Tuesday 2 October 2018

Zonnebeke.

And so it was I rendevouzed with James (Cyclist chasseur) and Carolyn (The French refugee) and off we went to Zonnebeke, a village in 1914 that was soon totally destroyed in the heavy fighting that was constant for almost the whole four years of the war.


We called in to see the Menin gate on the way and see a little of Ieper, called Ypres by those who had trouble with pronunciation.. because its so much easier.. or Wipers by those still confounded. At Zonnebeke we set up in the grounds of the park that surrounds the museum, traces of trenches can still be seen and one wonders if some of the ponds are not simply shell craters long since filled with water.
At the start of the 1917 offensive a number of giant mines packed with explosives were set off under the German lines, but three on one flank were not needed and left in place. one actually exploded in 1954 when struck by lightning and the other two are.. lost.. somewhere in Flanders there are two masses of explosives packed under the ground because of a lack of record keeping. Lets home they have long been flooded out.



After a night out at the pub turned restaurant that is The Volkbund we returned to the site and I went to see where my group were encamped, one of the fellows half-jokingly mentioned there was a little cottage type building just off the path I could sleep in.. and so of course I investigated and found a little house that must have been an outbuilding for the main house built in the thirties, maybe for a gardener, a single room with flagstone floor, a fireplace, round windows, but no glass. It would be my little house now!


Last year the event had been about twice the size as it was 100 years since the battle of Passchendaele that the museum most commemorates but many still returned for this occasion when the end of the war was drawing near.  


How many things can you make out of condensed milk, corned beef and jam?


I thought as I'd brought my gasmask/case and stahlhelm I should get some use out of them, plus I get the impression that not taking your gasmask around is a no-no. Gas discipline must be observed!
 I have a theory that gas attacks went on right to the end of the war even though with protective equipment casualties must have been far fewer (some of the later gases like Phosgene could actually be absorbed by the skin) but the sheer effect of wearing a gasmsk is quite disabling. You must get your helmet off to affix it and then cannot do the chin strap back up, so youd need to hold it on if running or climbing and even with little exertion I found condensation forming on the lenses, which themselves could slip out of place, also sound is muffled and you have to raise your voice to speak. For disrupting orders and communication as well as perception it is ideal, you just want to sit and wait for it to pass.

Andreas from Italy and the big Belgian(?) gun.


Sports afternoon.. A tug of war match or two, and a bicycle and a motorbike race. I had a go on the vintage bicycle and it was a little clanky with handlebars in a U shape but I could certainly see myself doing a messenger role, and I could also use it to get to events a few miles from the railway station.

       
Bigger people and bigger studs on boots is a big help for the British. Booo!


Cabaret night at the Spiegeltent! Acts from amongst the re-enactment groups were called for, on top of which was a professional can can dance troupe and a singer and pianist for a bit of class. There were songs from many lands, mostly music hall.
 One song was certainly suitable for troopers and was abit close to the bone with its tale of Prussian soldiers and Belgian girls 'She's surely too young to be f*^ked by the Hun!' I seem to remember was one line... and I was prompted to stand up at the end and deliver a retort that as a German soldier this song made me sad and that I (and my comrades) were in fact VERY NICE.  Which seemed to go down well with the audience, a lot of whom were the general public, and one of the Rumanians came over to thank me later for speaking up at that interval.  Normal service, and a great time, continued. I did get up and sing one song as part of a group though I had to read of a little song sheet in German! Minding my Js and Ss.  

It was a bit frosty overnight and naturally I was up for breakfast of fried bread and eggs and several coffees. The evening before had been a curry and everything cooked on field kitchen equipment with recipes from the time. What a great touch.

'It's a long way to Dresden.'

 There was a whole corner of the park dedicated to medical matters, including this hospital set up and a horse drawn ambulance that someone had built from scratch.


We came up with a skit we did a few times where James would play music to Carolyn, possibly soliciting for money, only to be interrupted by me as a German saying 'No busking!'. The fearful refugee would run away and I would spot her handbag left on the bench and run off with it in opposite direction. seemed to amuse the onlookers.


One man and his (temporary) dog. We had been chatting to a lovely chap from Wales called Neil who quite wanted to go into the museum but it was no dogs allowed. solution; we shall look after your lovely dog, Gwynn. They came back the next day too.

the only real set activity for the weekend was the service of remembrance at 10:30 on Sunday which involved songs, prayers, letters and poems in several languages, and everyone encouraged to hold hands and greet the people around them. (Picture from Eric Compernolle)




Everyone universally understood 'free coffee and cake' from the closing speech, actually a waffle and tea, coffee or rum, or rum in your coffee if you prefer. We had to leave about an hour after the ceremony but stopped at the Tyne cot cemetery en route to Calaise. I still find the whispering voice very moving, every fifteen seconds or so a girls voice reads out a name and an age. then a silence. the voice could go on for years and never repeat itself.




It was a fantastic weekend, once again very different to Napoleonic events, they are different animals, and the organisers had asked for groups to favour 'No officers, no medals' if they could. Common soldiers, all in the same boat. I was very glad I went for with the centenials coming to a close we may not see its like again.

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