An Update on the Restoration of the Menin Gate, Ypres - April 2024

For many of us who are regular attendees at the Last Post, not being under the Menin Gate itself for the ceremony has been rather odd to say the least. However, we know that essential restoration work is needed so that the Gate can continue to stand for another 100+ years.

Here is an update from the Commonwealth War Graves on the progress being made:

The first year of work on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission's iconic Ypres (Menin Gate)  Memorial has been successful with the completion the restoration of the main hall. As a result  from 8 April until 8 May, we will be removing the scaffolding under the main hall. 

To guarantee safety, the Gate will be closed to all motorized traffic during this time. The  pedestrian tunnels will remain open while the scaffolding is removed. 

From 09 May 2024, The Last Post Ceremony will return to its original location and the name  panels in the main hall will be visible again.  

The scaffolding surrounding the Gate will remain until the end of the works, which are on schedule to complete in 2025. The names on other parts of the memorial will remain inaccessible  during this time. 

The Menin Gate Moments exhibition will remain in place on the ramparts while the works continue,  and free education materials are available at https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/outreach/learning resources/ 

Summary of the completed work: 

1. The name panels have been restored and repaired where necessary. Only 2 of the 1,200 panels needed to be replaced. 

2. The vault and ceilings have been completely restored and repainted. 

3. The bronze oculi (round openings in the ceiling) have received a protective treatment.  4. Cabling for new lighting and sound system has been installed. 

5. The steps in the stair towers were removed, repaired and replaced. 

6. Where necessary, stone repairs have been carried out on the lion on the roof of the memorial.

7. A temporary roof was recently installed on the Menin Gate to allow the roof work to be carried  out. 

What’s coming next?  

1. Work on the facades of the monument continues with the replacement of damaged bricks and  repointing of the entire memorial. 

2. Repairs and repainting of the North and South galleries. 

3. Removal, restoration and installation of the bronze balustrades. 

4. Internal concrete repairs. 

5. Application of new waterproof layer on the roof. 

6. Installation of the eco-roof. 

7. Installation of new lighting and suitable pigeon protection. 

For more information visit: https://www.cwgc.org/our-work/menin-gate-memorial/restoring-the menin-gate/ 

On This Day In History: America Joins the First World War

On this day in 1917, the United States Congress approved President Woodrow Wilson’s request to declare war on Germany.

Several immensely important events preceded Wilson's decision to ask for the declaration of war four days earlier ...

🔥The sinking of the Lusitania on May 7, 1915 which caused the deaths of 1,195 people, including 128 Americans.

🔥The interception of the Zimmerman telegram sent from Germany to Mexico in January 1917 encouraging a Mexican invasion of the Southern United States.

🔥The resumption of unfettered German submarine warfare on February 1, 1917.

These events pushed the American population away from isolationism and reticence and into the muddy, bloody soaked trenches of the Western Front.

It is without doubt that the arrival of American soldiers in France in 1917 contributed enormously to the eventual outcome of the war in November 1918.

On this day, 24th March 1944, 'The Great Escape'

When the site of Stalag Luft 3, in far west Poland, was selected the sandy ground was seen as a big plus as it supposedly made the POW camp tunnel proof. Nevertheless, the British and Commonwealth ( and later American) airmen behind the barbed wire were not deterred. An audacious plan was hatched to construct three tunnels – Tom, Dick and Harry – to allow 220 men to escape and in the process make the Nazi’s divert crucial resources in a nationwide manhunt on an epic scale.

As anyone familiar with the heavily fictionalised Hollywood classic “The Great Escape” will be aware one of the tunnels was discovered, while another was abandoned due to camp reorganisation but the third, Harry, in hut 104, succeeded in spiriting away 76 of the planned 220 prisoners before discovery. Harry was very deep, about 30ft below the surface and coffin like inside, just 2ft square. Walls were shored up with pieces of wood scavenged from prisoner bunks and around the camp. Ingenious methods of disposing of mined sand were deployed, including sacks sown inside clothing and even as 1943 rolled into 1944 the space under seating in the camps theatre was used.

Harry was finally completed in March 1944 and with the leader of escapees Squadron Leader Roger Bushell, codenamed Big X, concerned about discovery, an immediate attempt was green-lighted. The date was set for March 24th 1944, a moonless night.

Getting beyond the barbed wire was only stage one, papers were forged and civilian clothes made in order to give escapees the best chance of making it home. Prisoners who could speak German and had a history of attempting escape were at the front of the queue to breakout.

