Ypres (Iepers to the Belgians, and also known as Wipers in the UK) is
only one of countless places to visit, and it was a pity we had to move
on. Perhaps, after the impression we gained of the Belgian people and
the realisation of the vast sacrifice made on both sides, we will return.
There now remained one more task, and that was to find Jill's grandfather's
grave. We had learned that though he had been injured at Ypres, he had
been transferred to a hospital in France, where he died. The War Graves
Commission web-site enabled us to identify where his grave lay - in Etaples,
near to Le Touquet, in France.
I have to confess that I was bowled over by the sheer number of graves
at Etaples, and of course this is only one of dozens in France and Belgium.
As far as the eye could see, there were gravestones. They were all in
immaculate condition, tended by gardeners from Britain. When one thinks
that this is only one of hundreds of cemeteries of a similar nature scattered
over various countries, the immensity of the conflict leaves one stunned
into silence.
