This cemetery can be too much for some.

Make your way slowly through the rows and try to pick out an individual grave. There are burials here from across the whole of the British Front. The first burials were made in 1917 and are behind the cross.

At the back of the cemetery is the Tyne Cot Memorial which lists the names of those British soldiers who fought and died in the Salient between August 1917 to the end of the war and whose bodies were not found, and therefore have no known grave. The reason for the dates commemorated is due to the fact that originally all those without a grave were to be listed on the Menin Gate in Ypres. The Menin Gate ran out of space. There are 34,927 names listed on the memorial panels here. However, all Canadian and Australian missing are on the Menin Gate.

Activities

Walk the cemetery, view the battlefield from the cross of sacrifice and view the memorial. ²³

Return to your coach, head back in to Ypres and eat dinner! ²⁴

7. Menin Gate and Last Post Ceremony

Begins at 2000 every night. I suggest that you have your group there by 1945 at the latest; numbers attending have increased dramatically recently. The ceremony itself will last approximately ten minutes.

If you (and/or a few of your students) would like to take part in the ceremony (I would whole-heartedly recommend it) by way of placing a wreath, then log on to www.lastpost.be and click on the ceremonies tab and participation option. This will need to be done several weeks at least before you travel.