Beside a Prince and a Private

| August 13, 2018

Thread Nine The considerable work of the Commonwealth War Graves Commission [CWGC] is evident across the globe. I have visited their work at many sites in Canada and North West Europe, Malta, and Turkey. Headstones and memorials require continual maintenance and often I have been delighted to see their work in progress as gardeners and […]

The Colour of Peace

| August 12, 2018

Thread Eight Despite those of us who have been drawn to Ypres because of the Great War there are other colours to this town. It is alive and filled with the voices of today and hopes for the future. Ypres – Ieper is filled with community – its own community – its own people. There is colour […]

Mrs. Kate Palmer’s Walk

| August 11, 2018

Thread Seven 1922 – Kate Palmer of Victoria, B.C. journeyed to Belgium to visit her son’s grave at Woods Military Cemetery, south of Ypres. Today, 11 August 2018, we retrace Mrs. Palmer’s path and decide to walk from Ypres to the grave-site of Roy Palmer, located some five miles south of the city. It is […]

Upon the Ramparts

| August 10, 2018

Thread Six Each day is a search. Wandering, watching and wondering, with each step, what will appear before us. Some days the image stands out from our first encounter, lingers for the day unless its place is taken by the next special encounter. Words come occasionally at awkward times necessitating notes in an archaic script […]

The Crunch and the Silence

| August 9, 2018

Thread Five The steady crunch of loose gravel beneath our feet announces our arrival to the names recorded here. As we move across from stone to grass the silence is heartfelt…it is respect. A mist upon the horizon, silhouettes at the Stone of Remembrance…the shock of looking upon the Thiepval Memorial for the first time. […]