On the night itself things went far from swimmingly with only a third of those earmarked for escape making it beyond the wire into open country; the rest had to be content with the role they had played in such an audacious attempt. Sparse cover at the tunnel exit meant that instead of a prisoner escaping every minute as planned, the rate was slowed to one every ten. Most of the 76 escapees were recaptured quickly - the freezing weather and lack of local trains were a real hinderance and in total only 3 men – 2 Norwegian and a Dutch pilot made it to neutral countries.

A furious Hitler ordered that more than half of the escapees be shot as an example. Eventually 50 were murdered in cold blood by the Germans. In May 1944 the discovery of this war crime caused anger and consternation amongst the allies and after the war those deemed responsible were tracked down and brought to trial. Of 18 defendants, 13 were executed at Hamelin Prison in February 1948. Justice had been done.

Today, although the original huts are gone, Stalag Luft 3 site has an excellent museum with the course of the tunnel Harry clearly marked for visitors to see. It is well worth a visit and only ten minutes’ walk, through forest, from Zagan station. Sophie’s Great War Tours offers bespoke guided tours to the camp as well as all other points of interest relating to both world wars.

On this day, 21st March 1918, the Ludendorff offensive begins

When Chief of the German General Staff and effectively co-dictator of Imperial Germany Erich Ludendorff gave the green light for the Germans final offensive in the West the outcome of WW1 still hung very much in the balance. 

The Central Powers defeat of Tsarist Russia had allowed Germany to shift huge numbers of men and material from east to west. The choice they faced was to go for one final roll of the dice in the west with the aim of splitting the allied armies or to consolidate their territorial gains with the help of the extra resources now in German hands following the punitive treaty of Brest-Litovsk. 

What swung the balance in favour of going for broke was the arrival of a 100,000 American ‘doughboys’ each month in France as well as the increasingly precarious position of Germany’s allies – Austro Hungary, the Ottoman Empire and Bulgaria. The Germans decided it was now or never to win the war and to put an end to the naval blockade that was taking a terrible toll on the civilian population. 

Meticulous planning, smarter use of artillery with shorter, better sighted, intensive bombardments as well as fast moving German Stormtrooper units led to substantial initial breakthroughs on 21st March, the days and weeks that followed. 

The initial attack, Operation Michael, fell like a hammer blow on the British near Saint-Quentin at 4.40 am. A staggering 3.5 million shells were fired in the first five hours of the battle as the Germans captured nearly all their first day objectives. The stalemate of o

On this day, 3rd March 1918, treaty of Brest-Litovsk, the precursor to the Spring Offensive

The signing of the Treaty of Brest-Litovsk between Bolshevik Russia and the Central Powers brought the war in the east to an end and spelled serious trouble for the allies.

At a stroke, this freed up 50 German divisions for one final push in the west that the German high command hoped would bring victory before the weight of newly-arriving American servicemen could be brought to bear.

Within three weeks, the Spring Offensive would start, which would see a significant breakthrough in the west but in turn would expend the final energy of the Imperial German army.

This would set the scene for the famous hundred days advance of the allies and ultimate victory in November.

Sophie’s Great War tours specialise in bespoke tours of all western front battlefields, giving a unique perspective on WW1 trenches today.

Many visitors from North America have a keen interest in the battles of 1918, flowing from the Spring Offensive, as this represent first actions of Pershing’s ‘doughboys’.

In addition, many Canadian and Australian visitors like to see the crucial battlefields of 1918 where the forces from the two countries were so effective in first repelling and then rolling back the Germans.

March also marks the traditional start of ‘guiding’ season on the western front with groups of escorted visitors travelling with our specialist guides to follow the stories of individual soldiers, units or visit specific battlefields. There is no better way of seeing ww1 trenches and these battlefields.

The Battle of Verdun begins - 21st February 1916

On this Day, 21st February 1916, The Battle of Verdun begins.

A single shell landing on the bishop’s palace in the fortress city of Verdun in the early hours of 21 February 1916 - fired by a redeployed large calibre German naval gun - marked the start of the Great War’s longest battle.

By the end of the ten-month engagement there would be three quarters of a million casualties and German war chief’s Erich von Falkenhayn’s plan to ‘bleed France white’ would have gone catastrophically awry.

A staggering two million shells landed on the French lines in the opening bombardment. Surely no one could survive this onslaught!?

Part of the line that received most attention that winter morning was the Bois des Caures, the area held by Colonel Driant and his Chasseurs.

Colonel Driant’s Command Bunker

Driant’s men were 8-1 outnumbered and had endured 80,000 rounds falling in their sector alone - unspeakable numbers. Somehow they resisted for more than 24 hours, until they were eventually outflanked and overwhelmed.

