We explored the local villages in the morning and they were really beautiful - just as I had expected them to be - all green and lush with a mixture of cows (mostly white)and crops. After much frustration with roads barred we finally found the village (or is it a town) of Cappel which had a Grande Square, and lots of very interesting buildings and medieval passages. We followed a Rampart Walk at the back of the Square and that was beautiful with a community garden below and fantastic views of the approaching medieval enemies (fortunately we saw none coming).
Our aims for the day were to visit Fromelles and to visit Alan's Grandfather's grave at Armentiers. A modest goal really but that is without taking into account the way French Villages just seem to disappear. The AA map is the same scale as the ones we have used in Britain with no problem, but partly because the place names are often so long and hard to get fixed into your mind it is just sooooooooo hard.
We spent a couple of hours circling Fromelles and then suddenly it was there and there were still workmen doing the gardens and also putting in some headstones - it really brought home the newness of the cemetery and the importance it must hold for the families of these men even so far away in time.
We also came across a beautiful Indian War Cemetery and were touched by the beauty of the memorial. Nearby was a Portugese War Cemetery, also very beautifully kept.
No time for lunch now - it was already nearly 4.00 pm so we set off to find the Cite Bon Jean Cemetery just out of Armentiers. We easily found Armentiers which was much grander than we had remembered from 1964 - with very elaborate public buildings. Following the instructions to the cemetery proved a real challenge and we finally realised that we were going in the wrong direction and looking at the wrong railways crossing. It was 8.00 pm when we finally found it and because the area has changed so greatly in 47 years it was a great disappointment to find it crowded in by the poorer parts of the spreading city. In my mind I still treasured the picture of the farms and gentle hills that surrounded Frederick Grant Tuck and his comrades in 1964.
We placed the Flanders Poppies that Liz & Muz collected from the Australian War Memorial near his grave and as Alan and I were standing there in the late afternoon and I went to take another photo I noticed the dramatic effect of our heads close together and our greatlly elongated shadows. It seemed to be a symbol of a connection between our visit and the way his descendets have increased down through the decades. It was hard to leave but interesting to reflect on the long time together that Alan and I have enjoyed since our last visit. Before we left Alan wrote a message of thansks for the wonderful way the Commonwealth War Graves Commission have looked after his grandfather's grave for so long. It is incredibledible that they still collect and keep all the messages left by visitors at each site.
While we were looking for the Cemetery we were elated to find a McDonalds just out of Armentiers so this allowed us to use their toilets (rare things in France) and to have a cup of coffee and a snack. Even ording a Big Mac is a challenge in France - most of the people - even the young ones who learn English at school will not help out at all - it was another young customer who finally told us what the girl behind the counter was telling us. That welcome "meal" of course became lunch and dinner and it was 10.00 pm when we arrived home to a beautiful sunset from out the window in our hotel.
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