Flanders Fields Memorial Garden officially opened

On Thursday 6 November, the Flanders Fields Memorial Garden, at Wellington Barracks alongside the Guards Chapel, was officially opened in a unique and moving ceremony, attended by both countries' Royal Families and Minister-President of Flanders Geert Bourgeois.

The garden is a gift from the Belgians to the British people and will be a unique opportunity not only to commemorate the 100th Anniversary of the start of the Great War but also to thank the British people for their sacrifice in liberating our country. With the memorial garden, the Government of Flanders wants to commemorate and honour all those who fought and lost their lives during the Great War. Furthermore the memorial garden will be a permanent reminder of hope, peace, reconciliation and international solidarity.

The Flanders Fields Memorial Garden not only brings together the military and officials from both countries but also has an educational purpose for remembrance. In collaboration with the Commonwealth War Graves Commission, schoolchildren from Flanders and the United Kingdom 'adopted' a cemetery together. In September 2013, ‘sacred soil’ was symbolically gathered from the military cemeteries and from the battlefields where the casualties fell. This soil has been placed in sandbags and has been incorporated in the Memorial Garden. During the weekend of the 8th of November, all schools will gather in London to finish the final chapter of the project.

The project is supported wholeheartedly by The Government of Flanders, The House of Lords, The Commonwealth War Graves Commission, The Last Post Association, The City of Westminster, the British Army, English Heritage, the Belgian-Luxembourg Chamber of Commerce in Great Britain and many individual and corporate supporters.