Belgium is also home to the largest Commonwealth forces cemetery in the world. This is the Tyne Cot Commonwealth War Graves Cemetery and Memorial to the Missing
Another well kept cemetery, but with a completely different ambience is the German cemetery at Langemark - the only German cemetery on the Ieper salient. There are 44,000 soldiers buried here in a number of mass graves. It is an incredibly sombre place with dark granite and tall trees
After our day in Belgium, we just had one day left on the Somme. We consulted our guidebook by Major Holt, and travelled to Delville wood, Longueval. Here we found the South Africa National Memorial. This imposing structure marks the place where over 2000 South Africans lost their lives, and where every tree in the wood was destroyed, except one - a single hornbeam.
Here is the hornbeam - 'The Last Tree', and part of the monument - it is absolutely huge.