It was a very poignant trip, with some finding the graves, or names on memorials of their relatives. Even though this was not my first trip, I still found the numbers of fallen incomprehensible and the most startling new statistic I heard was that a mere 2" of ground was gained for every Allied soldier lost. That was a stunning quantification of the extent of the enormous loss of life for so little gain. It was not the last in a World War, of course, but one that should hopefully be remembered and help deter any repeat.
Many took photographs and some took video, including the Last Post at the Menin Gate, which has been played every night since 1928, except during WWII. I was asked to produce a video of selected pictures and footage, which appears below and captures, I think, the essence of the trip:
