As a result of a generous donation from a member, The Western Front Association is able to support a number of special projects. This is one of them.
On 22 May 2025 the city of Ypres in Belgium held a special series of events to mark the centenary of the death of the first Earl of Ypres, Sir John French. As well as being a figure of historical significance, particularly to the city of Ypres, Sir John was also the great-grandfather of Lady Lucy French - the Founder of Never Such Innocence (NSI) and Honorary Vice-President of The Western Front Association.
As part of the commemorations, NSI’s Military Kids Choir were invited to perform in St Georges’ Memorial Church. The songs performed mirrored the original order of service from the funeral of Sir John French at Westminster Abbey.
One of the choir members, Fearne, 12 years old, wrote about the choir’s time in Ypres:
The coach took us to Ypres, and had to pass through the Menin Gate to get to the hotel. We only had a few minutes to drop our bags before jumping back on the coach to go to Tyne Cot, the Commonwealth war cemetery in Passchendaele where we were told about the fighting in the local area and saw some crazy pictures of soldiers pulling machinery and people through deep mud. We looked at all the graves, trying to find some from our local area, and also searched the names engraved on the walls to see if I could find my family name. We read some of the words on the headstones and our favourite one read: ‘what more noble death that death in battle’. One of the younger choir members, Sophia, said, seeing the graves really helped me to understand the big numbers (of casualties) in the war.
We headed back to Ypres to witness The Last Post ceremony for the first time. This service happens at 20:00 every single day, and has done so since 2 Jul 1928; it even happened through Covid! We suddenly realised that we would be performing at this historic place in front of hundreds of people the next night!
The next morning, we went to St George’s Memorial Church to rehearse. All the parents came into the church as we were finishing rehearsal and a few of us ended up hanging around in the church for about another hour, looking at all the pictures and memorial plaques and singing the songs.
We had several hours to do our own thing after the rehearsal and went to have lunch and explore the town. We rushed back to the hotel to shower and get changed into our choir ‘uniform’ and make our hair look neat and fancy. Even my brother washed and brushed his hair for the occasion!
We walked down to the church together where we were given memorial pins to wear on our collars. We sat in the choir seats at the front of the church before the memorial service started and everyone arrived. The service followed the same format as Sir John’s funeral.
After the church service, we went to a reception in the museum with the French family, their guests and other dignitaries. There were speeches and poems and we sang our original song, The 11th of November. Some local school kids read poems, which was cool. We were served some sandwiches and strawberries and then walked up to the Menin Gate to get into position for The Last Post service.
There were so many people already there, and we watched as more and more people arrived. There were people in military uniform, a piper, standard bearers and wreath bearers. Lady Lucy French arrived with her family and dignitaries, and the service started. We sang as the wreaths were laid; it was such a great event to be part of and a massive honour. Lewis, the oldest member of the choir who got to lay a wreath said, “I feel very lucky to have been chosen to take part in this event and show my respect for all those who fought on the Western Front.”
After the service, we had some photos taken with some of the dignitaries and spoke to Princess Astrid from the Belgian Royal Family which was very cool. After a very late night, we had to get the coach back to Lille to get the Eurostar home. Some of us had swapped numbers so we spent the whole journey messaging and then missed each other so much that we continued to message all through half term. The choir is writing a song for the hundredth anniversary of the Menin Gate, I know I’d love to come back and sing it for that special occasion. I can't wait for the next trip…
The Ypres visit deeply affected all participating families, regardless of age, particularly because each family had a parent serving in the armed forces. The tour of Tyne Cot and the experience of The Last Post left no dry eye, fostering a profound understanding and recognition for those who served on the Western Front. Visiting such a significant location first-hand brought new meaning to the act of remembrance. Families unanimously agreed that a visit to the Western Front is essential for everyone.