11/11 Armistice or Remembrance Day
Exploring history and remembrance at WWI sites in Belgium
This summer I traveled to Belgium, and although my focus was on exploring the cities, I also explored WW1 battlefields, museums, cemeteries, and trenches. Since today is Armistice Day or Remembrance Day, I will share some photos and numbers — for all of us not to forget.
The Town of Ypres
The town of Ypres (or Ieper in Flemish) is synonymous with World War I history. Its medieval trading hub was nearly destroyed during the war, as it became a key strategic location on the Western Front. The town’s name will also always be remembered in the name of Yperite, the mustard gas first used in World War I by the German army against British and Canadian soldiers near Ypres, on July 12, 1917.
One of the most famous sites here is the Menin Gate Memorial. Every evening at 8 PM, a haunting Last Post ceremony is performed under the archway, honoring 54,395 Commonwealth soldiers who lost their lives here and have no known graves. The ceremony has taken place every day since 1928 (!). Inside the archway, there is the inscription proposed by Rudyard Kipling: “Ad Majorem Dei Gloriam” / To the greater glory of God. – Here are recorded names of officers and men who fell in Ypres Salient, but to whom the fortune of war denied the known and honoured burial given to their comrades in death”.
This is not the best video, but is the only one I have - I arrived too late on a Saturday and there were already so many visitors, I could barely see anything. There were visitors from Belfast, UK laying down wreaths. Overall, an extremely impressive event, and the fact that it’s been held daily for almost 100 years is just mind-blowing.
Nearby, the In Flanders Fields Museum provides an immersive experience into the history of WWI, housed in the medieval Cloth Hall.
Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing
Just a short drive from Ypres lies the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth war cemetery in the world. Over 11,900 soldiers are buried here, with many more names inscribed on the walls of the memorial.
Tyne Cot’s sheer size makes it a stark testament to the scale of loss during WWI, and for me, it was one of the most impactful stops on our tour.
Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917
This memorial museum is a must-see, mostly because the Battle of Passchendaele is infamous not only for the horrific conditions in which it was fought but mostly for the loss of lives over several kilometers of land. The battle was fought from July to November 1917 and the number of casualties on both sided was somewhere between 450.000 and 850.000. In just under 5 months. For several km of land.
The battle has come to symbolize the futility and horror of trench warfare. The museum includes reconstructed trenches, bunkers, and interactive exhibits, giving visitors a sense of what life was like for soldiers on the front lines. Outside the museum, there are several preserved shell craters and remnants of the battlefield.
Play the video to see the movement and the waste of life in real-time:
The Christmas Truce Memorial
I will end this post in a lighter tone.
The fields of Ploegsteert are famous for being one of the sites of the Christmas Truce of 1914, when soldiers from both sides put down their weapons, sang carols, and even played soccer in no man’s land. Although the truce was short-lived, this event remains a symbol of humanity in the middle of war, and a reminder of the small but powerful moments of peace and connection that can arise, even in the darkest times.
In 2014 the UEFA monument commemorated the 100th anniversary of this event.
If you want to learn more about Belgium or my visit, you can find it here: