CWGC - Family War Graves Remembrance Visit.

[RD.]

Hello All,

Help, advice and recommendations sought for a family visit to pay respects to fallen family members at the following CWGC cemeteries and memorial:-

1). Menin Gate.
2). Hermies Hill British Cemetery.
3). Grevillers British Cemetery.
4). Ranville British Cemetery.


We have a week in France from Saturday 24th October to Saturday 31st October 2015 and our route will be via Dover - Dunkirk - Dover.

Please, can anybody recommend good value and quality B&Bs, particularly around or near the above sites and any B&Bs near places which are recommended to visit.

There will be four of us travelling in my car (albeit a German wagen) my two sons aged 13 and 14 and my uncle who is fit and in his mid 70s.

Help with organising an itinerary, places recommended to visit and good B&Bs are very welcome.

Thank you for your help in advance.

RD.

 

[Davey B]

There is enough around Ypres to spend 2 or 3 days there, look at visiting Talbot House in Poperinge as well as one of the 8pm ceremonies and of course the In Flanders Fields Museum. With a 70+ yr old you may be best to stay in town, I've stayed here before and it was superb. http://www.booking.com/hotel/be/de-...045734be832a74783faa0e5X36;type=total;ucfs=1&
Out of town we stayed here, great place, stunning location, food, bar etc.
And then there is this place... http://www.booking.com/hotel/be/b-b...dults=2;req_children=0&;atlas_src=hp_iw_title
http://www.booking.com/hotel/be/bel...dults=2;req_children=0&;atlas_src=hp_iw_title

Two of the cemeteries are south of Arras so perhaps an overnighter there. taking in both in the one day. You'd then have quite a drive across to Caen for the last cemetery...and loads to see there too.

 

[RD.]

Thanks for the info and recommendations Davey B.

 

[Hustler]

For the Menin Gate 8pm last post I would suggest getting there by 7:15pm as it gets very busy now and you can expect up to 1,000 people to be in attendance.

 

[RD.]

Ok, thanks for the info.
I didn't realise it was that busy and would've probably arrived about 19.45.

 

[Posh Pete]

I take it you have done your research on the CWG site re the location of the various graves? You may also want to find out a bit more about the actions in which they died. A search using the date of death and the regiment / battalion should do the trick. After that, I suggest you get Michelin maps of the areas and work out a route which finishes in Ypres. I suggest you use the Menin Gate ceremony as the final act in your journey. As to hotels etc, once you have a route, use one of the accommodation websites to pick out hotels in or around the places you want to stay.

 

[Deleted account 240831001]

The other thing about going to see the last post in Ypres is that if you plan to eat afterwards it's sometimes worth booking a table either the day before or as soon as you arrive in town. You'll get a table somewhere without booking but if it's chucking it down with rain it's nice to just go straight to your restaurant of choice rather than having to wander around searching.

 

[RD.]

I take it you have done your research on the CWG site re the location of the various graves? You may also want to find out a bit more about the actions in which they died. A search using the date of death and the regiment / battalion should do the trick. After that, I suggest you get Michelin maps of the areas and work out a route which finishes in Ypres. I suggest you use the Menin Gate ceremony as the final act in your journey. As to hotels etc, once you have a route, use one of the accommodation websites to pick out hotels in or around the places you want to stay.

Yes, my uncle has sent me an e-mail with their names, rank, number, battalion, regiment, cemetery, plot etc hence the above CWGC Cemeteries and the Menin Gate.
My uncle did National Service and is knowledgable in this field but I shall do more research in to which battles they fought and died in, with the aim of visiting the area in which they all were KIA.

I would like to tour the Ardennes, places such as Bastogne, Malmady, St. Vith etc but alas I don't think we'll have enough time.
Our route and itinerary was going to start in Ypres, as this is a fairly short drive from Dunkirk.

I was thinking of using a B&B in Ypres for two nights so we could tour the town on foot, visit Flanders Museum and the Menin Gate during the Day One and maybe Essex Farm CWGC and Vancouver Corner (As per one of your posts) and lastly, walk back to MG before 20.00hrs for last post.
Day Two; Hill 62 / Sanctuary Wood and maybe have a look at some preserved trenches.

Day Three; I was thinking of booking a B&B in Albert (As recommended by Wapping) for two nights to visit both Hermies Hill and Grevillers CWGC Cemeteries.

Day Four; Peronne Museum (as recommended by Wapping) and perhaps Newfoundland Park and The Thiepval Memorial or Paaschendael Ridge and walk down Canadalaan and Tynecotstraat to Tyne Cot (As per one of your posts).

Day Five; Head towards Ranville CWGC and find or book a B&B.

Day Six; Lay flowers for my Great Uncle at Ranville CWGC, visit Pegasus Bridge and the cafe which was the first building to be liberated and maybe have a look at some of the D Day beaches or other Normandy battle sites but I'm open to other suggestions or recommendations.

Day Seven; Drive back to Dunkirk to board a ferry.


BUT.........................


Now I'm considering doing it the other way around.

 

[RD.]

The other thing about going to see the last post in Ypres is that if you plan to eat afterwards it's sometimes worth booking a table either the day before or as soon as you arrive in town. You'll get a table somewhere without booking but if it's chucking it down with rain it's nice to just go straight to your restaurant of choice rather than having to wander around searching.

Good idea, any recommendations?

My youngest son and I will eat pretty much anything but my uncle and eldest son are quite fussy, suppose it'll be what would you like with your Pommes Frites monsieur??

