While Mrs Dunkley sorted out the passport problem the rest of the group visited Westminster Abbey. It was the sense of history that impressed - seeing the memorials or graves of people
like Charles Darwin, Issac Newton, Handel; Rutherford as well as the Kings and Queens. The whole group met at Waterloo Station -with a new passport. The journey on the Eurostar was very smooth and we were met in Brussels by our hosts and Dr de Araugo joined us. We then had a bus journey to Menen and the Peace Village. During the evening meal a group from a boys school in the UK came in for the night! Getting in to bed on time didn't seem to be important and tiredness seemed to be easily overcome! The boring staff insisted that bed was the priority as we had an early start.Today has been for everyone a very moving day -at different sites, including Passendale and in different ways. Some were able to locate the names of relatives, other got a big impression of the loss of life and the sacrifice made - the line in the school hymn ' to the cross of sacrifice' has gained new meaning -probably a meaning that would have been in Miss Benbow's mind when she wrote the hymn -given the date she wrote it was soon after the Great War.
Some down time in Ypres was used to sample and buy of course, chocolate. The choir then had a sound test at the Menin Gate.
