relatives; it is a hopeless task as one could easily spend a week out here in search of a relative – many of the sections are simply listed as ‘Unknown Soldier’ and the regiments that served here were innumerable. I met a guy in Ypres subsequently who had travelled from Australia in search of his long lost granddad. By chance he met a guide who had insight into all the local terrain and bat-