Ypres Day31st October, 1929
244
THE YPRES TIMES
the confidence of all the leaders under
whom they served.
I can testify to this personally, be
cause they were under me in the latter
part of 1915 and the early days of 1916;
and I know that this testimony will be
endorsed by all the leaders under whom
they subsequently served on the Somme
in 1916, the Battle of Arras in 1917.
and Passchendaele and the Battle of
Lys and Aisne in 1918.
The 50th Division had a war
record of which everyone who served
in it, and everyone who belonged to
those who served in it, have reason to
be proud. This monument will be a
permanent testimony to those services.
It will be visited for many years to
come with respect and reverence, while
to the descendants of those to whose
honour it has been erected it will be a
source of intense pride.
To-day for most of us is a day of
memories. We seem to see once more
the faces and the figures which we
knew and loved, and to hear their
familiar voices. And the knowledge
that those faces, those figures, and
those voices are no longer with us must
naturally strike a note of sadness in our
hearts. But, on reflection, we shall all
feel pride in what our loved ones
achieved by their sacrifice, despite the
gloom of sorrow.
As years roll on, we shall feel that
we would not have it otherwise, and
that they, by the fulfilment of their
sacrifice, have made it absolutely
certain that their names will live for
ever more."
Lord Plumer released a cord, and the
two flagsthe Union Jack and the
Belgian Tricolourfell from the in
scription. We read it clearly in the
radiant sunlightTo the enduring
memory of all ranks of the 50th
(Northumbrian) Division who fell in
the Great War, 19141918. Pro
Patria."
Officers saluted, ex-Service men stood
rigidly to attention, and a sigh like a
breeze wafted through the air. The
great moment had arrived. North-
umbria shows that she remembersthe
tall, stately obelisk will stand for all
time as a silent witness of the sacrifice
made by our sturdy Northern
comrades.
Wreaths were laid by General
Wilkinson and the Burgomaster of
Ypres, and these were followed by
floral tributes, in which the poppythe
blood-red symbol of sacrifice
predominated.
At the conclusion of the ceremony
the party returned to Ypres where a
number of distinguished guests were
entertained to luncheon by the
Memorial Committee at Skindles
Hotel.
Members of the Ypres League and their friends are invited to join in the
Annual Ceremony at the Cenotaph, Whitehall, on Thursday, October 31st, 1929,
at 3.45 p.m. They may take up their positions on the pavement on the river side
in two ranks facing the Cenotaph, assembling individually not later than 3.15 p.m.
Members are requested not to leave the pavement during the Ceremony. It is
hoped that H.R.H. Princess Beatrice will again graciously consent to lay the
League wreath at the Cenotaph, after which a wreath will be placed on the tomb
of the Unknown Warrior.
Medals and badges may be worn, but not uniform.