Inside Colonel Driant’s Command Bunker

Driant’s sacrifice and that of his men became a byword for French resistance at Verdun. The story of the Chasseurs encapsulates perfect the order given by General Nivelle later in the battle ‘vous ne les laisserrez pas passer’ (you shall not let them pass).

The battlefield of Verdun is unlike most on the Western Front. It is still littered with many WW1 trenches you can see today.

Trench lines by Colonel Driant’s Command Bunker

Visiting Colonel Driant’s Command Bunker and associated trenches allows you to explore that first day and the many stories of heroism and sacrifice in the name of France.

Take a tour with one of Sophie’s expert team members and this haunting landscape will come alive. Visitors often combine a guided tour of Verdun with the battlefields of the Meuse Argonne, where the American doughboys played such a crucial role in the allied victory of 1918.

Contact Sophie and the team to arrange your special tour: sophie@sophiesgreatwartours.com

Holocaust Memorial Day 27th January 2024

As the German war machine finally collapsed in the April 1945 the true horrors of the Holocaust were laid bare for all to see.

For many in the English-speaking world, the 12-minute radio report by Richard Dimbleby of the BBC on the liberation of the concentration camp Bergen-Belsen was the first eye-witness account of the Holocaust. This was followed by newsreels in the days following.

Dimbleby’s usual clipped BBC delivery was not on show, instead a voice cracking with emotion set out what was an unimageable scene of horror, with thousands of men, women and children left to die in their own filth by the Nazi regime. It was so graphic and shocking that at first the BBC mandarins refused to let the report air. It wasn’t until Dimbleby threatened resignation that it was broadcast.

But as horrifying as Bergen-Belsen undoubtedly was, it was just one of hundreds of concentration and extermination camps across Europe. The evil of the Holocaust had been exposed but not yet it’s true scale.

Even late on in the war, the murder of an estimated six million people, mostly jews but also others deemed not worthy of life by the Third Reich, was beyond the comprehension of most allied troops and civilians alike.

Allied government’s, though, had been made aware of the growing holocaust as early as 1942 and again and in more detail later thanks to information smuggled out of and escapees from the most notorious death camps such as Auschwitz-Birkenau.

From the ‘Holocaust of bullets’, where the Nazi Einsatzgruppen killing squads took the lives of over a million people as the Wehrmacht swept through Russia and the Baltics from 1941, through the first deployment of gas trucks at camps such as Chelmo to the industrial slaughter in the gas chambers of the Auschwitz, Treblinka and Sobibor extermination camps; Hitler’s Germany murdered on a scale never seen in human history.

Even as the Third Reich shrank to nothing with the Allies closing in on Berlin, many emaciated victims were beaten and shot on death marches in sub-zero temperatures.

At 8 pm on 27 January, Holocaust Memorial Day, people around the globe are being invited to light a candle in memory of the six million victims of the Third Reich’s Final Solution.

Thank You and a very Happy New Year!

As 2023 draws to an end, I have another opportunity to thank many people.

This has been SGWT’s biggest year yet. More tours, more guests and more personal pilgrimages than ever before. And we turned 10 years old!

Thank you to my amazing team for the dedication to our guests, to the history and for keeping so many special stories alive. You care for people past and present and that shows in the amazing reviews we receive.

Thank you to my guests of 2023 for putting your trust in us.

Thank you to everyone who follows along on social media, your likes and kind comments mean a lot.

See you in 2024 for even more!

Sophie x

25th December – Le Touret Military Cemetery

Private Percy Henry Huggins and Lance Serjeant Thomas Edward Gregory, both Hertfordshire Regiment who were shot and killed by a German sniper Christmas Day 1914.  Less than 5 miles northeast of where they lay, men were out of their trenches fraternising in No Mans Land with the enemy.  In all 78 men would lose their lives on Christmas Day 1914 on the Western Front, 25 of them are buried or commemorated at Le Touret Military Cemetery and Memorial.

Submitted by Paul Colbourne SGWT Battlefield Guide.

25th December – Post 25 – 1914 Christmas Truce

Eugenie Brooks, SGWT Battlefield Guide shares the following about her paternal grandfather Sgt John William Brooks DCM MM 1st Bn Rifle Brigade, Machine Gun Section. He took part in the 1914 Christmas Day Truce when in trenches at Ploegsteert Wood, south of the town of Ypres. In 1965 he wrote out his memoirs of the Great War and she uses his piece about the Christmas truce when she takes clients to the football memorial near Ploegsteert when on a battlefield tour.

