Lest we forget...

French military cemetery, Fere-champonoire, Champagne-Ardenne 

I have, on my various travels got into the habit of visiting the various commonwealth war cemeteries dotted around Europe. They are almost always immaculately kept and all too often completely devoid of anyone, so, I make it part of my pilgrimage to visit the graves of these young men and boys, often scattered in far flung little villages, where it is unlikely that anyone might pass by... until I do.

During this time many remarkable sequences of events have taken place, not least of which was when I left the area of Thuin after a glorious stay at galerie ephemere, of which I have written beforehand in a blog post of the same name. I was bedding down late one evening after a long walk that day in a beech forest. It was twilight and the peculiar nature of the crepuscular light meant that I was forced to make a hasty camp that evening. After setting my bed, I wandered through the forest some 30-40 metres away to discover a deep ravine that stretched along a gorge between the bank I was on, and another, some 50 metres wide. No sooner had I arrived at the lip of the ravine, with the sound of rushing water below, than a magnificent eagle flew majestically down the length of the ravine. It took my breath away, not least because of how rare it is to see such a large bird of prey,  but also the beauty of the flight as it shone in the late sunlight, flanked by the dark banks of trees on either side of the ravine.

The next day, I wandered into the town of Montbliart, in the Belgian ardennes, it is a town made famous by the Cobra school of art, and the publication set up by Pol Bury and Andre Balthazar, entitled 'Le Daily Bul'. Before you enter the town proper however, there is a small local cemetery, upon which hung a sign 'commonwealth war graves', which you will find where ever there are servicemen buried across Europe. In this particular cemetery lay two young RAF pilots. Both losing there lives in the first world war, but it was the inscription on one of the graves that shone like a beacon for me, and was a kind of confirmation of sorts. For I had been wondering whether given my injuries I may have bitten off more than I could chew, but there, written in bold on the headstone of 2nd Lt G.E.Dowler's last place of rest was the stunning quote from Isaiah 40:31 "They shall mount up with wings of eagles they shall walk and not faint.". I was immediately moved... another moment of beautiful synchronicity, on a journey shrouded in such occurrences.

I mention this little story in passing, but in truth, one never knows the significance of events until they arrive. It was certainly a remarkable coincidence, and answered succinctly a question that had been on my mind. Had I not been in the habit of visiting these young men, I very well may have missed this connection, but I was in the habit, not so that I could find anything in particular, aside from honouring those young men who gave their lives for the freedoms we enjoy today. I simply leave it with you, make of it what you will, I only know what it meant to me, at that particular moment, but then, that is what is meant by recognizing your coincidences...

External view of French and Commonwealth war Cemetery, Fere-champonoire, Champagne-Ardenne 

It is interesting to note that along with the 6000 war graves dotted within this mass killing ground are not just a number of commonwealth war graves, but the graves of hundreds of Muslim boys who were part of a Moroccan regiment based at fere-champonoire, during the early onslaught of WW2. They fought a desperate rearguard and ultimately hopeless battle against the nazi advance, and mixed their blood with that of their fellow French nationals in the fight for freedom in that apocalyptic war. They lay there, side by side, having died for the liberation of France. Lest we forget...

Monument to the fallen, Fere-champonoire, Champagne-Ardenne 

Fere-champonoire 

Memorial, Connantre , Champagne-Ardenne 

Connantre, Champagne-Ardenne 

Fighting Cock and Ball, Connantre, Champagne-Ardenne