This is a journey I have wanted to make for a long time. Two years ago, we travelled to Albert and explored several battle sites along the Somme. This time, I wanted to connect that experience with the areas north of the Somme, travelling all the way to Ypres.
The nightly Menin Gate ceremony, with the buglers playing The Last Post, remains unforgettable. Each museum offered a different perspective on the Western Front, and I learned far more about both the causes of the First World War and the events at each location.
I have also been reading The Western Front by Nick Lloyd, which highlights how reluctant Britain was to commit fully to the war until 1916, and how immense the French sacrifices were during the first two years. Verdun, in particular, shaped the strategic decisions that led to the Battle of the Somme on 1 July 1916, now recognised as a catastrophic day for the British Army.
Some museums felt a little underwhelming, including the much‑praised In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres. My favourite by far was the Hooge Crater Museum. The two days we spent in the small field at Hooge were excellent. We visited the top of Bellewaerde Ridge, where German and British trenches were once less than 100 metres apart. Looking east, we could see the spires of Ypres. On the ridge stands a monument to twelve Royal Engineer tunnellers who died underground. Camping on what had once been the German front line was particularly poignant.
Tyne Cot Cemetery near Passchendaele was deeply moving, and the surrounding area was fascinating. We traced a member of the Mayne family, Rifleman Henry William Mayne of the Queen Victoria’s Rifles, who is commemorated on Panel 151 at Tyne Cot.
Vimy Ridge, with its Canadian memorial and reconstructed trenches, was another highlight.
As we headed back into the Somme region towards Albert, we stopped at the Lochnagar Crater. Once again, I found myself imagining the British assault that followed the detonation of the enormous mine on 1 July 1916. I took a small stone (number 4) from the rim of the crater.
We spent two days in Albert, returning to where our journey had begun two years earlier. We did not revisit the battle sites, but we did take another look at Albert’s Basilica and its famous Golden (or Leaning) Virgin.
Fittingly, our final stop was Compiègne, where the Armistice was signed, bringing hostilities to an end at 11:00 on 11 November 1918. It is a peaceful and reflective place, although I felt the site focused heavily on French remembrance, with little acknowledgement of the British contribution. France undoubtedly suffered the greatest losses, and Britain was initially hesitant to become deeply involved. When we did commit, the results were mixed. However, the eventual Allied victory—particularly during the Hundred Days Offensive—owed much to the combined efforts of the French, British, Canadians, Australians and later the Americans, especially after the German Spring Offensive of 1918.
Overall, it was a fascinating and deeply moving trip.
Ypres
We attended the Menin Gate memorial Last Post ceremony. This ceremony has continued without interruption since 2 July 1928 (except during the Second World War, when it was transferred to England), and takes place every evening at exactly 8.00 pm.
It was incredibly moving, even with the large number of people holding up phones. I kept mine low, but still felt a little guilty. The gate itself bears the names of around 55,000 Commonwealth soldiers missing before 1917, with the exception of New Zealanders and Newfoundlanders.
The city of Ypres was completely destroyed during three major battles. The First Battle of Ypres set the scene for trench warfare from 1915 onwards. The final battle formed part of the push towards Passchendaele, where so many died during the repeated advances, retreats and counter‑attacks, worsened by appalling weather.
Ypres
Our second day in Ypres was spent at the In Flanders Fields Museum in the centre of the town. It is an impressive interactive museum, but I found it somewhat over‑interpreted, with too much going on and too many people milling about. I did not learn much more than I already knew about Ypres, although it was still worthwhile.
We enjoyed a couple of beers in a café overlooking the square. I wondered what it must have been like to sit there in 1914–15, watching soldiers pass through the Menin Gate and march along the streets towards the front lines.
In the afternoon, we walked along the Ypres ramparts and visited the Lille Gate Cemetery, which holds around 190 soldiers. It was a very moving place. The small keys placed around the city represent civilians known to have been killed during the war and are positioned where they fell—a poignant reminder that many non‑combatants also lost their lives.
Hooge
We moved to the Hooge Crater campsite. The independent Hooge Crater Museum was excellent, and the nearby château grounds contained preserved trenches and artefacts. The exhibits clearly showed the constant movement of the front lines between Ypres and Passchendaele, eventually ending at the final 1918 front line.
In the afternoon, we visited Sanctuary Wood Cemetery and the preserved trenches and tunnels that formed part of the British lines in 1917. We also walked up to the Canadian Cemetery at Hill 62.
The next day we visited the remarkable Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery in the world. The site marks high ground that had been held by the Germans for years before finally being taken by Australian and New Zealand forces during the push towards Passchendaele.
The Cross of Sacrifice stands atop a former German pillbox at the centre of the cemetery. There are 35,000 names of the missing and around 12,000 graves, of which approximately 8,000 are unidentified. We found the name of Rifleman Harry William Mayne of the Queen Victoria’s Rifles on Panel 151.
We also visited the excellent Passchendaele Museum. An Australian Army band played for an hour before we explored the museum, which includes reconstructed trenches, dugouts and tunnels.
The Bellewaerde Ridge was a strategically important area and took years to capture before the Third Battle of Ypres (Passchendaele). We are camped on former German lines and visited Railway Wood to see the craters caused by underground mines. We also visited the Royal Engineers memorial, marking the site where an officer, NCOs and engineers were buried when a German mine exploded. Here, it is still possible to see how close the two front lines were in June 1915.
