For four long years, Flanders Fields was the scene of unprecedented carnage. On November 11th 1918, peace was declared. It was just the start of amazing scenes of reconstruction and human fortitude.
Armistice Day 1918: What Happened Next?
For four long years, Flanders Fields was the scene of unprecedented carnage. On November 11th 1918, peace was declared. It was just the start of amazing scenes of reconstruction and human fortitude.
Thanks for this timely piece.
Thanks for your comment Sherry
My maternal family came from West Flanders, they must have gone through nightmare times in WW1.
Unfortunately, that’s true Yvonne. Do you know which villages they originate from or lived in?
I think they might have been near Meulebeke, Denzil.
Behind the front, yet still would have been a horrendous experience as that whole area was under occupation for virtually the duration of the war. And then again 30 years later
I enjoyed reading this Denzil. When we visited Flanders we sat in the town square in Ypres and even though we knew the Cloth Hall, Town Hall and the Cathedral had been completely rebuilt we just couldn’t imagine that these buildings hadn’t always been there. The rebuilding program was amazing.
That’s right Carol, it is difficult to believe, especially as the architecture looks so medieval. It’s a great example of reconstruction.
We read that Winston Churchill wanted to leave the city in ruins as a memorial but the local people just ignored him. Thank goodness they did.
I can understand his thinking, to leave a memory of what it was like. But maybe not a whole town. And thankfully we have photos to remind us of what it was like.
Yes, but it wasn’t his home that was wiped out. I’m pleased the people ignored him and rebuilt their beautiful town. We saw photos there. It’s almost impossible to believe that anything could be resurrected from the rubble that was left. But they did an amazing job.
I couldn’t hit ‘like’ on this historical post because of all the devastation and lives lost. But, I applaud the tenacity and strong willed people who came back and resurrected the area through fierce determination and hard work. I think every politician around the globe could benefit from reading this account because maybe they would get a visual the next time they think being a proponent of going to war is a good thing.
Completely agree Judy! Unfortunately politicians seem to have a short and blinkered memory.
Lovely post. It is truly amazing what people can do when they put their minds to it. Unfortunately the War to end all wars hasn’t happened yet. Re politicians, there is an old soldiers saying that if politicians had to go to war instead of sending other people, there would be no wars.
Yes Glen you are right. The very same politicians who sadly plant wreaths around memorials on Armistice Day are often those who approve warfare and the consequent suffering.
Very interesting read – to my shame, I had never really thought about how exactly Flanders was cleared up. What a gargantuan task! Thanks for telling us about it.
Thanks Anabel. No need to feel shame. Until I researched this topic I had never once thought what actually happened after Armistice Day. I had somehow thought “great, the war has stopped, peace has broken out, back home and back to work.” Unfortunately life was never the same again for these people.
No, I don’t expect it was. Terrible.
Very interesting read. Thanks.
And even despite the big clean up, 100 years on, still so much ammunition and remains of bombs are found in the fields every year.
Also makes you think about the bombings currently around the world, and how it will affect those areas for decades to come …
I know, it’s distressing isn’t it, as you say, not just in Flanders but in so many places of the world.
Reblogged this on Life Sentences and commented:
November 11th 1918 marked the end of the First World War, but the beginning of a huge clear-up of a totally desolated region. This reblog of a post I wrote a couple of years ago for my other blog tells the story of the reconstruction of Flanders
This is a fascinating story, especially to me as I studied (W. Hemisphere, not so much European) history in university. Thank you for sharing it. I was just reflecting on the date and how next year it will be a full century since the Nov 11 Armistice brought the horrors of the Great War to an end…
Thanks Flossie I am pleased you liked this; you may be interested in my latest one on the Poppies of Flanders too. Thanks for stopping by.
What a fascinating and timely piece Denzil – thank you for sharing!
Thank you Em, thanks for stopping by. It’s easy to think that the Armistice was the end of all the troubles, but unfortunately it wasn’t.
Learned so much from reading this posting. Well written and informative. Thanks for sharing this information about something I knew little about. Reminds me of Bosnia-Herzegovina after the Bosnian war. Even in the major base camp at Tuzla, they were finding unexploded landmines.
Thanks a lot Pat. Unexploded ordnance is a blight on the planet isn’t it? The consequences of war seem never-ending.
Unfortunately it’s like the unwanted gift that keeps on giving–like the flu or an STD.
This post taught me such a lot, Denzil. I never considered how the area had to be totally regenerated, how locals lost everything, and shockingly, how lives were still being lost due to the dangers that still lurked beneath the surface. Thank you so much for sharing.
It was fascinating to research Judy. Those first folk who returned to their lands must have thought they were entering Hell. I can’t imagine what it would have been like to be attempting to dig in that soil that was full of bodies and shells. Thanks for dropping by!
It doesn’t bear thinking about, does it, Denzil? Horrendous doesn’t even come close.
Horrendous price to pay… good post, thanks, Denzil.
Thank you Eliza … and the price is still being paid, unfortunately.
Really interesting post. I’ve written a short series on my great-uncle’s Ww1 experience, but had never considered the after effects of the war itself. Thought provoking read, thank you.
Thank you Caroline, was your great-Uncle involved in Flanders or in France? I would be most interested to know.
Hi. Yes he was. I posted about him https://wp.me/p8B76K-J Percy’s older brother Harold was with the Northumberland Fusiliers & died at the Somme on 3rd July 1916.
An interesting post Caroline, Thanks for the link.
A stark reminder, and a wonderfully informative post Denzil So many lives forever changed.. Thank you for reposting it again. or I would not have seen it.. Wishing you well my friend
Thank you Sue. While not wishing to trivialise this story in any way, I think the recolonization of Flanders and north-west France is is one of the war stories that hasn’t been made into a movie yet (or maybe not a book either). I could see this as a great human interest story.
Indeed it could Denzil.. So many untold stories out there..