Next day was Christmas Day 1914. There was a lot of shouting across the lines between the Germans and our boys; also some music from the German trenches. One tune put me in mind of our own national anthem; the music was so much like it. 

 The Germans I think were the first to show their heads above the parapet without being fired on. Then our own boys began to show themselves above the trench, then it was all clear to come out and fraternise. 

 They had the whole day at this get together; each side took full advantage to the chance to pick up their dead who had laid out in front in some cases for a month or more. It was a pathetic sight to see our own dead being brought in, one to each man. They were able to do this owing to the bodies being frozen stiff; they were carried in some cases just like dead mutton. They were brought back and laid out in a row till they were taken away to be identified and buried. It seems pathetic that two days after giving them a bashing and driving them out of the wood that the Germans and British soldiers were able to shake hands, exchange presents, tins of jam etc. also to show one another photos of their respective families at home. 

 In the afternoon a Brigadier of ours showed up. He had come to have a look round while there was no fighting going on. Anyhow it was the first time I had seen an officer above the rank of Colonel in the front line. His name I believe was Haldane. 

The truce ended in our part of the line next morning at daybreak. It seems that the East Lancs on our left had a rough time from the jerries shortly before Christmas and had some losses. Anyhow they fixed on the enemy when they showed up early Boxing Day. In any case there came an official instruction to the troops to cease fraternising so everybody kept under cover. 

24th December – Post 24 - Battle for the Hedgerows - Normandy

You can read as much as you like, but until you see something with your own eyes, it doesn't always make sense.  The bocage in Normandy, is one of those examples. 

 The solid mass of soil and tree roots, narrow tracks and thick undergrowth that make up the bocage must be walked on a tour of Normandy. This really helps one understand the tactical and operational issues facing commanders. 

23rd December – Post 23 - Delville Wood, Somme

Quite possibly my favourite battlefield location.  Why?  One can wander the rides of the wood alone and enjoy peace and quiet to be present in the moment.  At the same time however, if you stand still for a moment the wood feels alive.  You can stand at one side of the wood and see the entry of the 9th Scottish Division troops.  Stand by South African Brigade HQ and imagine the officers trying to make sense of this tangled mess.  Conjure the images of the fierce hand to hand combat, the artillery storm - just stand still and you can see it all. 

Throughout July, August and September 1916, Delville Wood became an attritional killing ground. 

 ]The 9th (Scottish) Division had 7,517 casualties from 1 to 20 July, of which the 1st (South African) Infantry Brigade lost 2,536 men. Many Divisions were thrown into the battle here including the 3rd Division, 5th, 17th, 8th, 14th, 33rd and 24th. 

 There would be thousands of casualties and the wood would become infamous to many survivors, including my Great Grandfather, 2/Lt Middleton

Delville Wood

22nd December – Post 22 – White Cliffs of Dover

A familiar site for hundreds of thousands of passengers coming into Dover each year, the White Cliffs are symbolic, immortalised in song and home to at least two different battlefield sites.

 Inside the cliffs beneath the magnificent Dover Castle, a network of tunnels existed and were utilised to plan Operation Dynamo.  This operation planned to lift as many soldiers from the beaches of Dunkirk at the end of May 1940, taking them from the clutches of the encircling German advance.  Under the leadership of Admiral Sir Bertram Ramsay, a staggering 338,226 men aboard 861 lifted from the beaches.

 Just a month later, the skies above the white cliffs would be filled with RAF and Luftwaffe fighters battling for control of the airspace - the Battle of Britain. 

 The White Cliffs are a reminder of these dark days but remain a lovely welcome home sight, just like in 1940.

21st December – Post 21 - Isandlwana, South Africa

On 22 January 1879, thousands of warriors of the Zulu Kingdom fell upon 1,800 British, colonial and native troops, inflicting a devastating defeat.

Stand upon the high ground here and you can see almost all of the battlefield. Imagine the flow of Zulus as they attack and overrun the bright redcoats of Queen Victoria's army. 

With a Zulu guide by your side recounting the stories of what unfolded that day, this beautiful peaceful landscape comes alive with history. 

