THE YPRES TIMES
119
coming down in sheets, and, having dropped some of our party at the Hotel
Skindles, the rest of us pushed on to the Hotel Splendid and Britannique, where
we were billeted in a most satisfactory manner, and later directed to a large and
spacious salle a manger. After doing justice to an excellent repast, many of us
walked round Ypres looking at the multitude of shops, which were still doing
business at 9.30 p.m. Others went to the Menin Gate and admired the figure of
the British lion looking sternly over the Salient.
The following morning most of us spent independently. In the afternoon a
motor tour was organized. Leaving Ypres at two o'clock, we followed
the road through St. Jean, Wieltje and St. Julien, until we arrived at
Vancouver. The Canadian Memorial here represents the colossal head and
shoulders of a soldier with reversed arms emerging from a stone column." We
next visited Tyne Cot Cemetery and the very beautiful Memorial. Onward, then,
via Becelaere, Gheluvelt associated for ever with the name of Brig.-General Sir
C. FitzClarence, V.C., and Major Hankey, also with the 2nd Battalion The
Worcestershire Regiment and the 1st Battalion The South Wales Borderers, who
saved the situation there in 1914. Then along the Menin Road of many memories,
past Inverness Copse, Clapham Junction, and, leaving Stirling Castle and Sanctuary
Wood on our left, we passed through Hooge, Birr Cross, Hellfire Corner,
where we turned to the left through Zillebeke and arrived eventually at Hill 60,
even now a place of desolation. There are two memorials on the hill; one is to
Queen Victoria's Rifles, i/9th Battalion The London Regiment; the other is
to the 1st Australian Tunnelling Company. As we walked up the footpath leading to
the memorials, souvenir-sellers tried to interest us in their bayonets, buttons, bully-
beef tins, bombs and boots.
On the following day a good many of us availed ourselves of a tour to Arras,
which was enjoyed very much indeed. I did not accompany the main party, but
went on a pilgrimage of my own to the scene of the great victory of June 7th, 1917,
when the Second Army, under the command of General Sir Herbert Plumer (now
Field-Marshal Lord Plumer of Messines) captured the Wytschaete and Messines
Ridges.
I took a tram to Vierstraat Cross-roads and walked up the road leading to the
Red Chateau and the ruins of the Hospice, which can still be seen, otherwise
nothing really remains of the old devastated area which one knew so well in 1917.
Whitesheet is now a flourishing village once more. After looking at
the 16th Divisional Memorial, I retraced my footsteps along the road to Vier
straat, which marked the left flank of the 49th Infantry Brigade on that famous
day, and as I walked my thoughts turned to that delightful commander of the
16th Division, Major-General Sir W. B. Hickie, whom I recall standing on a lot of
ammunition boxes congratulating us after victory.
In conclusion, I may say that our Secretary seems to be a most versatile
person. Not content with being able to extract corks from bottles with only a
penknife, and various other accomplishments, he came up to me about five minutes
before our train was due at Ypres station, and asked whether I had lost anything.
I said, I do not think so." Oh!" said he, laughingly, "What about this?"
at the same time producing a parcel from under his arm, You have left your
trousers behind." Does he always go round to retrieve the property of absent-
minded pilgrims, I wonder?
We steamed into Ostend in time for lunch, and afterwards boarded the boat.
The crossing was excellent, and, having passed the Customs at Dover, we found
our reserved carriages and were whirled away to our various destinations.
We should thank Capt. de Trafford and his staff at Ypres for their extreme
kindness and thoughtfulness, which made the pilgrimage such a great Success.
Mr. X.
