Official Visit to Belgium - Day 1

As the highest-ranking representative of the Commonwealth to attend the ceremony, the Governor General delivered remarks on this occasion: " Today, the family of Corporal Nathan Cirillo, all his comrades in the Princess Louise’s Argyll and Sutherland Highlanders of Canada, and every Canadian citizen celebrate the life and mourn the death of a brave young Canadian. At the same time, we all bow in remembrance to Warrant Officer Patrice Vincent, and pray for the full recovery of his colleague, Warrant Officer Landon Perry."

On October 28, 2014, Their Excellencies the Right Honourable David Johnston, Governor General of Canada, and Mrs. Sharon Johnston, as well as Canadian delegates, paid tribute to those who perished during the Liberation of Belgium in the autumn of 1944 at the Adegem Canadian War Cemetery. "The bravery and sacrifices of those who fought in this region were central to the outcome of the larger struggle against occupation. I am delighted that one of them, Canadian Second World War Veteran Sidney Cole, is among us. This part of Belgium, its waterways, landscapes and communities will always hold a prominent place in the hearts of Canadians," said His Excellency.

The theme of ceremony was ‘refusal to surrender.’

Members of the public gathered in the streets to watch the Official Belgian National Commemorative Ceremony of the 100th Anniversary of the Battle of Ypres – Menin Gate on giant screens erected in Ypres’ Grand Place.

His Majesty King Philippe of Belgium laid a wreath.

The Chancellor of Germany Angela Merkel delivered a speech on this occasion.

Their Excellencies participated in the Official Belgian National Commemorative Ceremony of the Flooding of the Yser Plain - Nieuwpoort organized by the Belgian federal government to commemorate the flooding of the Yser Plain and to honour the Soldier King, Albert I. The ceremony was attended by the King and the Queen of Belgium and by representatives from countries involved in the First World War.

Their Excellencies met with students from the two local secondary schools that were involved in renovating the site where John McCrae worked and presumably wrote his poem. The project started in 1995, with the assistance of the City of Ypres. The students paid tribute to Mr. McCrae by reading the poem to Their Excellencies.

Their Excellencies and Canadian delegates visited the site of the Canadian Officer-Surgeon and poet John McCrae, who wrote the famous poem In Flanders Fields 100 years ago.

Following their visit, Their Excellencies planted a Canadian sugar maple tree in the new Canadian poppy garden on the grounds of the museum’s chateau. The garden opened in August 2014.

Their Excellencies visited the Canadian section of the Memorial Museum Passchendaele 1917 to highlight the fruitful partnership between Canada and this Belgian museum which tells the Canadian story at the Ypres Salient during the First World War. The museum keeps the memory of the Battle of Passchendaele alive, a battle in which half a million casualties fell in 100 days to gain a mere eight kilometres of territory.

Their Excellencies participated in a wreath-Laying Ceremony at the Passchendaele Canadian Memorial.

This Canadian Battlefield Memorial marks the site of Crest Farm, where Canadian soldiers encountered some of the fiercest resistance they were to meet during the war. The awarding of nine Victoria Crosses (the largest number for a single battle) exemplifies the heroic determination and skill of Canadian soldiers in this bitter struggle.

Canadian delegates laid small crosses made by students of schools of the Ottawa region to commemorate a battle that cost the lives of 16 000 Canadians over a three-week period in October-November 1917.

During the ceremony, the Governor General had the honour of walking alongside a Second World War Canadian veteran.

The cemetery now contains 1 119 Commonwealth graves from the Second World War, including those of 848 Canadians, and one unidentified grave from the First World War. There are also 33 Polish and two French graves.

Their Excellencies laid a wreath.

In the last week of September 1944, the Allies held the city of Antwerp, but the Germans held both shores of the Scheldt estuary, which meant that the port of Antwerp could not be used. The task of clearing the southern shore of the estuary was entrusted to the 3rd Canadian Division, aided by the 4th Canadian Armoured Division and the 52nd Division. The majority of the men buried at Adegem died during the operations to clear the south bank of the Scheldt, but many Canadians who lost their lives elsewhere in Belgium were also brought here for burial.

The King and Queen of Belgium, along with national and international guests, attended this modified version of the “Last Post.”