The Ypres Salient was eventually pushed back again by the Germans during their Spring Offensive in 1918, only to be retaken before the Armistice. I had not realised the full significance of this part of Flanders or the role it played in the war. After years of fighting, virtually no ground was gained, at the cost of around two million dead and wounded. Standing on these battlefields, where the soldiers themselves once stood, is an extremely moving experience.
Ploegsteert and Messines
We moved to Ploegsteert (“Plugstreet”) and drove through the Messines Ridge area, the site of a major breakthrough battle. Interactive maps showed the progress of fighting from 1914 to 1918, both locally and worldwide. The Eastern Front likely suffered even greater losses than the Western Front.
The Messines Ridge was attacked in June 1917 by a well‑trained and coordinated force of British, Canadian, New Zealand, Irish and Australian troops. It was one of the most successful battles of the war. Nineteen mines were detonated beneath the German defences, and the coordinated infantry assault, supported by creeping artillery barrages, led to a decisive victory.
Unfortunately, much of the territory gained was lost again during the German Spring Offensive of 1918, including areas around Ypres.
What struck me driving towards Vimy was the sight of the ridge itself in the distance. No wonder this was a hard-fought area.
It was occupied by the British but then taken over by the Germans. On 12 April 1917 the Canadians, fighting as one with all four Divisions, took the ridge in a matter of days and held on to it for the rest of the war despite counter-attacks to the south which lost ground gained by the allies since 1914.
The park has been preserved by the Canadians and we were able to go underground along the tunnels and the preserved trenches. We were able to see a fighting tunnel which led to one of the large mine craters dotted around the landscape. These were dug originally by the RE. We also walked around the preserved trenches and were able to see how close the front lines were in this area. Unusually they were no more than 25 meters apart from observation trench to observation trench.
The Battle of Arras was masterminded by the French General Nivelle but the initial push ended in disaster, The second plan led by The replacement General Petain made use of the Canadian soldiers. The battle was preluded by a creeping barrage heavier than the Somme and the lesson learnt from that battle came to fruition. The attack was successful but the Germans did not allow any further gains. The war once again became a war of attrition.
The result was over 10,000 Canadian casualties.
Arras to the Somme
We travelled from Arras down into the Somme region, passing the Beaumont‑Hamel Newfoundland Memorial Park, which we had visited two years earlier, and stopping at Serre Road Cemetery No. 2, the largest cemetery on the Somme.
Our main aim was to visit the Lochnagar Crater, which did not disappoint. I found it even more impressive and emotional than expected. This area formed part of the Schwaben Heights, a key objective of the Somme offensive on 1 July 1916.
The Lochnagar mine was detonated at 7:28 am, around 30 metres in front of the German front line. A two‑minute delay before the British infantry advanced proved fatal. German troops manned the crater rim and cut down the advancing soldiers as they moved uphill, many still marching in formation with full equipment. German barbed wire, largely untouched by the preliminary bombardment, added to the slaughter.
Along the 18‑mile front, from the diversionary attack at Gommecourt to the northern sector around Serre and south to Fricourt, there were 57,470 British casualties on the first day alone, including 19,240 killed.
Standing on the rim of the crater and looking west, I imagined the British soldiers advancing towards almost certain death, many falling before they came close to the crest. The Tyneside Irish and Tyneside Scottish did reach the eastern rim, and further north the Ulster Division initially captured the Schwaben Redoubt, only to lose it later.
I also felt enormous respect for the Royal Engineer tunnellers who dug under the German positions and detonated what was then the largest man‑made explosion in history.
We then travelled the short distance to Albert, where we would spend a couple of days. The town was almost completely destroyed during the war. The famous Golden Virgin, once toppled and leaning, now stands upright again and can be seen from the crater.
The weather was beautiful. There is a small lake, the sun was out, and we sat outside with a couple of beers and some snacks. I am forever grateful for the sacrifices made, which allow us to enjoy the freedoms we have today.
Albert
We remained in Albert today, taking a rest day and not visiting any sites.
Albert sat just behind the British front lines on the Western Front and became a key logistical hub. Troops, supplies, ammunition and medical services all passed through the town, supported by vital road and rail links.
Albert is most closely associated with the Battle of the Somme in 1916. It served as a staging area for British and Commonwealth forces preparing for the offensive, with thousands of soldiers passing through before going “over the top” on 1 July. Casualties were enormous, with over 57,000 British casualties on the first day alone.
One of Albert’s most famous wartime symbols was the damaged Basilica of Notre‑Dame de Brebières. A shell hit the tower, leaving the golden statue of the Virgin Mary tilted at a dramatic angle. Soldiers nicknamed it the “Leaning Virgin”, and a superstition arose that when the statue finally fell, the war would end.
Albert was heavily bombarded and largely destroyed, briefly captured by German forces during the Spring Offensive of 1918, and later retaken by Allied troops during the Hundred Days Offensive. By the end of the war, the town lay in ruins and had to be almost entirely rebuilt during the 1920s. Today, it stands as a key centre for remembrance, surrounded by cemeteries and memorials to those who fell.
