A torchlight march on December 19th 2014 launches a weekend of events in Ploegsteert, Belgium, marking the Christmas truce centenary.
Reconstructed trenches and a nursing post will also give visitors a flavour of First World War battlefield conditions.
The torchlight march follows a route from the ‘Ploegsteert 14-18 Experience’ interpretation centre to Ploegsteert Wood Commonwealth cemetery. Tickets must be booked in advance.
The event culminates with the sounding of the Last Post in the heart of Ploegsteert Wood.
Afterwards, the Band of the Royal Marines will give a concert in Ploegsteert Church.
The weekend also includes a showing of the film ‘Joyeux Noël’ on December 20th, and a choir concert on the morning of Sunday December 21st.
Visitors are promised ‘immersion in the context of the 1914 Christmas truce’ with re-enactors in the trenches. A shuttle bus will run between the ‘Ploegsteert 14-18 Experience’ and the truce site at St. Yves.
European football’s governing body, UEFA, inaugurates a Centenary memorial next to Prowse Point Commonwealth cemetery, near Ploegsteert, on December 11th.
The commemorations mark the launch of a programme in the municipality of Comines-Warneton, which includes Ploegsteert and St. Yves, aimed at keeping the memory of the truce alive beyond the Centenary.
A Heritage Committee has been formed, backed by organisations including the International Olympic Committee. Historical research into the Christmas truce is due to be published in 2015, and there are also plans for annual symposiums, starting in December 2015.
For more information about the Christmas truce Centenary commemorations in Comines-Warneton, click here. To obtain tickets, contact info@rememberplugstreet.com
Source: Belgian Tourist Office – Brussels & Wallonia
Images: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News
Posted by: Peter Alhadeff, Centenary News