Ypres Battlefield Tour (WAR HORSE POPERINGHE RING ROAD) On many of the main roads around the Ypres Salient you will find fantastic sculptures, mostly in commemoration of World War 1 in some form or other. This is on the ring road of the town of Poperinghe, and depicts two horses rearing up from the ruins of a building. They are skeletal in form, reminding us of the famous “War Horse” of Michael Morpurgo, as it is a tribute to the thousands of animals that were used and died in the service of their countries throughout the war.(PETER PAN’S GRAVE VOORMEZEELE:) The Grave of 2nd Lieutenant George Llewelyn Davies, the adopted son of J M Barrie who wrote the children’s story “Peter Pan”. Either he or his brother are believed to have been the inspiration for the character Peter Pan. He was just 21 years old at the time of his death. (THE MENIN GATE MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING , YPRES) This wonderful memorial is the site of the nightly Last Post Ceremony. The Last Post is sounded at 8pm EVERY night by buglers of the local Fire Brigade, and members of the public may lay wreaths or just attend to pay their respects. So far well over 30,000 such ceremonies have been carried out. The walls of this unique memorial hold the names of 54,500 men who were lost in the salient and have no known graves. There are no New Zealanders commemorated here, but men of all other allied nations who died from October 1914 to July 1917 are listed by Regiments both inside and outside the memorial.(THE MENIN GATE MEMORIAL TO THE MISSING , YPRES) Picture during world war 1 (Tyne Cot Memorial Wall & Pagoda)Surrounding the top of Tyne Cot Cemetery is the Tyne Cot Memorial. It incorporates a special memorial to the New Zealanders, and in the panels on this huge wall are commemorated the missing of the Ypres Salient from July 1917 to the end of the war in November 1918. There are approximately 34,000 names on these panels, some of which will no doubt be of those in the cemetery beneath stones marked Known Unto God.(Tyn Cot Lower Entrance)Coming into the cemetery from this gate, you will get the fullest impact of the sight of almost 12,000 graves, almost 8,000 of which are marked “Known Unto God”. The largest Commonwealth War Graves cemetery in the world, Tyne Cot is a must visit part of any tour to the Ypres Salient with men from all of the Allied forces commemorated here. (Tyn Cot Stone of Remembrance)Such stones decorate almost every Commonwealth War Graves Commission cemetery. Made of Portland stone it is adorned with the words “Their Name Liveth For Evermore”, a phrase given by Rudyard Kipling as a suitable Epitaph to all who rest in the cemetery(Hill 62 Artwork)This piece of artwork tries to depict almost all aspects of the war that raged around this area, showing both British and German aircraft, a trench line, a Mk 3 British tank, and in the background the ruins of the town of Ypres with the spires of the Cloth Hall as it may have looked in 1915. (Hill 62 Cafe)This is the museum entrance, and one well worth visiting with it’s extensive displays and the trenches behind. Here you can purchase drinks and a limited menu of food at reasonable prices, and pick up souvenirs from the museum shop.(Hill 62 Iron Harvest)Called “The Iron Harvest”, shells and other artefacts of WW1 are often dug up in the surrounding area. Many are still live! It is therefore never a good idea to touch or disturb any kind of ordnance that you may come across. These are safe and have been on display here for a long time, alongside barbed wire and trench stakes, and other items retrieved from the fields.