Connecting Spirits Community Tour 2017: looking back...(number 1)

The Menin Gate and the last Post Association.

For all who travel to Ieper (Ypres...or 'Wipers' as pronounced by the British soldiers) in search of ancestors who lost their lives in the Great War, there is no site more significant than the Menin Gate. It is one of four memorials to the missing in Belgian Flanders which cover the area known as the Ypres Salient. Broadly speaking, the Salient stretched from Langemarck in the north to the northern edge in Ploegsteert Wood in the south, but it varied in area and shape throughout the war.

The site of the Menin Gate was chosen because of the hundreds of thousands of men who passed through it on their way to the battlefields waking past the famous Menin Gate lions. The lions were given to the newly built Australian War Memorial in 1936 and this year returned on loan to Ypres as part of the centenary commemorations for the Battle of Passchendaele. 

(Go to the Youtube   https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EsgHI1pS9o0 report ) 

The Menin Gate commemorates casualties from the forces of Australia, Canada, India, South Africa and United Kingdom who died in the Salient. In the case of United Kingdom casualties, only those prior 16 August 1917 (with some exceptions). United Kingdom and New Zealand servicemen who died after that date are named on the memorial at Tyne Cot, a site which marks the furthest point reached by Commonwealth forces in Belgium until nearly the end of the war. New Zealand casualties that died prior to 16 August 1917 are commemorated on memorials at Buttes New British Cemetery and Messines Ridge British Cemetery.

Building of the memorial began in 1923 and on 24 July 1927, and was unveiled by Field Marshal Lord Plumer. Soon after its completion the memorial became a place of pilgrimage for veterans, relatives and visitors to the battlefields.

Every evening since 1928, at 8 p.m. buglers sound the Last Post. The ceremony has become part of the daily life of Ieper and traffic is stopped from passing through the memorial. Only during the German occupation of the Second World War was the ceremony interrupted. At that time, it was held at Brookwood Military Cemetery in Surrey, England.

The idea of performing the Last Post was first conceived by the Belgian Pierre Vandenbraambussche, Superintendent of the Ieper Police. The Last Post Committee (now Association) was formed in 1928 of local volunteers and has remained ever since. By contacting the Last Post Association at www.lastpost.be  individuals and groups can submit an application to take part in the nightly ceremony by either reading the Exhortation, Laying a Wreath, or reading the Kohima Epitah to conclude the ceremony. 

Since 2001 when I ran my first school commemorative project at Mount Barker High School  (Remembrance 2001) through to the inaugural Connecting Spirits Community Tour of this year, many of our group members have taken part in the Last Post ceremony. Several of our Connecting Spirits students have also sung the Australian national anthem under these hallowed walls. This year I was asked by Benoit Mottrie to read the Exhortation, a privilege I will always treasure. If you are looking for a very special place to stay while in Ieper (Ypres) I can recommend the Menin Gate House owned by Benoit. Three separate apartments command prime views of the memorial and inside the main apartment, you will be immersed in the history of the Great War and its most famous memorial. 

And finally as our group traversed the former battlefields, the poetry of the day from various poets was shared. The following poem by soldier and poet Siegfried Sassoon, 'On passing the Menin Gate', is a powerful and erudite account of this extraordinary W.W.1 memorial. 

Lest We Forget....

On Passing the New Menin Gate, by Siegfried Sassoon
Who will remember, passing through this Gate, The unheroic Dead who fed the guns? Who shall absolve the foulness of their fate, - Those doomed, conscripted, unvictorious ones? Crudely renewed, the Salient holds its own. Paid are its dim defenders by this pomp; Paid, with a pile of peace-complacent stone, The armies who endured that sullen swamp. Here was the world's worst wound. And here with pride 'Their name liveth for evermore' the Gateway claims. Was ever an immolation so belied As these intolerably nameless names? Well might the Dead who struggled in the slime Rise and deride this sepulchre of crime.

Contact Benoit at info@meningatehouse.com-www.meningatehouse.com

SOURCES: CWGC website & Last Post Association website

PHOTOS: Taken by Julie Reece

Connecting Spirits ...80 years on brother and sister reunited

In 2011 I ran my first adult battlefields tour in the first year of my retirement from a long career in the classroom. A random meeting at a small Adelaide hills school just a few weeks prior to departure, would introduce me to a wonderful woman Jo Kirlew,  who would become one of my dearest friends.  We were both doing a day of relief teaching and at recess we started  chatting. The conversation came around to what we were both up to and when I told Jo about my Connecting Spirits tour,  she became very emotional. She recounted the story of her grandfather Walter Kirlew who was killed on the first day of the Battle of the Somme.  I suggested that I include a visit to  Walter's grave on her behalf and from that point a very special story and friendship unfolded. At Walter's grave in Fricourt a few weeks later,  I read out the words that Jo wanted to share about her lost grandfather and as we always do with our Connecting Spirits commemorations,  small tributes and messages were left at the grave. One card had my email address on it and this created a whole new chapter for us both.
I was contacted by  a man from the UK who was also related to Walter, a relative Jo knew nothing of. Jo soon joined the next tour group and made her own pilgrimage to France. Here the story took yet another turn.

The two distant relatives  met in Somerset, the home of Jo's family and a very poignant discovery was made by the two second cousins. Jo learnt from  Alan that her father Joe Kirlew had been married before he married Jo's mother and there had been a little baby son born to the couple...a half brother Jo had no knowledge of. Both the mother and the newborn tragically died in childbirth and were buried in an unmarked grave in Hull cemetery. Jo visited that grave on yet another one of her tours and saw for the first time the resting place of her baby half brother she never knew. On her return home, Jo arranged for a special plaque to be made for the grave in Hull and today she will return once more to complete the circle of this special Connecting Spirits journey. On Wednesday this week we meet up with the 2017 Connecting Spirits Community tour group to share more emotional and significant moments with a new CS family.  Stay tuned for our recounts as once more my friend Jo Kirlew will stand at the grave of her grandfather Walter Kirlew.

