180
The Ypres Times.
We arrived at St. Omer on May 13th. That afternoon we were installed in a secluded
little house on the Boulogne road, well away from G.H.Q. A staff officer came out from
the town to inspect these strange creatures who were being billetted on the army. He
was curious, and none too cordial. I remember his bright suggestion that we might
confine ourselves to writing up the first battle of Ypres (the second battle of Ypres
was at that moment drawing to a close), and then gradually working through months of
accumulated material-which meant that the British public would always be months
behind the news of the day.
The town of Ypres showed the deepest feeling
of sorrow at the death of Lord Ypres. A meeting
of the Town Council in progress at the time the
sad news was received, adjourned immediately.
The British and Belgian flags, including the
Ypres flag, were flown at half mast. The Ypres
journal, Het Ypersche, published in deep mourning,
paid many tributes to the great Field Marshal.
The photograph shows our representative, to
gether with members of the Imperial War Graves
Commission, placing wreaths in memory of Lord
Ypres at the Cloth Hall. Many Belgian citizens
were present at the ceremony.
The Ypres League sent the beautiful laurel
wreath, to the purple ribbon of which a card was
attached bearing the following inscription
In Proud and Honoured Memory op
Field Marshal Earl Ypres.
From the Ypres League.
Forty-eight hours later Sir John came back to St. Omer from his Advanced Head
quarters at Hazebrouck. We were told that the Commander-in-Chief desired to see
us. We were taken to an old French mansion in a quiet street just off the little square
where most of the Headquarter offices were assembled.
The interview was brief and characteristically to the point. Sir John came into the
