Thursday, November 11, 2010

BELGIUM ~ REMEMBRANCE DAY--Yser Tower- Diksmuide~

"Remembrance Day" (also known as Poppy Day, Armistice Day or Veterans Day) is is a memorial day to remember the sacrifices of members of the armed forces and civilians in times of war, specifically since the First World War.

Remembrance Day is observed on 11 November to recall the official end of World War I on that date in 1918, as the major hostilities of World War I were formally ended "at the 11th hour of the 11th day of the 11th month" of 1918 with the German signing of the Armistice. It is a official holiday here in Belgium!

Even untill today soldiers are found in Belgian fields... In Komen-Waasten, in Hainaut province, the remains of six bodies of British soldiers who died in the First World War were discovered on November 5 2010!

From 1914 to 1918 the 'Westhoek', the western part the Province of West-Flanders, was the scene of the Great War. Hundreds of thousands of soldiers of more than 20 nationalities fell in this conflict.
...I know there is a lot to read here.
But I think its very important to always remember those times....


The IJzertoren (Yser Tower) is a memorial along the Belgian Yser river in Diksmuide. There have been two IJzertorens,

The IJzertoren symbolizes the demand for Nooit meer Oorlog (Never again War), written on the tower in the four languages of the fighting forces in the area during the First World War (Dutch, French, English and German). The rebuilt tower (84 m) is the highest peace monument in Europe.

All Belgian soldiers who fell, including the numerous Flemish boys, were given an official tombstone with the French inscription ‘Mort pour la Patrie’. To give the Flemish a Flemish tombstone, in 1916, the ‘Comité voor Heldenhulde’ (committee for hero’s tribute) was founded. With the money they collected among the Flemish soldiers, they created the famous ‘Heldenhuldezerkjes’: a cross with the inscription AVV-VVK (Alles voor Vlaanderen – Vlaanderen voor Kristus: All for Flanders – Flanders for Christ).

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