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Ypres Resource 5

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Ypres Resource 5 Resource 5 Why is Ypres such a focal point for First World War remembrance? What happened to Ypres after the War? After the War the Ypres was rebuilt using money paid by Germany in reparations, with the main square, including the Cloth Hall and town hall, being rebuilt as close to the original designs as possible. Life for the local people gradually started to return to normal after 4 years of constant fighting. British ex-soldiers and civilians were anxious that the sacrifices endured during the War were never forgotten. In the 1920s Ypres became a pilgrimage destination for the many veterans who had survived the War and who wanted to return to the area to remember their fallen comrades. The families of the dead also wanted to visit Ypres and spend time at the cemeteries and memorials remembering their relatives. Over time Ypres came to symbolise everything that Britain had fought for during the War and it took on an almost holy aura where visitors went to feel a personal connection with the spirits of the dead. Will Longstaff: The Menin Gate at Midnight, 1927 (This painting shows the ghosts of soldiers passing by the Gate at night) In July 1927 the memorial to the Missing in Ypres at the Menin Gate was opened in a ceremony attended by King George V, Lord Plumer who was in command of the Allied Armies during the 3rd Battle of Ypres in 1917, and by a group of 700 mothers who had lost sons during the War. In his speech at the opening ceremony Lord Plumer said of the names on the Gate: “He is not missing. He is here.” For many relatives who were able to make the pilgrimage, a visit to the Menin Gate was an important part of grieving for the loss of a son, brother or a husband. As a result of these visitors a close bond has been maintained between Britain and the people of Ypres to this day. Task 1: Why were ex-soldiers and civilians so keen to come to Ypres in the 1920s? What did Winston Churchill suggest should be done with Ypres after the War? In 1919 Winston Churchill, as Minster for War, suggested that Ypres should be preserved as a ruin to commemorate those who fought and died there. "I should like us to acquire the whole of the ruins of Ypres..." "A more sacred place for the British race does not exist in the world." A tourist postcard showing the Cloth Hall in 1919 His requested was ignored by the Belgian Government which wanted to restore the city and bring back some normality for the local people. Task 2: Should Ypres have been preserved as a ruined city after the War or was the Belgian Government right to rebuild it? Why does Ypres continue to be a place of remembrance? 100 years since the First World War, visitors continue to flock to Ypres to learn about what happened there between 1914 and 1918 and to remember the fallen. The city has revamped the In Flanders Museum in the Cloth Hall and attempts are being made to preserve what is left of the battlefield sites on the Salient. The Commonwealth Wargraves Commission continues to look after all the British and Commonwealth military cemeteries in and around Ypres. Today Ypres is known as the ‘city of peace’ and has a close friendship with another city on which war had a profound impact, Hiroshima in Japan. Both cities witnessed warfare at its worst: Ypres was one of the first places where gas was used (1915) and Hiroshima was almost completely destroyed by the first use of an atomic bomb in 1945, at the end of the Second World War. Task 3a: Why do you think that so many people continue to visit Ypres today? Task 3b: Is the ‘city of peace’ an appropriate name for Ypres today? The Menin Gate in Ypres Task 4: Design a memorial to be situated in the UK to commemorate the sacrifice made in Ypres by British and Commonwealth soldiers during the First World War. The Cenotaph, London on Remembrance Day Chesham War Memorial, Buckinghamshire You can either design a memorial to commemorate the sacrifice of men at Ypres from your local community or design a national memorial to be situated in somewhere like London. Before you design your memorial carry out some research into existing war memorials – this might help you with your design. Think also about what made Ypres so significant during the First World War and try to show this through your design. The purpose of the memorial is to help people today remember the sacrifice made at Ypres but also to help them understand what the fighting was all about, what it was like to fight and show courage on the Ypres Salient. .
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