World War I raged for four long years in the western parts of Belgium. It was around the medieval city of Ieper that the Belgian and British armies stopped the German advance into France. This created the famous trench war fare were countless of soldiers died in hand to hand battles. Today the area is dotted with cemeteries and memorials, as well as restored battle sites and trenches. A visit to the site of the Passendale battle, where over 500,000 soldiers lost their lives to gain a 4 mile swath of land, is especially emotional.

The town of Ieper, now rebuilt in medieval style after being completely destroyed in the war, boasts the excellent “In Flanders Fields” Museum. Another museum, worthwhile visiting is “Essex Farm”, the site were in 1915, John McCrea, a Canadian doctor, wrote the famous poem, "In Flanders Fields" after watching a friend die in the first ever gas attack. McCrae's poem remains to this day one of the most memorable war poems ever written. It is a lasting legacy of the terrible battle in the Ieper salient in the spring of 1915.

Every evening (at 8 pm) since 1928, the Last Post has been sounded under the imposing memorial arches of the Menin Gate. The Last Post is the traditional salute to the fallen and is played in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the then British Empire, who fought and died in the 'Immortal Ieper Salient' between 1914 and 1918. Info www.lastpost

Practical Information:
Ieper is 28 miles SW of Bruges
Battlefield Tours are available: www.ieper.be/ieper_en.aspx?SGREF=13720&CREF=13035
Website Tourist Office of Ieper: www.ieper.be/ieper_en.aspx?SGREF=10587