Ypres Salient, 1914 and 1917
Under the brilliant guidance of our very own Curator, Pete Storer, the Household Cavalry Regimental Associations spent three packed days in Ypres Salient learning about not only the lost lives of the brave, but little known, Household Battalion, but about all those who fought valiantly in the Salient one hundred years ago.
Since being razed to the ground during the Great War, the beautiful town of Ypres has risen from the ashes and been rebuilt stone by stone. Since 1928, at the Menin Gate at 20:00hrs every evening, the Last Post, traditional final salute to the fallen, has been played by buglers in honour of the memory of the soldiers of the former British Empire and its allies, who died in the Ypres Salient during the First World War.
Through seeing this ceremony, the area's lovingly maintained cemeteries and painstakingly preserved trenches, as well as an incredible number of names recognising unknown graves, the full impact of the Great War truly hits home.
On behalf of the Household Cavalry Museum, the Regimental Associations and the entire Regiment, we thank the people of Belgium for their moving nightly vigil over the Menin Gate, their guardianship of these cemeteries and their work in striving towards being a beacon of hope for all our futures.
We highly recommend a visit to Ypres Salient. So to help you on your way, here is our itinerary and and recommended places for you to visit on your next trip:
The Menin Gate (Last Post, at 20:00hrs nightly)
Tyne Cot cemetery
Passchendaele Museum, Zonnebeke Chateau and trenches
Langemarcke-Poelcappelle and German Cemetery
Household Cavalry Memorial, Zandvoorde
Canadian Memorial on Hill 62
Hooge Crater Cemetery and the Menin Road
Zillebeke Church and the “Aristocrat’s Graveyard”
Hill 60 preserved trenches, bunkers and “The Caterpillar” crater
Ypres town extension cemetery
Walking the ramparts at Ypres to the Ramparts cemetery. More information on military engineer and fortifications architect Sebastien Le Prestre de Vauban, Seigneur de Vauban and later Marquis de Vauban (1633-1707) can be found here.
St Georges Church, Ypres
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Open to the public 7 days a week, there’s always something to see at the museum.