20th December – Post 20 – Talbot House

Talbot House in Poperinge in Northern Belgium was opened in December 1915 as a rest centre for British and Commonwealth Troops transiting through the railhead to and from frontline duty on the Ypres Salient on the Western Front. The house affectionately known as ‘Toc H’ or the ‘Everyman’s Club’, was a refuge where soldiers were invited to ‘come in and forget about the war’, where men and women of the services could sit and read a book, have a chat, a sing song or have a cup of tea. Christian nature would be encouraged, if needed to ‘Meet the Padre’ the enigmatic Chaplain 4th Class Philip’ Tubby’ Clayton, whose compassionate ear and ready wit was a soothing balm for those in nervous or mental turmoil. Upon entering Talbot House was a reminder notice, ‘ All Rank abandon ye who enter here’. All were treated equally where the lowly, but equally useful Private would rub shoulders with high-ranking officers. Where visitors may choose calm reflection in the upper room chapel, or to take the air in a garden, a moment of peace before whatever they may have to face, often an uncertain future.

 After the guns fell silent on the Western Front on November 11th 1918 Talbot House was surplus to the Army’s need, and was phased down on the run up to Christmas Day closing just after. In the spirit and footsteps of the soldiers of the Great War, Talbot House is now a guesthouse and living museum where a warm welcome and a cup of tea greets visitors and Pilgrims to this onetime ‘Haven in Hell’.

Francis Mullen, SGWT Battlefield Guide has chosen Talbot House as a very special place not only as a place to visit, but “a place where I have happy and fond memories as a Volunteer Warden, helping to run the house and yes pouring endless cups of tea for thirsty visitors and pilgrims.”

19th December – Post 19 – Warsaw

Warsaw is a wonderful European city to visit for so many different reasons but if you love your 2WW history, it is a must visit location.  By 1945, it is said that 90% of the city's buildings had been completely destroyed. In spite of this horrendous figure, there are still fragments of the capital's bloody existence through the Second World War, to be seen.  This photo shows where part of the ghetto wall once stood - a stark reminder of the suffering that thousands endured during Nazi occupation.

18th December – Post 18 - Clearing at Compiegne

Two seminal moments in history occurred here, 22 years apart.

The Armistice was signed in Marshall Foch's train carriage in 1918 putting an end to the Great War hostilities at 11:00 on 11th November.  Just two decades later, an excitable Adolph Hitler would arrive in Compiegne in June 1940 to enjoy witnessing the reading of the Armistice conditions.  The following day the Armistice was signed by Generalfeldmarschall Keitel and General Huntzinger.

17th December – Post 17 – Devil Dog Fountain, Belleau

Across the road from the Aisne-Marne American Cemetery sits the village of Belleau and within the village there is a courtyard of an old chateau that contains a fountain. The cemetery contains the final resting place of 2,289 Marines from the 4th Marine Brigade who fought in and around the woods of Belleau in early June 1918. It is said the Germans facing the Marines called them ‘Devil Dogs’ due to their ferocity and fighting ability. To this day Marines and former Marines visit to drink from the fountain and pay their respects to those who fought in the area and never came home.   It is quite a moving sight to see these guys take part in that old tradition as it clearly means so much to the United States Marine Corps

Submitted by Paul Colbourne, SGWT Battlefield Guide

16th December – Post 16 – Vancouver Corner, Ypres

At the beginning of the Second Battle of Ypres, 22nd April 1915, the Germans released a massive amount of chlorine gas.

The green grey cloud floated into French lines, held by their colonial troops. Faced with a new terrifying weapon they had never encountered before, those that were not overwhelmed by the toxic cloud, fled in horror.  This then created a huge gap in the Allied line that needed to be filled before the Germans realised and rushed through it themselves.

Canadian and British troops were flung into the gap, extending their lines to prevent a total collapse and the loss of Ypres.  Just two days later, yet more gas was released, but the line held.

The Brooding Soldier, a Canadian with his head bowed and arms reversed

15th December – Post 15 – Mametz Wood

Wales Online described the name Mametz Wood "perhaps like that of Aberfan or Senghenydd, is embedded deep in the Welsh psyche, immediately conjuring up images of needless loss of life, bravery, chaos and self-sacrifice".

Some battlefield locations have become synonymous with the service of certain regiments or that of sacrifice from a particular region or country.

At the Mametz Wood on the Somme, the striking Red Dragon tells us immediately that the 38th (Welsh) Division were thrust into action here.

On the 7th July the Welshmen went into attack, their mission to capture the wood and secure the opportunity to get to the open ground beyond. They went in at 08:30 down an exposed slope into heavy machine gun fire and artillery. A second attack reinforced by the 10th South Wales Borderers also failed and a planned third attempt was called off as it was decided it would be futile to continue.

Standing by the Dragon allows you to visualise this action unfolding.

 Sophie says "Mametz Wood is one place I find very difficult to enter. It holds the darkness and the trauma of what went on there in 1916".