15. Five years later....

Zonnebeke - Polygon Wood

Privacy is important

"Make sure you can't read it"

Friday, 29 Sept, the big push to Zonnebeke, Polygon Wood.  While we were preparing the invasion our soldiers updated their memoirs. 

I first visited, with my Mum, in 2012 and by luck, we met  Johan, the famous WW1 Tunnel warfare expert who took us to the Menin Gate Armstance ceremony and ended up laying a wreath in front of thousands - another story. Last night we watched Johanne's excellent DVD that I purchased at the time, The Underground War.  The children were gagging to meet Johan and I was pretty certain that he wouldn't remember me - may have oversold the relationship!

Beware of Hagrids wand

Mostly Canterbury names on one side

Polygon Wood was exactly as I remembered.  One of the few sites where the graves are where they were buried, between the craters, at the time.  Again, very moving (a common theme). Roman insisted on taking his umbrella.

Then across the road to  the Buttes New British Cemetery (New Zealand) Memorial.  We had stayed clear till now as the Australian official commemoration of the battles was on the 26th and they were expecting thousands. 

Looking toward the Butts from the NZ Memorial with the Australian memorial on top.

Johan's Five

Names in 2012 - Menin Gate

The NZ Memorial lists 378 officers and men of the New Zealand Division with no known grave who were killed between September 1917 and May 1918 while serving in the Polygon Wood Sector.  Jacqueline and Iris sang our National Anthem.  

NZEF Missing Memorial

Roman wins

We visited the five new graves for the bodies that Johan found during local road works.  He is very proud that these names have since been removed from the  Menin Gate - memorial to the missing as they now have commonwealth headstones. 

Walking back to the car a warm breeze was blowing and Hagrid got the last laugh by putting up his umbrella while I did my Chicken Little impersonation while it rained acorns. The others walked through the wood, via the lovely Black Watch Corner, Scottish Memorial.

For lunch we headed to ANZAC Rest, Johan's pub.  On walking in, I introduced myself and Johan remembered me and asked after my Mum - very gratifying and surprising.  Johan projects DVDs and played, while we dined, the TV programme on reuniting two families with the soldiers he found after ninety years.  Quite moving.  He has also established a very impressive private museum upstairs complete with weapons you can handle and an extensive collection of artefacts.

A personal tour with Johan

A WW1 live round, just found

Across the road to Johan's big project, the Brothers in Arms Memorial.  A fantastic tribute to the five Australians he found.  We were able to see a rotting German hand grenade, still in the ground with the damp cordite spilling out of it and picked up a large piece of shrapnel which we will keep.

From the Aussy celebration three days prior.
The large one this end is from the King of Belgium