Week 2 – Thursday 11 July – Le Quesnoy and Arras

Time to leave Ypres, and head to Arras, which is only about an hour down the road, but a couple of important diversions are needed before we get there.

First up, we headed back to Mesen, to the Church in the town, where there is a plaque commemorating Samuel Frickleton, one of our Victoria Cross winners.  Mesen is a sister city to Featherson, so beside the plaque, there is a map of New Zealand, with Featherston highlighted.  Anne had her photo taken standing over Wellington.

From there it was off to Le Quesnoy, the scene of the last full scale involvement from the NZ troops in WWI.  Quite a mission it was too, and one that the locals are eternally grateful for the way it was carried out.  The Germans had held Le Quesnoy for most of the war, and at the very end of the war, the New Zealanders managed to secure the town by scaling ladders up the ramparts, take the Germans by surprise, and take them prisoners without the usual approach of laying the town flat.  Now there are streets, a square, and the New Zealand Souvenir Gardens which contains the monument commemorating the New Zealand Division liberating their city.  

Anyway, roll forward to more modern times, and Todd Blackadder laid a wreath there while the All Blacks were on their end of year tour in 2000, so now there is a Place All Blacks, as well as the other local spots named in New Zealand’s honour.

2013, and we are there to visit the New Zealand Memorial, which is to be found at the far end of the town square.  You walk around the back of the town ramparts for a couple of hundred metres until you come to the arched gate to the gardens.  Going inside, there is a large memorial plaque on one of the town ramparts honouring the valour of the New Zealand Division. The plaque has a picture depicting the kiwi soldiers going up the ladders over the ramparts, with their pistols and rifles at the ready, being watched over by an angel. 

There were several groups of people visiting the monument, and none of the other groups were kiwis, so that was quite heart warming.  The coffee in the square should have come with a warning from the surgeon general, because, although I’m sure no cows were hurt in the making of the coffee, they certainly gave they’re all to produce enough wipped cream to provide the topping for the coffee.

From Le Quesnoy, we drove to Arras, where we are staying for one night.  The highlight for us in Arras, is Le Cariere Wellington – the Wellington Quarry that was dug by New Zealand miners in preparation for the 1917 Battle of Arras.  We will be visiting that tomorrow.  Arras as a town, has a lovely looking cathedral, and two rather nice squares.   I say rather nice, because they’re all in some need of repair, so look more than just a bit run down.  Nonetheless, we had a nice meal that night in one of the restaurants close to the town square.