On the morning of 5th August, I, Chris Fiddes, and my son, Stephen (both ex-RAF), set off, along with thousands of other Royal British Legion members from around the UK, and headed to Belgium and France, the scene of unimaginable suffering in one instance, but also extreme courage and heroism in the other.

Our tour to the WWI battlefields and cemeteries was about to commence, culminating in a magnificent parade of Royal British Legion standards at the Menin Gate in Ypres on 8th August.

We were about to recreate the great pilgrimage following in the footsteps of WWI veterans, war widows and their families, who had visited the battlefields of the Somme and Ypres, before parading to the Menin Gate in Ypres on 8th August, 1928.

With fantastic organisational skills, the Royal British Legion flawlessly recreated this incredible event, managing to co-ordinate the visits to the frontline and the parade for over two thousand enthusiastic Legion members. We were shuttled around the area by coach in extreme heat with the usual military precision we have all come to expect.

Over the first two days, we manoeuvred our way around the Ypres salient, spending time in the Flanders’ Fields Museum, Passchendaele, Messines and the Tyne Cot cemetery. On day two, we headed to the Somme region, starting with a visit to the Devonshire trench, where tragically 160 British soldiers perished in the first few hours of the offensive on 1st July, 1916.

We then moved on to Delville Wood, where several thousand commonwealth troops from South Africa perished in just four days, and are commemorated in a fantastic memorial. Swiftly moving on, we arrived at the Ulster tower, the site of a very historic and fearless charge by the Ulster Regiment against the German trenches – the only Regiment to achieve a big advantage during WWI.

From there, we made our way to Thiepval, a monument with over 72,000 British names of soldiers still unaccounted for. The coach then continued to the trenches at Vimy Ridge, site of the Canadians’ largest contingent of troops, and finally Arras, including a memorial dedicated to the Royal Flying Corps and Royal Air Force, as it is known today.

8th August was a full-on day for all parade participants, and after arriving in Ypres, we were ushered into a large Marquee for tea before the parade briefing. After forming up, the Standards led the way from Ypres train station to the Menin gate, following in the footsteps of British soldiers on this day a hundred years previous.

The wreath bearers followed on, eventually laying our wreath for Timsbury after a short service and the Last Post inside the Menin gate – a very poigant moment!

We then marched back through the centre of Ypres before being stood down to enjoy the music of the The Central Band, Royal British Legion/Scottish Royal Marines Band, and socialise with thousands of local people, tourists and families who had gathered to watch and support this memorable event in Ypres main Square, outside the famously rebuilt Cloth Hall.

Chris Fiddes