Cycle Day 25 To Bruges

Today we head to Bruges. But before pedalling north, we have something important to do. We head into Ypres and visit the British Grenadier Bookshop where we ask the nice Canadian owner, Steve Douglas (who runs the Maple Leaf Legacy Project) to search for a grave.

He finds it on the Commonwealth War Graves Commission website and gives us the details. We head out to Bedford House Cemetery which is perhaps one of the most beautiful of the Commonwealth cemeteries in the Ypres Salient.

We consult the Cemetery Register to check the details and then Isla heads off to find the grave.

She finds it quite quickly among the 5139 graves.

Here is the grave - one Private TSH Peaceful of the 4th Battalion of the Royal Fusiliers.

Private Peaceful was the name of a book written by childrens' author, Michael Morpurgo and a set text in P7 at Stockbridge Primary School. We have all read it - it is a wonderful book. The main characters are Tommo and Charlie Peaceful. They are fictitious characters but the book was inspired by this grave.

This find brings the whole story to life (even though, as we say, this Private Peaceful has no connection with the characters in the book).

En route to Bruges, we make another important stop at Essex Farm where John McCrae wrote his famous poem, In Flanders Field, which led to the poppy becoming the symbol of remembrance of WWI

In Flanders fields the poppies blow

Between the crosses row on row,

That mark our place; and in the sky

The larks, still bravely singing, fly

Scarce heard amid the guns below.

We are the Dead. Short days ago

We lived, felt dawn, saw sunset glow,

Loved and were loved, and now we lie

In Flanders fields.

Take up our quarrel with the foe:

To you from failing hands we throw

The torch; be yours to hold it high.

If ye break faith with us who die

We shall not sleep, though poppies grow

In Flanders fields.

It's a rainy day - the first real day of rain we've had in 7 weeks. We cycle to Bruges partly along a former railway and spend the night in Bruges Youth Hostel.

Cycled 75.32 km

Busking earnings 0

No punctures