ON Sunday, July 8 a minibus left Llandrindod Wells carrying the town Mayor Jonathan Williams and his family, Phillip Jones military historian and employee of the Radnorshire Museum and his wife and David Walton, after a brief stop in Gloucestershire to pick up Angie and Kirsty the group set off for Ashford in Kent, it was here that they would pick up the euro tunnel to France. Their mission was to visit as many graves of local men as possible and to spend time at the memorial walls that hold the names of local men who have no known graves.
Also onboard the minibus were two carefully packed poppy wreaths, one bearing the crest of the town of Llandrindod Wells with the inscription ‘Nad anghofiwn eich aberth, we shall never forget your sacrifice. The Mayor and family on behalf of Llandrindod Wells’ the other bearing the crest of the county of Radnorshire with a card reading ‘to the fallen of Radnorshire from a grateful county’.
The group were heading through France and into Belgium where it had been arranged for Jonathan and Phillip to join the last post ceremony at the Menin gate in Ypres and lay the wreaths on behalf of the town of Llandrindod wells and the county of Radnorshire.
Months before Jon had contacted the Last Post association in Ypres in order to book a place at this moving and poignant ceremony. When planning the self funded trip the group had expressed the wish to visit as many historic sites in and around the town of Ypres as possible as well as the last resting place of many local soldiers and thanks to the organisational skills of the Mayor’s wife Jo this was indeed achieved.
Taking a winding course from Calais to their main base at Hooge near Ypres the group were able to visit sites that will be familiar names to anyone with even a passing interest in WW1. Vimyridge with its striking memorial visible through an avenue of trees, Warlencourt British cemetery, Delville Wood, the Cambrai tank memorial, and the Poziers memorial which holds the names of 14,000 men who have no known grave including that of Llandrindod Wells resident Percy Muscott who died somewhere between March 26 and 27, 1918. It is impossible not to be moved by the sight of crisp white head stones lying in ordered rows on perfectly manicured lawns with the summer flowers alive with bees and butterflies.
Phill Jones who is at present researching local soldiers for a forthcoming exhibition at the Radnorshire Museum had prepared a list of possible places to visit including the Tyne Cot Cemetery, the largest commonwealth cemetery in the world which holds graves of two local men among the rows of 11,900 buried there, after these graves had been visited it was time to turn to the boundary wall for here are engraved the names of 35,000 soldiers who have no known grave, 16 local men are remembered here and each one was found by members of the group.
The group also decided to visit Langemark which houses a German war cemetery there was a very different feel here as the whole area was far more sombre in colour and design. There was also time to visit some of the many excellent museums in the area as well as time to relax with egg and chips in Tommy’s restaurant. Famous names in Welsh military history such as Mametz Wood were also visited and as well as taking a Welsh flag along the group also gave a rousing rendition of the Welsh national anthem at the stunning Welsh National Memorial Park. Poperinghe was the destination on Wednesday morning; the first place the group visited was the condemned cell, thought provoking and in sharp contrast to a house just a few meters away. Talbot House also known as Toc H, was beloved by thousands of soldiers as a place of peace and respite, it is still a haven of quiet and calm today, although it is mostly a museum it is still possible to stay here and the spirit of comradeship and hospitality is kept alive by friendly staff that are ready with tea and cake for all.
It was now back to the hotel to get ready for the wreath laying ceremony.
The ceremony is conducted every night at 8pm overseen by the Last Post association with help from buglers drawn from the local Ypres fire brigade.
Jon and Phill were positioned at the front of the wreath laying party which included the family of VC winner Albert Borella who had travelled from Australia.
Every night hundreds of people from all over the world crowd into the Menin gate for the ceremony and as the first words are spoken complete silence falls over the crowd, this remains until the strains of the last bugle die away and slowly the crowds disperse, some lingering to read the inscriptions or the names on the wreaths.
The cemeteries, the memorials such as thiepval which also contains Radnorshire names and sites of devastation such as Lochnagear crater and sanctuary wood, will stay in the memories of all who visited them for a long time to come, and the group were proud and pleased to have been able to place the wreaths at such a special memorial. Video of Jon and Phill taking part in the wreath laying ceremony can be seen on social media.