Contalmaison

[CropleyWasGod]

Hi all.

I will be in Northern France next month, and am toying with the idea of visiting the MacRae's Battalion memorial at Contalmaison.

Has anyone on here been? If so, any tips or insights will be much appreciated.

Ta :agree:

[CropleyWasGod]

Bump

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[RyeSloan]

A wee trip into Ypres after to see the Menin Gate would be worthwhile I would suggest...there is a daily ceremony at 8pm which includes the playing of the last post, it's a moment that has stayed with me for a long time, very poignant and touching.

[Hibs Class]

I haven't been to Contalmaison, but have been to a number of other places on the Western Front. Agree that the Menin Gate ceremony is a must-do, and when in the town you should also visit the In Flanders' Fields exhibition at the Cloth Hall. Biggest CWGC cemetery on the Ypres Salient (and in the world) is Tyne Cot, by Passchendaele. As well as having around 11,000 graves there are also many thousands of names on the memorial walls, put there once it was realised that even the massive Menin Gate memorial didn't have enough space for the names of all the missing. There are also many other smaller cemeteries, all of which have interesting stories.

In France the biggest memorial to the missing is Thiepval near the Somme. In the same area is the Lochnagar Crater, which was where the British undermined the Germans, and Delville Wood which has the South African monument. The Canadian monument at Beaumont Hamel is another place that gives a good idea of the layout of the battle that occurred there.

Whilst I went on guided tours, I also bought books for both Ypres and the Somme before travelling to get an idea of what I wanted to see, between museums, graves and battlefields. Places I've missed but which I wanted to see include the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge (both my children went there on school trips and said it was quite memorable) and the Loos Memorial - the one place on the Western Front where I have a family connection but haven't managed to visit.

[WeeRussell]

Done the Normandy landings trip when I was at school and it's something I'll never forget. Would recommend joining a tour to do a lot of the local stuff and get a real feel for the events and stories.

Was so long ago now that I forget a lot of the names of places we were in but there was one German Graveyard/memorial which was very dark and surreal to walk around - and the one that features in Saving Private Ryan (think it's mentioned above by the description). We were at Pegasus Bridge and the nearby church where a paratrooper landed through!

Really is so much to see in otherwise relatively quiet surroundings, and a lovely place to spend time. Have maintained for years that I would definitely go back some time. I don't recall being suddenly hit emotionally in such a way like I experienced getting on the bus after one of the memorial visits.

Enjoy, you won't regret or forget it.

[CropleyWasGod]

Cheers, guys.

The main reason for the trip is to visit my Great Granda's grave in Dunkirk. He was killed 3 months before the Armistice.

I'm not usually one for war memorials, but this one has got tears written all over it.

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[CropleyWasGod]

Just visited my Great Granda's grave. Since he was the only direct relative I know who was around in 1902, I dressed the headstone appropriately.....

Must have been a Jambo who booked my Eurostar ticket. Coach 15, seat 51. [emoji48]

I am going to Contalmaison tomorrow, so will have my revenge. .....

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[Sylar]

I haven't been to Contalmaison, but have been to a number of other places on the Western Front. Agree that the Menin Gate ceremony is a must-do, and when in the town you should also visit the In Flanders' Fields exhibition at the Cloth Hall. Biggest CWGC cemetery on the Ypres Salient (and in the world) is Tyne Cot, by Passchendaele. As well as having around 11,000 graves there are also many thousands of names on the memorial walls, put there once it was realised that even the massive Menin Gate memorial didn't have enough space for the names of all the missing. There are also many other smaller cemeteries, all of which have interesting stories.

In France the biggest memorial to the missing is Thiepval near the Somme. In the same area is the Lochnagar Crater, which was where the British undermined the Germans, and Delville Wood which has the South African monument. The Canadian monument at Beaumont Hamel is another place that gives a good idea of the layout of the battle that occurred there.

Whilst I went on guided tours, I also bought books for both Ypres and the Somme before travelling to get an idea of what I wanted to see, between museums, graves and battlefields. Places I've missed but which I wanted to see include the Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge (both my children went there on school trips and said it was quite memorable) and the Loos Memorial - the one place on the Western Front where I have a family connection but haven't managed to visit.

Did a trip with my high school around 2001, which pretty much follows that itinerary and I've been fascinated with WW1 and the Western Front ever since. It's a beautiful but incredibly eerie place with harrowing reminders everywhere you look. The Canadian Memorial at Vimy Ridge is definitely one I would recommend if you're still there CWG - truly haunting landscape.

Was quite honoured to read out "For the Fallen" at the ceremony under the Menin Gate - again, something that's stayed with me for a very long time indeed!

[CropleyWasGod]

Just visited my Great Granda's grave. Since he was the only direct relative I know who was around in 1902, I dressed the headstone appropriately.....

Must have been a Jambo who booked my Eurostar ticket. Coach 15, seat 51. [emoji48]

I am going to Contalmaison tomorrow, so will have my revenge. .....

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[Sir David Gray]

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