THE YPRES TIMES
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Half-day motor tours were organized to famous places in the Salient such as
St. Jean, Wieltje, St. Julien, Gravenstafel, Passchendaele Ridge, Tyne Cot, Brood
seinde, Becelaere, Kruiseik, Menin Road, Inverness Copse, Clapham Junction,
Hooge, Sanctuary Wood, Hill 62, Birr Cross Roads, Hell Fire Corner, Zillebeke,
Hill 60, and Shrapnel Corner.
Whole day motor tours were also arranged along the battle front as far as
Arras, which proved exceedingly interesting, passing through Wytschaete, Messines,
Neuve Eglise, Armentières, Fleurbaix, Neuve Chapelle, La Bassée, Lens to Vimy
Ridge. Here we visited the
Canadian and German trenches
and the tunnels occupied by the
Canadians prior to their attack in
April, 1917, and now preserved as
a memorial by the Canadian
Government.
From Arras the return was
made through Souchez to
Estaires, which was very much
en fete on Whit Monday, the
French procession providing in
tense amusement. Tm,,.
The return itinerary was taken
via Bethune, and at Le Touret
Military Cemetery, where we
halted to inspect the beautiful
memorial bearing the names of
13,448 soldiers from the United
Kingdom who fell in this neigh
bourhood before September 25th,
1915, and have no known graves.
The memorial was unveiled
on May 22nd, and takes the form
of a loggia surrounding an open
rectangular court. The court is
enclosed by three solid walls, and
on the fourth side by a colonnade.
East of the colonnade is a wall,
and the colonnade and wall are
prolonged north and south, the le touret memorial and cemetery,
forming a long gallery.
Small pavilions mark the ends of the gallery and western corners of the court.
The names of the dead are inscribed on panels set in the walls of the court and
the gallery.
We continued our journey to Ypres via Kemmel, arriving about 7 o'clock.
Both pilgrimages visited the Ypres British Church, School and Pilgrims' Room,
and expressed admiration for those responsible in establishing this British
Settlement.
Special thanks are due to Messrs. W. and C. J. Parminter, the Ypres League
representatives, for their many kindnesses and trouble they took in connection with
the visit to the cemeteries, and for making the battlefield tour so interesting, and
all expressed satisfaction at the way arrangements had been made for their comfort
at the Hotel Splendid and Britannique.
G. E. de T.
