Tim's Tanks: Flanders Tour Spring 2023

Wednesday, 3 May 2023

Flanders Tour Spring 2023 - Day One

After 4 years we are on our first battlefield tour since pre-COVID! For Dave, Roland and Myself, it’s so good to be back.

The journey out to our Gite was uneventful – so much for all the post-Brexit scaremongering in the UK press. We were staying in France, just across the border, as prices in Belgium were inflated by comparison.

Me (Tim), Dave & Roland

Our Gite near Bailleul

Our first port of call was the Ljissenhoek Cemetery and its fine visitor’s centre telling the story of medical evacuation & treatment.

Ljissenhoek Cemetery - >10,000 burials

We then moved on to Poperinge to visit the Old & New Military Cemeteries to take a look at the shot at dawn victims buried there. Armed with my “Shot at Dawn” book we were able to debate the demise of several of the 19 victims shot at the town hall in Poperinge – all shot for cowardice or desertion - amongst whom was the first officer to be executed here.

Collie Wang - Shot for murder in 1919

We also visited the grave of the last man to be executed at Poperinge - Coolie Wang who was shot for murder in 1919.

Then we were off to see the grave of the double VC winner - Noel Chavasse at Branhoek CWGC Cemetery.

Where Arthur was originally buried, near Turco Farm

Arthur's grave in the New Irish Farm Cemetery

From here we went to visit to my Great Uncle - Gunner Arthur Noble - buried in New Irish Farm Cemetery. He is buried alongside five other artillerymen who died on the same day – we believe them to be part of the same 18 pounder gun crew. As part of this visit, we also got to see their original burial site 3km away in a field near Turco Farm. Their remains were exhumed and reburied in a concentration cemetery (New Irish Farm) in 1922. This was common practice in the years following the Great War.

Trench pump and other artifacts from the Yorkshire trenches excavation

Nearby was the Klein Zwaanhof visitor’s centre for the Yorkshire trenches excavation. This was free to enter – an un-staffed building – and had an excellent 20 minute film covering the war in this area as well as displays of many of the finds from the Digger's excavation. It was good to see, afterwards, that the Yorkshire trenches themselves are undergoing restoration at last.

Hed Wynn's grave

It's likely these fellow artillerymen died with Arthur & his colleagues

We then visited the famous Welsh Poet Hed Wynn’s grave, in Artillery Wood CWGC Cemetery, before we took in - Bard Cottage & Essex Farm Cemeteries. The former contains another 6 artillerymen who died alongside Arthur on 25^th August 1917. The latter being made famous by John McRae’s famous poem.