In Flanders Fields

The centennial in 2014 of the start of the First World War will be marked by a major remembrance effort, including an invitation to the 50 countries who lost soldiers in the war, a symposium of Nobel Peace Prize winners and the establishment of remembrance gardens in foreign cities, landscaped with soil imported from Flanders.

The program, which involves an initial investment of €15 million, was announced in Brussels last week by Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters and heritage and tourism minister Geert Bourgeois.

The main commemorations will take place between 2014 and 2018, but the government plans two important events prior to that.

Declaration

After discussions with various international partners from Russia, South Africa, France and others, the Flemish government has drawn up what it calls the Flanders Fields Declaration, to be signed by representatives of the 50 governments of countries that lost soldiers in the war. The signing is planned for Armistice Day next year.

“The Declaration will emphasise that war and suffering still haven’t been banned from our world,” Peeters told a gathering of ambassadors and other international representatives last week. “It will reiterate that cooperation between nations, disarmament, regional integration and respect for international laws and human rights remain key elements for a better future.”

Symposium

A year later, Peeters will host an international peace symposium, with invitations extended to laureates of the Nobel Peace Prize. Two of them, South African Archbishop Desmond Tutu and former South African president FW De Klerk, have already agreed to attend. Other possible invitees could include former UN Secretary-General Kofi Annan, US president Barack Obama, former US vice-president Al Gore, former US president Jimmy Carter and former Finnish president Martti Ahtisaari.

Peeters is also planning to commission a peace hymn called “No More War”, “which will be performed on a regular basis throughout the commemoration period,” Peeters said.

More plans before and during the centenary period include:

Remembrance Gardens

The Flemish government is exploring the establishment of remembrance gardens landscaped with soil from the Westhoek of Flanders, where much of the fighting took place. Plans are already moving ahead for gardens in London and Paris. “The gardens will serve as a lasting witness of hope, peace, reconciliation and international unity,” Peeters said.

Renovation

At home, the government plans renovation and restoration work at several important sites in Flanders. The In Flanders Fields Museum in Ypres closed this week for major renovation and extension works. Around Poperinge, the Lijssenthoek military graveyard, Talbot House and the town hall, including its death cells and execution yard, will be renovated. The visitors centre De Ganzepoot and the Yser Tower site and museum in Nieuwpoort, would all be renovated and made more accessible.

“In Zonnebeke, in the vicinity of the Tyne Cot Cemetery, we are planning the expansion of the Passchendaele Memorial Park,” said heritage minister Bourgeois. “This pertains to the military account of the action in the region, with the Battle of Passchendaele being its focal point.”

Bourgeois also made note of the support given to the production of the British-American drama series Parade’s End, which is set during the First World War and is filming in Flanders now, as well as a planned series for Één titled In Vlaamse velden (In Flanders Fields). “It is my firm conviction that all our efforts and endeavours will create a public platform for Flanders, in concert with the other nations concerned, to fittingly commemorate the Great War and honour the millions of victims it claimed during its tragic course,” Bourgeois said.

Armistice Day honoured across region

Last Friday, 11 November, Armistice Day was marked throughout Flanders by ceremonies at 11.00. At the Menin Gate in Ypres, some 9,000 people were present to hear the playing of The Last Post, among them Princess Mathilde, Flemish minister-president Kris Peeters and West Flanders governor Paul Breyne. International Olympic Committee chairman Jacques Rogge was also present, along with a delegation of Flemish Olympic medal winners, including cyclist Eddy Merckx, steeplechaser Gaston Roelants and swimmer Frederik Deburghgraeve. Visitors from Britain, Australia, Canada, New Zealand, India and Germany took part in a Poppy Parade from the city’s St Martin’s Cathedral to the gate.

In Brussels, meanwhile, Prince Filip laid a wreath on the tomb of the unknown soldier, the ceremony marked by a 21-gun salute.

For more information, send an email to 2014-18@flandershouse.org or visit the 2014-2018 portal of the Flemish Department of Foreign Affairs.