Thread by @Almostconvinced

Visiting the Trench of Death in 2014. #Diksmuide #WW1 #WW1Centenary

From the sandbags the flowers bloom #Diksmuide #WW!

Bending to go from one part of the trench to the next. A letterbox opening for rifles to defend the trench ahead #Diksmuide #WW1

Different views of the trench at #Diksmuide #WW1Centenary

Two shots of the river: on the opposite bank were the Germans, The name Trench of Death was given because more people died building it than were killed in formal battle. #WW1Centenary

Before going to #Diksmuide we went to Ypres/Ieper, a city that had been demolished during #WW1. Now one that actively campaigns for peace.

The 100 years commemoration of the War to end all Wars started in 2014. Restaurants had these on the table. We were surprised by a South African brand (incorrectly spelt) on the drinks menu .

St Martins Church had the exhibition Tempus Horribilis (A Time of Horror) in 2014. #WW1 There was this installation amongst many: disembodied soldiers' arms reaching to a headless body dressed in black.

The Intention Book.
3/07(2014)
Liewe God

Ik wil u danken voor mij te helpen bij mijn toetsen. Wilt u dat volgend jaar en daarna ook doen?

Veel liefs
Stien

Dear God, I want to thank you for helping me with my tests/exams. Please do so again next year & thereafter.
Love, Stien.

We had to wait for something that occurs every night at 8, since 1928, without fail, whatever the weather. Remembering. #LastPost at the Menin Gate. #WW1 The names of dead soldiers are memorialised on the walls.

Some names are South African. Some Sikh. Some West Indian. Some fought for Empire, for families, for freedom. (I may have missed some of those I connect with via place, position, language, oppression)

More here; The next two tweets have more names. You may skip if you wish.

And here.

Last here. They fought in the War to end all Wars. That description was born in idealism and hope: nothing like this should ever happen again. That idealism is now succeeded by sneers & cynicism when the description is used. Much like Rainbow Nation here in SA, these days.

We went the tourist route (indicated like this) to wait for the Last Post. Some pancakes with Nutella may have been mentioned. Friet and beer, and juice for the 14 yr old, was a better option. Much mayonnaise. No slap things. No vinegar. (I've learned to eat chips this way.)

Came across a youth orchestra (British?) who performed in front of the In Flanders Fields Museum ( inflandersfields.be/en)

This says something to the hopeful and to the cynical. Someone once said that the trouble with cliches is the grain of truth found in them. All context. I'm on the side of the hopeful here. One wonders what her after-performance thoughts were. Perhaps thinking 2+ weeks hence...

In Flanders Fields by John McCrae. And Sassoon on The Menin Gate Memorial. Dulce et decorum est floats from high school English class memories.

We live in hope. Even attribute love to the shape of a leaf. I look forward to going home again in 2+ weeks. K and I will talk of the meaning of home.

Two days before we leave, it happens. We will walk the same passages as they did at Schiphol Airport. Leave from maybe the same departure hall. 2+ weeks ago we looked at memories of war. 2 days ago #MH17 was shot down over the Ukraine. Russian rebels claim it. Then recant.

We get on our flight, reflecting on the families in mourning. Routine will return. We drink coffee. Have a last stroopwafel. The War to End All Wars. We fly back to the home of the Rainbow Nation.