Farewell Positano and off to Puglia

Our 5 days in Positano had come to an end and it was time to repack, load up the expanding cases and make the gut busting climb up the steps for the last time.  As we struggled with all the bits and bobs of our various shopping exploits,  the young muscly porters carried our cases on their shoulders up the steps with extraordinary ease while we were all left to puff up each tortuous section.  Our calf muscles will be like steel by the end of the tour!
It was an early start and had to be up that hill ready to meet our driver Peppie  by 7.30 am. The drive across Italy to the very different region of Puglia would be a long one so a couple of stops broke the journey.  At 10.30 we had a tour of the La Strega distillery in Benevento the digestivo famous worldwide for its bright yellow colour and  unique flavour.  Strega was developed in 1860 by father-son team of Carmine Vincenzo Alberti and Giuseppe Alberti.  Over the years the company became well known for its colourful and artistic advertising including fabulous posters designed in 1906 in the art nouveau style.  Once again it was time to shop and some very special treats were loaded up into our already packed vehicle.  While in Benevento Rosa had a special though very brief reunion with her cousin Olga and her children including lots of kisses for their much loved Australian cousin. After a very yummy lunch it was back to the freeway for the final stretch through the many kilometres of olive groves and vineyards.
The history of Puglia is one of serial  conquest, subjugation and settlement.  Its climate and more importantly, its geographical position have always made it a favourable place to settle,  or at least control. Our home for the next 6 days would be in the trulli of Alberobello.  The trulli (plural of one trullo) , the characteristic cone shaped roof houses of Alberobello make up one of the 53  UNESCO World Heritage sites in Italy. Originally constructed using dry stone building techniques without mortar, many of these unique settlements have been restored for either permanent habitation or tourist accommodation.  No 100 steps up and down the side of a cliff to get to the front door here! !!
However on arrival after some drenching rains and storms we arrived late to blacked out dwellings due to power failures! !! They must have heard we were from South Australia! ! However with the aid of a candle and the light from my mobile phone,  the amazing Rosa Matto was still able to concoct a meal to feed the hungry group. Wine and Strega eased the introduction to Alberobello and in the end we turned it into a bit of a picnic in the dark!  Sleep came quickly!

White knuckle ride along the Amalfi coast

On our last day in this glorious region of Italy,  it was off to Amalfi and Ravello using local buses for the journey.  This journey took us to the tourist Mecca of Amalfi along the coast road, an experience not for the faint-hearted!  The road is narrow and steep and to watch the bus drivers throw their vehicles around each hair pin bend is an experience I won't forget in a hurry.  However the views  are just incredible and once you calm your nerves as you peer down over the last remaining inch of road down to the sea, and believe that you WILL  be ok and death isn't necessarily going to be the outcome. ..then it's one hell of a ride. Coming to Amalfi in October has some real benefits as the tourist season is slowing down with many hotels, restaurants and shops closing down for the winter at the end of the month.  So visiting here in the final weeks of the season makes for comfortable touring. After a leisurely stroll through the main centre of the town plus a visit to the impressive cathedral , tummies were rumbling.  Rosa took us for a climb up the hill through a tunnel which connected Amalfi with the smaller town of Atrani and after a bit of a search found the little restaurant recommended to her.  We were the only guests so the lovely waiters were rather attentive.  The food was just divine. ..Mary said her pillows of ravioli was the best meal she'd has so far...Rosa and Dana opted for a pasta and potato dish..superb  and my home made pasta with creamy prawns was simply to die for!   I couldn't even fit in the chocolate tiramisu...however I did have a divine double scoop ice cream for morning tea! !
Our final place for the day was Ravello and the magnificent gardens of the villas Ruffalo. OMG! The wow word dominated with elegant sculptures with the coastal views as the back drop were just amazing.  As our feet and legs screamed out 'NO MORE STAIRS PLEASE " it was time to venture back to Positano.  The bus rides were again a challenge and it was a very late end to a day which had everything.  Despite being dead on her feet Rosa managed to produce another fabulous dinner largely from the leftovers in the fridge.  It could have been from a first class eatery!  Boy can that woman cook!!! Our packing awaited as the start time tomorrow was just after 7.00 for the long drive across the peninsula to Alberobello in Puglia.  Positano is a gem...5 nights this time. ..maybe double that next time. 

Heaven does exist: it's called Positano

As our time in this magical place draws to a close, it's time to reflect on our stay here in this beautiful part of the Italian coast.  Firstly this place does provide some challenges and the twisting hair pin bends on the roads and steep landscape can be physically challenging for those with mobility issues.  However what you get in return are breathtaking views over the sea which constantly change and create many 'wow' moments.  Cafes and restaurants cling to the edge and there's nothing better than spending time with a spritz or two just taking it all in. The traffic is like going on an adventure ride each day as coaches,  cars and motor scooters play dodge cars with only millimetres to spare.  In saying this however the drivers here are so much better than ours at home.  They don't hesitate and confidently make moves. ..you have to. ..it's just the way it is here but for those of us from sleepy South Australia it is a real education in panic control! !! And of course the food!! So much has been written about Italian food but words fail to express the sheer joy this cuisine provides.  Street food is everywhere  but not the chain rubbish like the global players such as the golden arches types....here simplicity and freshness are the order of the day. Divine.  I will select a couple of highlights to focus on for separate blogs but today it's off to Amalfi and Ravello for another white knuckle ride along the coast in a local bus.  Ciao for now!