Page 15 - Flaming Cauldron – Issue 63

ACC ASSOCIATION NEWSLETTER

A bit warm so what better numb to the number of cemeteries you
way to refresh than with a see. Paul was stunned by it. I saw it last
spaghetti ice
year but trust me it didn’t get any easier.
Sobering thoughts of the slaughter of
life. On arrival to Ypres, it started with
a trip to Tyne Cot, followed by Menin
gate, Mesine Ridge, Ypres, Hooge
Crater and Langemark.
Langemark German Cemetery. 44,000 buried here and
24,000 of those in a mass grave
Lijssenthoek, 10,000 plus
here. The hospital here
saw 350,000 casualties.
The white crossers are the
Hohne camp Bergan concentration German soldiers graves.
camp. Awful place Over a 1,000

Hameln. Athlone and Normandy are
still active, the RA camp is still there but
not occupied. The “strip” is nothing like
before, just shops, many bars gone. Once
at Hameln we had a very bad brain
wave an decided to ride to Hildesheim.
Fortunately, a day mainly off motorways,
lovely ride in 28 degrees on the A roads.
Day 4 Hameln – Celle – Fallingbostal Tyne Cot, over 12,000 names on the wall here, a mass
of white gravestones Also on the trip at
– Hohner – Hameln. A day in
Langemark was the Welsh
the saddle covering 184 miles.
memorial, so a detour to
Not as much had changed from what
that had to be done
we had previously seen in other places.
There were a lot of new builds yes, but
easier to find our bearings on this part
of the tour as much was still the same.
Fally camps were used for immigration,
make of car. There was a serious lack of
now occupied by German Army. No
The Menin gate is under a refurb. This year we were “snellis”, donna kebabs are now the
British forces in Celle, Hohne or Fally.
able to do the last post inside. An amazing site chosen fast food! We did taste the joys
Tank road still a good ride round. We
of the German foods and delicacies, add
did stop at the Belsen camp, still as eerie
that to the odd small glass of the amber
as before.
nectar from the local houses made the
Day 5 Hameln to Krefeld was a long trip very enjoyable. Jager Snitzel was
day. Via Munster, and wow that place difficult to find but we hung on and
has changed. This was where we noticed found it. Lovely.
how evolution had taken place. York and
Summary… The hotels we chose were
Oxford barracks now under construc- excellent. We survived on budget.
tion for huge complex of flats. Part of Mesine for the famous Hooge crater trenches. Yes sore arses and bodies after riding
football match memorial This was the first-place
York is currently in use for immigration
flame throwers were used 1800 miles. Yes we realised our brains
purposes. The officer’s mess is a kinder-
in WW1 wrote cheques our bodies had to cash.
garten (did have a joke about that but
Day 7. Ypres to the UK. A tour round BUT we did it, our task done. Yes,
thought no, so will leave it to you). My
Langemark and over to St Omer to the Ibuprofen and Co-codamol became
old quarters are still standing so that’s
tunnel. Langemark was the first place in our friend at the end of each day.
one thing. So much construction in
WW1 where gas was used as a weapon. Visiting all the places and seeing the
Munster in general made it hard to find
Harrowing thought. changes, and oh boy those places have
my bearings.
We were lucky with the weather, seriously changed. Some places were
Day 6 Krefeld to Ypres, WW1 devas- 25-30 degrees all week. Very hot on bike hard to recognise, other parts neglected
tation and remembrance begins. Paul gear. The weather didn’t break till the and abandoned, but it was more than
had never had the chance to visit those day we rode to Ypres. Nice 18 degrees worth the cost of the trip.
places before this trip and now was the that day. The roads were brilliant. Would we go back, oh yes without a
opportunity for him to see these places. Things we noticed – The traditional doubt we would.
A sobering part to the trip of how little Merc cream taxis were not as visible as “Lest We Forget”
life was worth. After a while you become before and a taxi was any colour and any “We Will Remember Them”
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