Pastoral Letter
Dear Friends,
This September I had the privilege of visiting the Tyne Cot war cemetery in Belgium. It is the largest Commonwealth military cemetery in the world, and it is the last resting place of 11,954 soldiers from across the Commonwealth who fought and died on the battlefields of Passchendaele.
It was an unforgettable experience. The cemetery, designed by Sir Herbert Baker, is stunningly beautiful, with row upon row of neat white portland stone headstones, surrounded by beautifully manicured grass, with the 'Cross of Sacrifice' in the centre and the towering stone walls at the head containing the names of some of the 90,000 missing soldiers whose bodies have never been found. But perhaps the most unforgettable aspect of my visit was the sight of an English teenage schoolgirl openly weeping as she walked along the lines of graves. What was it that made her weep? Was it the sheer number of graves? Was it the number of graves that contained no name (8,367 in all), merely the phrase 'Known only to God'? We shall never know, but something in her weeping gave me hope. Hope that she, along with all her fellow students visiting the cemetery that day, might take home with them a lasting desire to ensure that nothing like that huge loss of young vibrant life should ever happen again.
The 'Cross of Sacrifice'stands on the position of one of the concrete German blockhouses which had dominated the Tyne Cot ridge. It was on 4th October 1917 when the 3rd Australian Division captured the ground on which the Tyne Cot cemetery is now located. This was on the first day of the Battle of Broodseinde Ridge, when the II ANZAC Corps, consisting of 3rd Australian Division and the New Zealand Division, went into the attack across the Hanebeek valley.
From its position on higher ground the German Army had a magnificent view towards Ypres and across the British positions in the lower ground of the Ypres Salient. This ridge of high ground was extremely important for the German Army to hold on to because it also afforded excellent views to the north and and north east right across their own German rear areas. The capture of Tyne Cot was of massive strategic importance, but achieving it cost the lives of a huge number brave young men.
As I walked along the memorial to the missing, my eyes were drawn to my own surname. There seemed to be so many Lewis'recorded there, as there were Jones', Smith's, Browns etc etc etc. As I looked I heard a cry and a sob, and a teenage schoolgirl cried out to her teacher that she had found the name of her great grandfather. A truly poignant moment. His name, together with all the other names of those young men who gave their lives in the service of their country, will be read out on Remembrance Sunday.
It is so vital that we continue to "remember them" each year, because if we don't we shall lose that sense of the pain of so many lives being lost. Perhaps all teenagers should be encouraged to visit Tyne Cot and weep for the fallen. Then maybe the prophecy of Isaiah will finally be fulfilled:
They will beat their swords into ploughshares
and their spears into pruning hooks.
Nation will not take up sword against nation,
nor will they train for war any more. (Isaiah 2:4)
May God bless you all,