 

[Deleted account 240831001]

I've been there twice and all I can say it we ate in a place selling decent steaks on the left as you walk back towards the town centre, I know that's very vague but I honestly can't remember the name.

It was probably only a couple of hundred yards back towards town but there are a few restaurants down there.

 

[Hustler]

We've stayed at the Ariane in Ypres - http://www.ariane.be
Not cheap but very good, own car park, a short walk to town, recommended.

As regards eating places near the Menin Gate.
Not a recommendation but a non recommendation.
Do not eat at the Italian on the right as you leave the Menin Gate about 200 yards away.
Hopefully it's been closed down now but it was pretty dire.
No, it was worse than that if I'm honest, we even left most of the food and her indoors still suffered badly.
In fact she had to stay in our room the whole of the next day.

And very well done, that looks a very well planned and organised trip.
Hope it goes well for you all.

 

[Hustler]

Yes, my uncle has sent me an e-mail with their names, rank, number, battalion, regiment, cemetery, plot etc hence the above CWGC Cemeteries and the Menin Gate.
My uncle did National Service and is knowledgable in this field but I shall do more research in to which battles they fought and died in, with the aim of visiting the area in which they all were KIA.
..........

Research is very much a pot luck affair.
Two of my great uncles died in this war and I have managed to find lots of information for one of them including war diaries although they do make for very difficult reading looking at what they had to endure.
The other great uncle I have found precious little as his records, along with lots of others, were destroyed in WW2 when a German bomb landed on the records.
Recommended for research - Ancestry, maybe a visit to Kew, Great War Forum - http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php.
I suspect you'll struggle to get very far in the time you have before your trip but they'll always be another time.
Good luck with the research.

 

[RD.]

I've been there twice and all I can say it we ate in a place selling decent steaks on the left as you walk back towards the town centre, I know that's very vague but I honestly can't remember the name.

It was probably only a couple of hundred yards back towards town but there are a few restaurants down there.

Thanks for the info. Steaks are good.

 

[RD.]

We've stayed at the Ariane in Ypres - http://www.ariane.be
Not cheap but very good, own car park, a short walk to town, recommended.

As regards eating places near the Menin Gate.
Not a recommendation but a non recommendation.
Do not eat at the Italian on the right as you leave the Menin Gate about 200 yards away.
Hopefully it's been closed down now but it was pretty dire.
No, it was worse than that if I'm honest, we even left most of the food and her indoors still suffered badly.
In fact she had to stay in our room the whole of the next day.

And very well done, that looks a very well planned and organised trip.
Hope it goes well for you all.

Thanks for the B&B recommendation.

We shall avoid the Italian restaurant like the plague, I'd never hear the last of it if one of my family spent a day or two on the ceramic throne.
Funny, made me chuckle though. LOL.

 

[RD.]

Research is very much a pot luck affair.
Two of my great uncles died in this war and I have managed to find lots of information for one of them including war diaries although they do make for very difficult reading looking at what they had to endure.
The other great uncle I have found precious little as his records, along with lots of others, were destroyed in WW2 when a German bomb landed on the records.
Recommended for research - Ancestry, maybe a visit to Kew, Great War Forum - http://1914-1918.invisionzone.com/forums/index.php.
I suspect you'll struggle to get very far in the time you have before your trip but they'll always be another time.
Good luck with the research.

Thanks for the info and link.

 

[RD.]

We need to book B&Bs in Ypres, Albert, Ranville / Pegasus Bridge area and another somewhere around Dieppe to break up our return journey to Dunkirk.

Any recommendations?

We haven't done this before so would it be wise to reserve beds at B&Bs in advance?

Also, is a holding deposit paid to reserve beds / rooms and then pay the balance upon arrival or is this usually paid in full in advance?

Thanks,

RD.

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

 

[Badboybez]

Varlet Farm in Ypres is a great place to stay. Stayed a few times and totally geared up for bikers.


http://www.varletfarm.com/en/index.htm

And if you have a punture in Paschendale theres a chap on your Garmin unit local

 

[RD.]

Varlet Farm in Ypres is a great place to stay. Stayed a few times and totally geared up for bikers.


http://www.varletfarm.com/en/index.htm

And if you have a punture in Paschendale theres a chap on your Garmin unit local

Thanks for the recommendation.

I'd love to do this tour on my bike but my two sons and uncle shall be with me so car it will be.

Do they have car parking too?

Sent from my GT-N7100 using Tapatalk

 

[Deleted account 240831001]

I always use booking.com when sorting out hotels for trips like this and most times it's pay on arrival. The exchange rate is working well for us at the moment so there's no excuse for slumming it in a cheap dump on an industrial estate outside the town centre

 

[Sunny Jim]

My uncle from my mum's side is buried in Ranville - John Bonner (Royal Scots) from Donegal. His medals and dog-tags are framed at my house - seek him out when there and say hello please.

If you leave the CWGC cemetery and enter the church yard you'll find a row of casulaties on the perimeter wall furthest away from the CWGC cemetery - one notable is:

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Den_Brotheridge - considered to be the first allied casualty of the 6th June invasion - features in the film The Longest Day (which is worth watching before your trip to give you an appreciation of the logistics involved).

A bit more research of the cemetery will point you to a casualty buried with his bomb-dog.

Re your trip to the Menin Gate - try and get to view the 8.00pm ceremony from the entrance point furthest away from Ypres as this is where the Fire Brigade play (the very moving) Last Post.

Might sound like the wrong advice (especially with some touchy-people on this forum), but do enjoy your trip and I'm sure you'll come back a better man for having done it!