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REMEMBRANCE
Nick Turner Whilst quotations from The Bible might not feature too regularly in our everyday conversations, their relevance can have a guiding effect on our daily approach to life. St Paul, probably the most influential of the disciples, was a native of the land we call Turkey and, not unnaturally, entered into correspondence with those of his countrymen in Ephesus and Galatia. The latter formed a sizeable area of Central Turkey, yet his ‘letter’ to them was quite modest in size compared to others, but it did highlight the advice in Chapter 6, Verse 7, that one couldn’t expect to gain more from life than one was prepared to put in. As my work took me on multiple journeys into mainland Europe with a wide variety of parties on board my coach, many of those areas most severely affected in the two World Wars suddenly assumed a reality that no amount of reading could have imparted. Two particular trips to Ieper (Ypres) made an indelible impression on me. People being people, there were groups with whom I gelled better than others, and I took one school party there on two occasions. The Head Teacher was especially ‘hands on’ throughout, which was reciprocated by the pupils to produce an enjoyable trip but, as we arrived at Tyne Cot cemetery, he excused himself from the rest of the staff so that he could search for his Great Grandfather’s grave that he hoped would be there. Row by row he searched until he suddenly stopped in front of his ancestor’s gravestone, a relative he’d never actually known in person but whose name was part of family folklore. Head bowed, he spent a few minutes in deep thought before tapping his fingers on the stone and rejoining the group, albeit with an element of moisture in his eyes. From that personal experience I subsequently took a group from the International Military Music Society on a tour which culminated at the Menenpoort (Menin Gate) in Ieper itself. Ieper had only 16 buildings still standing at the end of WW1 but has since been rebuilt to reflect its pre-war glory. Every night at 8pm, without fail, a ceremony takes place to commemorate Allied soldiers who are known to have perished in the Ieper Salient but for whom there is no known grave. Whenever a suitable group is known to be visiting, it can be arranged for one of their number to recite the oration that ends in ‘We will remember them.’ Unbeknown to me in advance, one of my group had that honour and I took the opportunity to go with them, a decision that left me with an indelible memory. The police had stopped all traffic, as they always did, and as I waited for eight o’clock, I found myself standing beside a lady of mature years with her dog. We got into conversation and she told me how she’d been a teenage girl during WW2 and was thus unable to leave her home for fear of assault by occupying German troops. But, on the night the German troops left, someone found a bugle. The traditional call was played with the oration, and she recalled crying with relief at being free once more. I could have stayed in my hotel room that day on 2 September, 2004 but, by investing a little of my time that night, Galatians 6:7 came alive – and I was the beneficiary. |
Galations, chapter 7, verse 6
Be not deceived; God is not mocked: for whatsoever a man soweth, that shall he also reap. 
Menenpoort
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Photograph Archive of Public Buildings