On the first day we visited the In Flanders Fields Museum, located in the main square of Ypres on the second floor of an old Cloth Hall. We discovered this medieval-style building was painstakingly reconstructed between 1928-1967 after it was left in ruins as a consequence of the war. As we got to the square we found a marching band performing the opening ceremony for the Centenary directly outside the museum - we couldn’t believe our timing!

On entry we were provided with interactive Poppy Bracelets which enabled the digital displays to adjust to your name, age and nationality. The exhibition began with the events leading to the outbreak of the Great War, then guided us through different aspects of the events through interactive touch screens, video projections and soundscapes. There was a particular focus on stories of individuals within the larger picture of the war, and the affects it had on the thousands of people of different nationalities who were involved.

There wasn’t a trace of the glorification of war; rather the museum provided us with an intense perception of the futility of war, especially as seen in Flanders 100 years ago. The exhibition opened my eyes to the immense complexity of the conflict, and mass loss of human life that came as a result.

We left the museum feeling thoughtful and deeply humbled.

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