In the footsteps of NZ heroes
Battlefield landscape
Flanders Fields still bear the scars of war. Craters today mark areas of artillery bombardment and the occasional surface find of something small – an ammunition shell, a button or a coin.
In an archaeological dig undertaken by an experts-led team of volunteers in 2017-18, 81 bodies were unearthed at Hill 80. It was one such dig that led to the 2016 discovery of Walker.
Matching the history and geography of the area is complex so having a guide to piece it together when visiting is helpful. They can also separate the fact from Hollywood or misunderstood fiction.
The attack on Messines in which Frickleton won a VC was part of a larger Allied operation that began with the simultaneous detonation of explosives planted in 19 mines dug under German lines.
The combined 450,000kg of explosives detonated caused such an almighty bang it was recorded on seismometers in Switzerland and could reportedly be heard in London and Paris.
While the seismometers don’t lie, battlefields guide Martial Masschelein was able to explain reports of hearing it in distant countries were exaggerations.
Evidence of the giant explosion can be seen today at Hill 60, where a crater measuring 80 metres across remains from the blast detonated in a mine dug by brave Australian and Canadian tunnellers.
After roaming the battlefields, visiting the Flanders Fields Museum located inside the impressive Cloth Hall in Ypres provides an opportunity to contextualise the sites and examine artefacts.
In a digital, modern presentation of soldiers’ and Flanders natives’ wartime testimonies, visitors to the museum are left with a strong impression of the personal losses suffered in the conflict.
Modern remembrance
The Cloth Hall building that houses the Ypres Museum is a marvel. Mostly constructed in the 13th century, the 125m-long building was entirely flattened in the war under the fire of German artillery. It amounted to 700 years of history gone in one.
In time, the grand medieval marketplace was rebuilt precisely as it had been in 1914, based on old photos and plans. The reconstruction took some 34 years, from 1933-1967.
In recent years, Ypres has enjoyed about 200,000 visitors annually, highlighting the compelling stories a small town on the other side of the world can tell and mean so much to so many.
Remembrance in Flanders is an evolving notion. Last year, a modern art installation called Coming World Remember Me was unveiled highlighting the scope of the world war.
Led by artist Koen Van Mechelen, the 600,000 statues of hunched-over people sit around a Etihad Airways (etihad.com) flies to Brussels via Abu Dhabi. Ypres is best accessed by car, but can be reached by train from most Flanders towns with a change likely at Kortrijk.
The Dominican, Leopoldstraat 9-1000, Brussels (carlton.nl). New Regina, Grote Markt 45-8900, Ypres (newregina.be).
Chez Vincent, Predikherenstraat 8-10-1000, Brussels (restaurantvincent.be). Chez Leon, Beenhouwersstraat 18-1000, Brussels (chezleon.be). Het Moment, Boterstraat 42-8900 Ypres (hetmomentieper.be)
Ypres battlefields tour with a guide (visitflanders.com). Menin Gate Last Post service, 8pm daily – free admission.
Staying there
Eating there
Seeing there