The Menin Gate is the main memorial to British and Commonwealth missing from fighting in the Ypres Salient during the First World War. Constructed in 1927, it is inscribed with the names of more than 54,000 soldiers who have no known grave.
Lest We Forget #RemembranceDay
Exploring The Cloth Hall, Ypres
The Cloth Hall in the town of Ypres was the most iconic building in the war-ravaged town. The first shells struck the building in 1914, and over the next four years it was completely destroyed. Today it has been rebuilt, and stands as a symbol of hope that rose from the flames of the First World War. Join Mat McLachlan as he explores the Cloth Hall, and the adjacent St Martin's Cathedral in this exclusive video.
WWI relics at Le Tommy Cafe Pozieres
The Somme village of Pozieres was the scene of some of the heaviest fighting of the Battle of the Somme in 1916. Today the owner of the local Le Tommy Cafe has recreated a trench system in his back yard, displaying thousands of relics he has collected from the battlefields. Join Mat McLachlan as he explores this eclectic collection.
Newfoundland Memorial Park is one of the few places on the Western Front where a complete First World War trench system has been preserved. It was here that the Newfoundland Regiment suffered major losses on the morning of July 1st, 1916. Explore the trenches virtually in our video, or in person on one of our Western Front tours www.battlewalks.co.uk
The Hawthorne Ridge Mine was blown on the morning of July 1st, 1916. Today the crater has been preserved and is waiting to be explored.. www.battlewalks.co.uk can take you there.
The Thiepval Memorial to the Missing is the key monument that records the names of men missing from the Battle of the Somme. More than 72,000 names are inscribed here, the final legacy of men killed in the 1916 battles who have no known grave. Join Mat McLachlan as he explores the memorial, and ponders the importance of sites such as this one, more than a century after the guns fell silent. This incredible memorial is a must-see and included in all Mat McLachlan Battlefield Tours UK itineraries.
Exploring the Ypres Ramparts
The massive ramparts that surrounded Ypres during the First World War provided the only real protection against the hurricane of shellfire that destroyed the town.
Join Mat McLachlan as he explores the Ramparts and tells the story of the men who sought shelter in their walls during some of the darkest days of the war.
