Page 18 - QARANC Vol 14 No 11 2015

16 QARANC THE GAZETTE
EX YPRES DECOUVERTE
MDHU Frimley Park battlefield study tour: Ypres Belgium 2015
It is difficult to comprehend that a little over 100 years ago, both men and women were being sent across the channel to the continent, to fight one of the bloodiest conflicts in world history.
Team B from MDHU Frimley Park Hospital were fortunate enough to be given the opportunity to travel to Belgium to visit some of the famous battlefield sites. This was not only to enhance our understanding of events relating to the war, but also to pay our respects to those who fell in the line of duty over a decade ago.
Travelling to Belgium was very straight
forward. The ferry crossing was calm,
with the majority of sickness occurring
as a result of Capt Wilson’s driving.
Whilst travelling, it was difficult not to
imagine the feelings of the millions of
soldiers who travelled this similar journey
in 1914, not knowing what the near future held in store for them on the western front.
Soon after arrival we visited Hill 60. This position was captured by the German forces advancing across Belgium during the first battle of Ypres in 1914, with intention of getting into France. In the first British operation of its kind, Royal engineers and Australian miners ventured deep underground, digging mines to surprise the Germans from underneath. The intention was to blow up the German position and recapture it. Whilst walking around here you could see that the ground is a mixture of deep craters and shallow shell holes from the heavy shelling and mining from both sides during the battles.
Throughout the rest of the week, we visited various other war cemeteries including, Tyne Cot, the largest Commonwealth Cemetery in Belgium, Essex Farm, Lijssenthoek, Brandhoek, Passchendaele, Menin Gate, and Poekopelle.
Each cemetery was extremely sobering, and it was hard to imagine when looking upon row after row of head stones, the vast amount of lives that were lost during the Great War. It was however saddening to see the many headstones that carried the phrase “An Unknown Soldier of the Great War.”
There were however certain cemeteries we visited that had relevance to ourselves as military Healthcare Professionals; One of these being Lijssenthoek cemetery. Here lies the resting place of Nelly Spindler, a Territorial Army nurse who served at a casualty clearing station during the Great War. She then served in the QAIMNS, which is now the modern day Queen Alexandra’s Royal Army Nursing Corps. Whilst working at the casualty clearing station, she nursed injured soldiers coming back from the frontline in huge numbers. Unfortunately on the 21st August 1917, she died from an abdominal wound which was caused by a shell landing on her tented position. This was ironic as she worked in the hospital renowned then as the “centre of excellence” for abdominal wounds. Her actions throughout the conflict treating the injured soldiers, and continuing to work under pressure in extreme conditions are notable. Her courage, selfless commitment, and loyalty to all
those working around her, are all values we must consider and utilise in our working environments whilst at home or on operations in the future.
Another cemetery that was significant to our visit was Brandhoek cemetery. Here lie the graves of 558 men, one of which was Capt Noel Chavasse. Dr Chavasse, as well as being an Olympic athlete, is one of only three people in British Military history who has been awarded the Victoria Cross twice. Dr Chavasse earned this merit after being hit by shell splinters while saving a large number of men in no man’s land, getting as close as 25 yards to the German line. He stands as one of the most decorated officers in military history, and to visit his headstone in Belgium was extremely gratifying.
No matter which cemetery you visit throughout the western front, they all have their own stories of heroism and bravery to tell, and that was the same for Essex Farm. This memorial holds the grave of the youngest British soldier to die in the conflict at just 14 years old. It is also the site of a military dressing station, set up as a point of care for the injured coming back from the front line. Here doctors and nurses fought tirelessly to save the lives of thousands of soldiers. It is also the place where Dr John McCrae wrote “In Flanders Fields”, one of the most famous poems of all times, written after losing his best friend in the second battle of Ypres. It was interesting to see how the hospital was built, and to imagine what it would have been like treating casualties in such a small facility, with the endless bombardment from
artillery overhead.
Throughout the tour we visited many cemeteries as well as
museums, and found it extremely interesting to learn and read about British and world history. This was also an opportunity to pay our respects to all those who fell in Europe during the war years. Around 6 million allied lives were lost between 1914 – 1918, and it was a great honour as serving military personnel to pay tribute to a small number of these.
The tour was completed with a visit to the Menin Gate memorial. This had relevance as the single passing point which all soldiers went through on the way to the Western Front, many never to return. It holds the names of 54,389 officers and men who were not identified during the war, the names of men who’s headstones bear the phrase “A Soldier of the Great War”. The memorial here was short, but nonetheless sombre and poignant.
After a team meal involving large amounts of pizza that evening, it was time to head home, only to remember that we were crossing the path of millions of British soldiers who never returned from the war. It was a privilege to visit the resting place, and to remember those who had fallen throughout Belgium and the rest of Europe.
Pte Labocha QARANC (HCA)